The cost of parking in Brisbane

A few people have asked me why I don't drive to work (I work in Brisbane CBD). Well, if they read the article below, they would immediately know why.

The parking rates have become absurd, there's no way I'd pay the ridiculous money. Even Brisbane City Council parking passes (which cost less than those charged by those money-grabbing private car park operators) are not cheap.

So the survey says it costs $604 a month to park in Brisbane. That's one MONTH. More than the big names of the world like New York & Tokyo, so that's saying something. And that's parking cost alone. Imagine if fuel costs are factored in......

I parked at the Wilson Parking car park at Comalco Place during the past Saturday's Riverfire. I left my car there for some 5 hours, & forked out $15 for the privilege, but that is the Riverfire parking fare. Parking at Comalco Place would normally cost the following:

0 - 0.5 hours $11
0.5 - 1 hours $17
1 - 2 hours $25
2 - 3 hours $33
3 - 4 hours $40
4 hours + $45
Max per day $45

That's why I catch public transport to work. I know it can be a pain - buses often running late & noisy schoolkids on the bus & all that. But I rather put up with that than "giving away" $604 per month to "charity".


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Parking cost tops NY

From: The Courier-Mail
July 17, 2008

BRISBANE is one of the most expensive places to park your car in the world, according to an international survey.

Brisbane was one of five Australian cities to make the top 12 in the survey, beating the Swedish capital Stockholm, Russian capital Moscow and downtown New York.

The international survey of monthly parking rates found Brisbane was fifth at $604.02 a month, between Sydney ($790.99) in third and West Australian capital Perth ($526.78) in eighth position.

London's City and West End areas - costing almost $1200 a month - topped the list, compiled from 138 cities around the world.

Victorian capital Melbourne is not far off in 11th spot at $503.10, while parking in South Australian capital Adelaide appears to be a comparative bargain at $216.26.

Brisbane Lord Mayor Campbell Newman yesterday again accused private operators of "price gouging" and appealed to them to "have a heart" and cut rates.

"This unfortunately is one of the side-effects of not addressing traffic congestion, but to say that people of Brisbane should pay as much as the biggest cities in the world is a bit extreme," Cr Newman said.

This echoes the blasting that Cr Newman gave private car park operators in February, after it was revealed one was planning to almost double its monthly rates.

Secure Parking lifted its rates from $420 to $750 a month at its Festival Carpark in Charlotte St. It blamed the council for the "price pressure", saying that the CBD had lost about 3000 car spaces in the past two years.

The Colliers International survey was conducted in metropolitan areas in North America, Europe, Asia and Latin America last month.

"Australia's booming resource-based economy and surging currency is the primary driver of these high parking costs," said Colliers senior vice-president Ross Moore.

Australian cities dropped down the list when it came to daily rates, with only Sydney in the top 10 at $55.58 a day.

There are more than 40 private car parks in Brisbane's CBD and another two operated by Brisbane City Council.

The council-operated King George Square and Wickham Terrace car parks have monthly parking rates considerably less than the average detailed in the survey, at $420 and $350 for a monthly pass respectively.

Daily maximums are $25 and $23 respectively, compared with private car parking which ranges from $32 to $50 for four hours or more in the CBD.

Frustrated motorists could consider moving to Delhi in India, where the daily rate is $1.78.

Premium places:

Top 12 expensive parking cities in the world (monthly rates):

1: London (City) $1191.44

2: London (West End) $1159.67

3: Sydney $790.99

4: Hong Kong $757.95

5: Brisbane $604.02

6: New York $597.39

7: Tokyo $563.35

8: Perth $526.78

9: Stockholm $519.55

10: Dublin $518.36

11: Melbourne $503.10

12: Adelaide $215.85