A PETITION calling for free one-hour parking across the Bendigo central business district collected more than 1200 signatures in a month.
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Hargreaves Mall business Free Choice Tobacconist manager Scott Dalgleish launched the petition on October 13. It circulated until November 13 at shops throughout the CBD.
Mr Dalgleish said he planned to present the petition to the City of Greater Bendigo within the next week.
"We drafted a letter up to go with the petition. I plan to have it submitted to council during the next week, provided it's all done correctly," he said.
"I've never done anything like this before. Not one person who I asked has said that they don't support free parking."
Mr Dalgleish started the petition in a bid to create a new incentive for Bendigo shoppers to consider the CBD before they decide to go to the city's shopping malls.
Up to 50 petitions sat on the counters of businesses in the CBD for the five week period.
Mr Dalgleish said he hoped his petition would be before council as soon as possible.
He said the council had a right to fine drivers if they violated the parking conditions, but said one hour of free parking would create a more even playing field.
"One of the main problems for this part of the city is that you have to pay all day to park in the Hargreaves Street multi-storey car park," he said.
"That building opened in the 1980s. It's well and truly paid for itself by now, so why keep on charging?
"I understand that businesses in the Marketplace and other places have parking included in their lease fees, so it isn't free for them either. But that's not really the point."
Some initial copies of the petition were not compiled correctly, with no explanation as the header, meaning up to 300 signatures could not be included in the 1200. These signatures had to be discarded.
Mr Dalgleish said had the petition circulated longer, he could have got well beyond the final tally.
"Our argument has always been to have the first hour for free, which I think most people would support," he said.
"The cost of parking really puts city traders at a disadvantage with places like the Marketplace."
When the petition first circulated, City of Greater Bendigo director of planning and development Prue Mansfield said the idea of parking fees was to keep parking spaces turning over within the CBD.
There are 3250 paid parking spaces in the CBD.
The City of Greater Bendigo projected an increase in parking revenue of $207,000 in the 2014/15 Budget.
