An online poll conducted by a local ratepayer activist group reveals 91 per cent of the 471 respondents oppose the introduction of paid parking.

The Area News has been inundated with comments from angry residents and business owners since Councillor Doug Curran said on Monday that parking meters would be examined as part of a wider review of Banna Avenue.

Chief among the concerns is that paid parking would drive shoppers away from the CBD and prove to be “the final nail in the coffin” for struggling Banna Avenue businesses.

Lance Perry of the Community and Development Council of Griffith, which is running the poll on its website, said council should heed residents’ opposition.

“Our view of the main street, Banna Avenue, is that it’s not broken,” Mr Perry said.

“There’s two reasons why we’ve got traffic congestion. One is they’ve closed off (Ulong Street) for eight months and the other is that (Banna Avenue) is a viable, operational retail centre.

“If it wasn’t that way we wouldn’t have the traffic problem.”

While earlier in the week Griffith mayor Mike Neville did not rule out the possibility of introducing paid parking

in the future, his council colleague Cr Dino Zappacosta was scathing in his assessment of the notion.

“It’s a pathetic idea, absolutely pathetic,” Cr Zappacosta said.

“We should be looking after our shop keepers and making it easier, more comfortable and safer to shop in the main street and parking meters are not the way to do it.”

Cr Zappacosta also described as a “furphy” suggestions parking meters could provide council with a financial windfall.

“Raising money through parking meters is an absolute furphy,” he said.

“The expenses incurred in establishing the meters and the expenses incurred monitoring through our compliance officers – I really don’t think it would be a net profit at the end of the day.”