If I could give minus stars for an incompetent council run by unintelligent staff who use outdated, inefficient software, I would. So many reasons. From Sally Capp's narrow-minded and one-sided projects geared towards benefitting commercial ventures with no consideration for residents of the CBD, through to unjust parking ticket fines. Despite having a permit and parking for less than the 15 minute allocated timeframe, the ticket infringement officer gave us a fine. We approached him and told him to say that we have parked for only 5 minutes and saw him approach the vehicle and give the fine on the spot without circling the block and returning to check if we went overtime.He said he would try to waive it. Either it did not work or he didn't do it. Now we have appealed it and the almighty council have not considered our appeal but have asked us to go to court. We pay our council rates on time, our taxes etc and yet have to live with this kind of treatment - set up to make it easy for one party (the council) and incredibly difficult for the other (citizens). Can the government revamp their work structure, implement fairer processes and hire better people rather than retaining the same ones for 20+ years who are clearly not motivated or innovative?!

Received unfair parking fine on Australia Day 26 Jan after parking according to the signs displayed overhead. Their expert parking officer didn't even bothered to look at other cars who were also in the same parking lot and under same parking conditions. After applying for a review they came with this excuse " While you’ve stated that other cars parked in the area hadn’t received fines, we’re unable to comment on other cases as their circumstances may have been different. It’s the practice of the City of Melbourne to issue fines to vehicles found to be illegally parked. We’ve carefully considered your application, however the City of Melbourne is satisfied that the fine was correctly issued, and won’t be withdrawn." It's really hard to understand do these parking officers operate as per the polices or just randomly target people whoever they want to. Some councils are contracting third party companies and place them as parking officers which I really wonder on their working attitude and capacity.

They fined me for parking in a private property sign area. I objected. They claimed it was an error by the parking officer, apologized for the error and cancelled the fine. They then immediately issued a fine under a different road rule and didn't give me the opportunity to object as I only get one objection and I had already used it. I referred the matter to their prosecutions team for court hearing. Meanwhile their one hand doesn't talk to their other hand and they continued to add more fees on the fine even though the matter will be heard by the court. I then spent an easy 20 minutes on the phone and emailing them and finally got another apology saying they had an internal admin error and cancelled the extra fees. What a bunch of incompetent and hungry bureaucrats. Its all about revenue raising for councils. Now I have to weigh up wasting a whole day at the court and lose a day work and income or just pay them. They know its a lose lose situation and banking on people just paying it.

As a person with a disabling illness, I challenged an infringement notice after getting to my car 4 minutes late after a neurologist appointment, (with support letter from my Doctor) was not contacted by the person I was repeatedly told would make contact, and only response was they sent an ADDITIONAL infringement notice on the day they closed my enquiry without contacting me. Couldn’t make their power games and disability discrimination and ridicule any clearer. Have now ceased all contributions to events in the city of Melbourne, shared with my friends who have all agreed to have all future catch ups (outside of lockdowns) outside of COM and changed specialists so that I never need to enter the dead centre of Melbourne again. Ive estimated this amounts to about $5K (including meals, accommodation and entertainment for my friends as well as me)lost business per year for COM businesses courtesy of their council. Congratulations on such a successful sabotage of your own business sector.

I received a parking fine last month and I nominated the responsible person before the due date of the fine. I received an email acknowledging the successful submission of nomination form. However, a week after the nomination, I received a penalty reminder notice from the City of Melbourne with $26 added as reminder fee to the fine. On contacting the customer support at the City Council they said there is no nomination linked to the fine and that they hadn't received any nomination. It was totally absurd for me to even hear that they had not received the nomination even when I have a reference number and an email confirming the same. Obviously there is some IT issue at their end and something that I wouldn't expect from such a tech savvy Council. Although the Customer Relations team member was kind enough to assist me well after I called them. Hopefully, the nomination is sorted as it was supposed to in the first place.

In my experience Melbourne City Council have always had administration issues. Today was no exception. I went into the office to renew my parking permit. I was told I have changed my address?? I have lived in the same place for 5 years. I was told I failed to inform them of a change of address and they had my wrong address on file. THEY HAVE BEEN SENDING ME LETTERS TO MY HOME ADDRESS FOR 5 YEARS! AND THEY CHECK MY PHOTO ID WITH MY ADDRESS EVERY YEAR AT THE OFFICE! Basically THE COUNCIL made an administrative error and it cost ME: Instant cancellation of my current valid permit (wasting $135) New application for another permit ($35) Cancelling my parking vouchers ($35) A huge paperwork trail to prove my vehicle is my own, despite they were happy it was my car 60 days ago when I renewed my permit... I wish there was a choice of councils. This public service center needs some competition! Very very poor Melbourne.

you can’t find parking, majority replaced with bike lanes that no one even uses anymore since those who bike and were asking for these lanes are now working from home. The entire cbd is a frustrating web of bike lanes because somehow the council was pandering to cyclists that hardly even use these lanes anymore. And when you do find a spot to park in, the time you’re allowed to park is extremely short, so you’ll end up getting fined somehow trust me, and then you only have 3 weeks to pay a $100 fine, how is that fair when ppl don’t have much money sitting around and if you miss it the fine keeps going up by 50 percent every other week until you’re bankrupt. I just avoid the city now as much as I can unless I really have to, it really is one of the worst designed and managed cities in the world. Shame on melbourne council

The city was locked down for more than 200 days meanwhile, the city council continues to collect rates from property owners despite the fact that everyone is feeling the financial brunt. Their excuse for this is to "support the city" while throwing a list of things they are obligated to do but have been clearly neglected or were irrelevant during the lockdowns. Things like waste management (have you seen how gross the city is?), homelessness (have you seen Swanston St?), economic recovery (after deliberately destroying it, the people now have to pay for their own "economic recovery"). These people are absolute filth and every single one of them will be held accountable.

How are people meant to go to shops and buy big things when they cannot park anywhere because of 'pop up' bike lanes? People on bikes don't spend money, people with cars do because they can take away the products in their vehicles. Don't worry though, luckily CBD businesses can rest assurred those customers can just buy off Amazon and get it delivered... Crackpot greens. Looking from the other reviews on here, most are about parking fines, well trust me, going to be a lot less reviews of that type when people just choose NOT to go to the CBD because it's just one big bike lane. "City of Melbourne - Worlds biggest 10x10 bike lane."

I got a parking fine $165 in a parking area which had a parking zone number for the parking ticket. I requested the review online. After I have been waiting for three months, I received an email to say I couldn't parking there as it's reserved. I still need to pay the fine. What's the parking zone number for? The sign said you can pay parking by app or ticket machine. If it was used for temp reserved, they should make a big sign. I feel sorry for all the cars who were parking there. Some parking signs were unclear and confused. Well, don't bother to argue with them or go to court. I just minimise my trips to drive to city.

Terrible parking fines, the e park app didn’t work properly and I still got fined, then they don’t allow you enough time to pay it off, only 30 days while other councils give you up to 90 days to pay it. I didn’t have money to pay so they kept piling up the xtra charges. They keep crying that no one comes to the CBD anymore well if you can’t find parking and when you do you get slapped with massive fines no one wants to bother. Business rely on parking for customers but council make parking such a bad experience and they are very greedy with no sense that ppl need time to pay off a fine.

Unfortunately, I dont recommond going to Melbourne CBD for your shopping anymore. All the free parking has turned into cash grabbing machine after Covid19. Used to be free now will cost you upto $4.80 for a short 2 hrs parking. Most of the resturants has 10% extra surcharge for weekend and 15% extra surcharge during public holiday. On top of that 2% surcharge by tapping your credit card to pay. Impossible to drive in or out of CBD during rush hour because of road work and seal road. People protest almost every weekend. The Melbourne city council really did a bad job running the city.

I got a ticket from an Infringement Officer for accidentally dropping my dogs lead in the park. He saw me drop it, then pick it up. When I tried to contend the fine online, the statement he made was that I told him I always walk my dog off lead, which was a bold face lie and the review team wouldn't consider my appeal. Absolutely atrocious that the Council is choosing to give arbitrary fines to make up for the lost revenue it is getting post covid. Total and utterly disappointed with this council.

What a garbage council, how to make Melbourne most liveable city make the entire CBD cycling friendly and reduce the number of parking available to cars. And yet when Melbourne has the world wordt public transport as first world developed country? Tram is one of the greatest design to impede road traffic and make it insanely dangerous fot everyone on the road including pedestrian, lack of subway crossing and sky passage put everything on the surface of the earth so make everyone crash and die.

Let me tell you…… After I’ve travelled to many places in the world I always want to come home, to Melbourne my beautiful and incredible city. Melbourne has everything, great infrastructure, beauty and above all we can eat anything, any day at any time. My husband and I leave the car parked in Richmond and take the train to the city, we love to walk in our city, we discuss the beautiful Flinders Station and we come to the conclusion that we are so lucky to live in the best city of the world!!!

My husband parked on Queen St last month, paid for a full hour and returned to his car 45 mins after arriving to find a parking ticket issued. When we queried the fine ( with a print out of the pay stay receipt) the council said the parking sensor report said he had arrived an hour earlier than reality. There must be other people that this has happened to... he did not stay two hours but he did pull into the bay as a previous person pulled out. The sensor is faulty!!

Arranged to have lunch with friends at Crown. I walked from Southern Cross station down to crown. I couldn't believe how utterly filthy it was. Rubbish and cans lined Spencer St all the way to crown. Obviously, it is a very popular place for the homeless to sleep and leave their rubbish. Not a great look for the tourists or the locals. Disgraceful. It's nothing like our beautiful city of years ago. Melbourne City Council, where's your pride and cleaners.

Terrible experience with the parking department of this council. The app crashed and stopped the meter, the parking officer saw this and took a photo of it as an evidence of my legitimate claim. The hopeless case office at the council did absolutely nothing and still went ahead with the fine. They have a record of my parking history and it is obvious that I have always paid for my parking and never got fined before.

We finally get an amazing barge venue in docklands (ATET) and then the council treat them so poorly as to have them close down. Forcing them to have background music only is insane when it is set up for DJ events. Wouldn't be surprised if they are sued for what they have done to the poor owner. You'd think they would want to support small business after getting absolutely trashed during covid. Sally Capp must go.

You want people to come back into the city, despite your streets being limited to one lane in many areas, and let's face it, not being safe at all- and then you limit all street parking to two hours until 10pm! How do you expect people to have time to dine and enjoy the city in under two hours?! You really need a review of your streets and parking facilities!!

Why are there still horses used to transport tourists in CoM? I thought it was banned. Are companies hiring out e-scooters being told that they need tell their customers that it's illegal to ride them on footpaths in the city? I've seen a lot of dangerous behaviour and it just gets worse and worse. Now the Town Hall office isn't open on Saturday morning

The City of Melbourne has the most beautiful views along the Yarra. If you get a chance to walk along the yarra, take a moment to stop on the bridge and admire the view. Do this in the morning and then go again at night. You will see a difference in the day compared to at night. It's spectacular view is breath taking. I love going for walks here!

Local Laws officers can’t grasp simple business concepts. Simply out to meet quotas and raise revenue any way that they can - regardless of logic. Going to have to head to court to challenge their stupidity.

The parking officers (especially Officer #154) hired by the City of Melbourne have to be the most nonunderstanding a**holes I've ever dealt with. If I weren't from here I'd avoid this city like the plague.

Well done on your bravery on flying the Palestinian flag in support of the civilians being merciless killed while our politicians remain silent. Much respect …

I really don’t understand why you not find a really job and do something really help people but you just wanna take money from my pocket

The security staff was classy while the office staffs are helpful to support citizens with legislation and new information

You can’t park your car in the city any more, I’m a maintenance plumber and can’t find carparks anywhere

A great city full of arts, architectures, multi culturals, great dinning, dynamic atmosphere to enjoy.

The ladies facilities near H AND M shoukd be shut down. It was once safe. Now it's a crack den.