Councillor booted over Hutt Street parking debate
Adelaide City Council will ask the community to weigh in on five different parking scenarios in its Hutt Street upgrade after a heated debate last night saw a councillor suspended from the chamber.
Councillor Henry Davis was suspended from last night’s council meeting after a Hutt Street parking debate, with other councillors voting his behaviour was disrespectful.
It is the third time Davis has been suspended from a council meeting this year, following incidents in February and June.
Lord Mayor Jane Lomax-Smith warned Davis to comply with their meeting procedures, limit his comments to the parking issue at hand and not cast doubt on other councillors’ motives.
Councillors Mary Couros, Simon Hou, Arman Abrahimzadeh and Mark Siebentritt voted against Davis being suspended from the remainder of the meeting.
You can watch the exchange below, from 45:16 until 1:07:13:
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There are currently 131 car parking spaces on Hutt Street, but plans presented to the council’s Infrastructure and Public Works Committee in August suggested cutting them by more than half, to 57.
Councillors were presented with five different parking options for the Hutt Street upgrade last week, with one option maintaining the number of car parks numbers and others prioritising cycling paths or greening.
All five options will be put in the council’s consultation with the community.
Before his suspension, Davis quoted an Instagram post from Rundle Street trader Azalia Boutique that said “issuing fines and making parking inconvenient” hurts local businesses.
Davis left the chamber before the councillors reached a vote on his suspension.
Councillor Henry Davis. Photo: Tony Lewis/InDaily
In a video posted to his Instagram account, Davis said he was “kicked out of council for daring to criticise their bike agenda” and that the council is “out of touch”.
The incident turned the debate topic from Hutt Street parking to council culture, with Councillors Couros and Hou objecting to what they say is a frequent use of Regulation 29 – the regulation that reprimands improper behaviour at a council meeting.
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Councillor Hou said while he doesn’t agree with Davis’ behaviour, the regulation is being used as a “political weapon” to halt debate.
Councillor Carmel Noon said it’s not about what Davis says, but “how he’s saying it”.
“The behaviours we look past are the behaviours we accept, and these are behaviours we should not accept in the chamber,” she said.
HUTT STREET BEFORE:
Angle parking in front of the Hutt Street Newsagency is part of the space that’ll be upgraded under the plan. Photo: via Google Maps
HUTT STREET AFTER:
Renders of the new Hutt Street cycleways and widened footpaths in place of parking.
Councillor David Elliott put forward that instead of asking the community to consult on all options, it should only consult on option D so as not to confuse people.
Option D would reduce on-street parking to 73 spaces, including parallel parks rather than angle parks and adding protected cycle paths.
This was voted down.
Hutt Street is one of five main streets receiving an upgrade through the council’s Mainstreet Revitalisation Program, along with Gouger, Hindley, O’Connell and Melbourne Streets.
The total project budget to upgrade Hutt Street is $12.5 million.
