Who Accepts Parking Pricing? Trust and Legitimacy in a Contentious Policy Change

Abstract

This paper examines public responses to the introduction of paid visitor parking as a contentious local policy change in a tourism-dependent region. While parking pricing is widely recognised as an effective tool for managing demand and generating revenue, less is known about how such policies are interpreted and legitimised by affected communities. Using the Blue Mountains in New South Wales as a case study, the study treats the introduction of paid parking as a natural experiment in user-pays reform under conditions of infrastructure funding pressure and climate-related disruption. A mixed-methods approach is employed, combining survey data, factor analysis, clustering, and qualitative thematic analysis to identify patterns in attitudes and interpretation. The findings show that acceptance is not primarily driven by demographic characteristics or behavioural exposure, but by institutional trust, beliefs about collective responsibility, and perceptions of governance quality. Three distinct attitudinal segments are identified, reflecting differing configurations of support, trust, and normative beliefs. Despite the scheme’s demonstrated effectiveness as a revenue-generating instrument capable of supporting substantial infrastructure investment, public acceptance remains contested. The policy is frequently interpreted through a “revenue raising” frame, particularly where trust is limited. The paper argues that parking pricing operates not only as an economic instrument but as a governance signal, with legitimacy contingent on transparency, fairness, and the visible reinvestment of revenues.