Free Sunday parking in Glasgow city centre ends this month amid concern the change could drive out shoppers.
It is a long-running debate whether the availability of free parking is putting central areas at a disadvantage compared to out-oftown destinations.
At the same time, improvement plans involve reducing the number of cars and creating more pedestrian spaces.
Following the publication of proposals earlier this year, Sunday is to be the last day of free on-street parking to tackle the problem of spaces being occupied for extended periods by a single vehicle.
From June 30 there will be parking charges imposed and restrictions in place.
By charging for parking on the street on Sundays, the council hopes that people will choose to switch to public transport or use one of the council-run city centre car parks instead.
But business leaders worry that it will give customers another reason to drive to out-of-town malls with huge free car parks.
The council said the move would make it easier to find an on-street parking space for the purpose of shopping, leisure, tourism and doing business.
The charges are the same as Monday to Saturday, so drivers will have to pay £1 for 15 minutes, equalling £4 an hour.
There is a maximum stay of two hours, which is intended to free up spaces throughout the day.
The council has said the current free all day parking “stifles” the availability of spaces and causes congestion and pollution.
However, Stuart Patrick, chief executive of Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, said: “We are concerned these charges will lead to shoppers being pushed out of the city centre and towards peripheral malls, which is worrying for traders and in contrast to our overall ambitions for retail and leisure in the city.”
A spokesman for Glasgow City Council said: “This new range of measures is about tackling parking bay blocking in the city centre on a Sunday.
“Many drivers currently park on the street on a Saturday night, leaving their vehicles unmoved until well into the next day. Other motorists also take up spaces for long spells throughout the day on a Sunday.
“The new regulations will make Sunday on-street parking more frequently available to shoppers, visitors, tourists, blue badge holders and residents alike. Improved parking regulations are known to reduce congestion and this in turn should improve air quality.”
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