Free parking debate back in gear

Tauranga City councillors are preparing to put their heads together once more in an effort to solve what one councillor describes the 'not-so-simple” issue of free parking in the CBD.

Later this month, the highly-debated problem will go before council with staff having to produce five options ranging from the status quo to free parking with time limits.


Photo: File.

Currently, shoppers can park almost anywhere in the CBD for as long as they like, provided the parking metre is topped up.

Councillor John Robson says council staff have been working tirelessly to produce these options, but heeds that the issue of parking is a delicate balance between cost and appeasement.

Council knocked back Mainstreet Tauranga's idea of running a three-month trial consisting of a two-hour grace period on parking in the CBD back in July, calling for a more detailed look into the issue and a report put forward by the company.

Retailers have been urging the city council for years to at least trial free parking as a way of increasing foot traffic in the area.

'At that time the figure we had [put forward by Mainstreet Tauranga] for that was $375,000,” says John. 'Multiply that by four and it's $1.5million.

'To decide to spend $1.5million or impose a cost of $1.5m without any real thought or planning - you just don't do things like that.”

John says one option is to make the special Christmas-January deal of free parking after 3pm permanent – something he feels is easy to communicate.

A simpler alternative is the status quo except for free parking on Saturdays.

John says, ultimately, parking isn't free and council could end up employing more wardens to make sure that people were not taking advantage of free parking.

There is also the option of utilising new parking technology, including parking sensors in the ground.

He says the option with the biggest cost impact was all day free parking, but with time limits to ensure parks turned over.

Based on the $375,000 for three months put forward by Mainstreet Tauranga, all day free parking would see a loss of $1.5million in revenue annually.

'Clearly some of the options have a bigger cost but they offer more freedom,” adds John, 'and it's always that balance.

'Look at every city of 100,000 people around the planet - they all have parking issues and none of them have solved it.

'Do we really think somehow that the 10 councillors and mayor of Tauranga, elected in 2013, are going to come up with a solution that no other city on the planet has successfully found?”

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15 comments

DOWNTOWN

Posted on 05-01-2015 10:54 | By surfsup

The jewel of the downtown area is the strand, make this a car free zone, except for delivery vehicles. Allow the restaurants and bars to have tables out further, as they do at easter, then bring in a reasonable charge for parking, this would bring me back into town on a regular basis. Tauranga mainstreet and the retailers also have to do their bit, the decorations(atmosphere) on show at Christmas could best be described as pathetic.


impose a cost of $1.5m without any real thought or planning?

Posted on 05-01-2015 11:01 | By YOGI BEAR

Great comment John, but really the whole ethos of TCC is spending without reason, rhyme, notion, meaning ... nothing. so why pretend that the change is being "thought" about now?


Councillor's heads

Posted on 05-01-2015 11:03 | By penguin

This report opens with the statement that "...councillors are preparing to put their heads together...” I suggest it would be more useful for someone to bang their heads together which may achieve something useful and sensible. It seems that they seem only to be able to display ineptness when it comes to decision-making. Imagine them trying to plan an emergency evacuation warning system for a tsunami - oh, that's right, they did once resulting in...?


City Wide Parity a good start.

Posted on 05-01-2015 14:17 | By Murray.Guy

Cr John is relying on figures provided by Mainstreet. Beggars belief. A good starting point would be a 'city wide' review of parking management for 2015 and in to the future, recognising that the 'curb side parking charges are in fact 'double dipping' and put in place pre suburban shopping centres. The ONLY cost incurred is the monitoring of time zones, much of which is covered by fines for over stayers and out of WOF / Rego motorists. This is the Council that gives away our parking stock, that removes the CBD developer parking contribution requirements then penalises the retailers and ratepayers! For those that insist parking charges are not a disincentive to potential shoppers - It's NOT the amount, just that there is a charge! EG: Route K, Art Gallery!


CBD Free Parking

Posted on 05-01-2015 14:28 | By foxylady

The major issue I see with 'free parking' is that Staff working in the CBD would be the 'winners' in this move. Most shoppers/movie goers etc would only park for 2 - 3 hrs mainly (in my opinion). The clogging up of parking would be 'all dayer's' e.g. workers. Solve the parking for the workers & I think you would find individual shoppers would not park all day in the CBD. Mostly we come to town to do several things then get out as quick as we can because of the traffic!


Carcass

Posted on 05-01-2015 15:40 | By Carcass

Councillors have to talk to the retailers they are at the coalface and knows what is going on.No parking meters will be required to as retailers will not have any customers soon and the CBD will be empty.Councillors really are helping the urban shopping no end.Retailing in downtown Tauranga is at a end


Foxy babe

Posted on 05-01-2015 15:56 | By YOGI BEAR

True, Councilors have already stuffed that up by allowing development without the appropriate level of parking being provided. The result is ratepayers city wide are subsidising CBD development. Next, the Strand carparking has more or less be eliminated meaning that staff must park where the shoppers would. TCC solution, create a car park on cliff road that no one ever uses ... duh, the planning and insight here is breathtaking to the point of disbelief about how they even get considered in the first place.


CBD Retailer

Posted on 05-01-2015 16:48 | By Sue

Great , looks like we will be in for yet another change to the parking fees. That will make it over 4 changes in the 3 years we have been been here! The December changes were a well kept secret, we had to educate our clients once again. Many still think they can only park for 1 hour and that changed a long time ago. Other cities, including Nelson, have a FREE parking period, so that must be a viable option for them. Lastly, if the loss of income is a concern from the CBD parking, then share the load and put in place parking fees at the Mount, Greerton, the list goes on.... or are the councillors to do this?


DROP THE PRICE

Posted on 05-01-2015 17:55 | By Tyraone

Simple solution drop the price. Or make it free and the wardens monitor the length of parking and if over the limit of say 1- 2 hours then the culprits be ticketed. I wont shop in Tauranga because of the parking issue I prefer the suburban areas to shop.


easy fix

Posted on 05-01-2015 21:50 | By rosscoo

TCC should get together with Regional council and come up with incentive to encourage more people to use bus to city. That would ease traffic congestion and utilizes a council asset already in place.


Self- policing?

Posted on 06-01-2015 08:02 | By The author of this comment has been removed.

The council castle building has serious leaky building issues and may well be beyond repair, although may be recycled as a parking building, with council renting out of the CBD. My suggestion is to make parking buildings free for CBD workers (validation required), thereby freeing up parking outside shops. Shop staff are then able to police the "overstayers", and advise council authorities who then may issue a ticket, after say, four hours parking. It is the interest of shopkeepers to keep the turnover going, after all.


Buses

Posted on 06-01-2015 08:29 | By Ellajj

I'd love to use the bus to get to Tauranga but in Te Puke the bus service is far from convenient. It was exciting to hear that the bus route was expanding in Te Puke.....but then found out it meant that the bus would come round the main streets at 10am on Wednesdays and Fridays, not very handy. They'll probably withdraw the service soon because not enough people use it! Anyway, the real subject here is the parking issues in the CBD. On the occasions I have driven in to town, I have struggled to find a parking space on the street even though I'm happy to pay. There needs to be more parking available. Only when the street parking is empty can they say it's because people don't want to pay!


All the schemes in world ...

Posted on 06-01-2015 16:49 | By YOGI BEAR

Will hit the wall in the CBD, the simple problem is that TCC has a lot of debt, parking revenue is seen as a way to get money out of the public without having to send a bigger rates bill, they are already huge now with all kinds of creative add-ons there already.


Less - not more

Posted on 09-01-2015 12:59 | By The Tomahawk Kid

As if ONE councillor cannot cause enough problems trying to DO GOOD - now we have a bunch of them "getting their heads together" to create MORE MAYHEM. This issue will NEVER be resolved until council are removed from the equation completely. ANY input from the council is unacceptable. They are the cause of the problem - how on earth can they be expected to fix it. Hand the issue over to the retaillers and let them put in place a scheme that they are happy with - after all it is their livelihoods that are at stake. Council need to be muzzled from involvement in things that they have no right being involved in. I want council to do LESS - not MORE.


Tomahawk Kid

Posted on 18-01-2015 15:20 | By YOGI BEAR

Agree, the problems result from TCC meddling, in all and anything. They have a go at commercial stuff (you know where private individuals make money) and they convert in to unbelievable huge losses. The history is 100% perfect record at that. The nearest thing to gold that TCC creates is 'fools gold' and even that lost its luster.


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