Business owners along Aerodrome Road are petitioning Tauranga City Council to turn road reserve land into more parking spaces.

They say the current parking situation on the busy road makes it unsafe for vehicles and pedestrians alike.

Store It owner Ken Andersen, whose yard backs onto a section of council road reserve land on the northern corner of Aerodrome Road, circulated a petition in September and received signatures from 14 other business owners.

They're calling for the council to stop leasing out a parcel of land to local businesses, and instead turn it into off-street parking.

'This end of Aerodrome Road is terrible for parking. There are more vehicles here than there is room for,” says Ken.

'All the berms are full. There's no proper berm anymore because there are concrete barriers and a fence now, forcing people almost onto the road. I've seen several near misses.”

He says there are no footpaths at that end of the road, either, making it dangerous for pedestrians.

'You have to walk down the wrong side of the road so you can see the traffic coming.”

A report to the council's transport committee on February 12 recommended the council receive the petition, but did not consider the proposal to be beneficial for the direction of the city.

The report says continuing to lease the land supports the commercial leaseholder and provide revenue for the council, while converting the land to public parking would cost the council to install and maintain the parking area, and encourage ‘private vehicle use along one of Tauranga's most congested and strategically important transport corridors'.

Previously the council was receiving $2200 (excluding GST) per month for leasing the land.

Councillors and local business owners at the busy northern end of Aerodrome Road.

Transport committee members Steve Morris, Rick Curach, and Larry Baldock met with frustrated business owners on Wednesday to see the problem for themselves, and agreed to take another look at the issue at a future committee meeting, to which the petitioners were invited to attend and speak.

Steve says councillors have requested more information about the options available.

'We received the report at the last committee meeting, and some councillors wanted another report delivered with some recommendations, because the initial report simply suggested we just carry on as usual.

'We don't want to just receive the petition – we want to make a decision on it.”

He says that new report will likely be delivered at the April meeting of the transport committee.