Auckland Transport (AT) wants to introduce paid parking on high-demand streets in Grey Lynn and Arch Hill business fringe areas. Here’s why we support it…
Executive summary
Sandwiched in between the paid parking zone on Ponsonby Road and the Residents Parking Zone in Grey Lynn and Arch Hill is a small no man’s land with unrestricted parking.
Commuters naturally hoover up those free all-day parks to, well, park all day.
As a result there is very little turnover of those car parks and, on average, between 90% and 100% of the parking spaces on these streets are occupied at peak times between 8:00 AM and 6:00 PM.
Want to visit a local business? Sorry, you’re out of luck because commuters have nabbed all the parks.
The solution proposed by Auckland Transport (AT) is to extend the paid parking zone to include this no-man’s land.
Paid parking is preferable to time restrictions for the following reasons…
- Paid parking provides more flexibility if people need to stay longer.
- It also enables AT to tweak pricing to maintain occupancy levels as close as possible to 85% to keep enough parks available for people visiting the area. They wouldn’t have this option with time restrictions.
- Paid parking has been working effectively in areas such as Ponsonby, Parnell, Newmarket, Kingsland, Remuera, and Takapuna.
- AT will continue to monitor parking use in the Arch Hill and Grey Lynn areas to make sure occupancy levels linger around that mark should this proposed paid parking zone proceed.
Feedback is open until Monday, 24 August 2020.
Feedback link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/5F56NYJ
Project overview
On-street parking around business fringe areas in Grey Lynn and Arch Hill is in high demand, which means people are often unable to find a park and become frustrated.
Paid parking is an effective way to improve parking availability while still providing flexibility for people to park as long as they need.
The proposal will benefit businesses and their visitors to the area, encouraging shorter stays and keeping more carparks available.
AT has also had ongoing complaints from businesses, workers and visitors about the parking in these areas being taken up all day. The problem occurs mostly during the peak working hours of 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM.
AT is proposing flexible parking management solutions to improve parking availability and behaviour.
Benefits
- Manages parking demand and increases parking availability.
- Enables parking to be shared between staff, residents, visitors and commuters.
- Improves parking behaviour.
- Encourages motorists to consider other transport options such as public transport, carpooling, cycling or walking.
- Reduces congestion.
Timeline
- 5 August – consultation opens.
- 24 August – consultation closes.
Project details
AT’s aim is to have an average of 85% of the parking spaces occupied at peak times (during the four busiest hours of the day), meaning around one in seven parking spaces will be available. This ensures the parking is well-used, but people can easily find a space. This is an internationally recognised approach to managing on-street parking.
AT’s surveys show that, on average, between 90% and 100% of the parking spaces on these streets are occupied at peak times between 8:00 AM and 6:00 PM. This shows that there is high demand for these car parks and there is a need to change the approach to parking management.
AT proposes introducing paid parking, with no time limits. Paid parking is an effective way to improve parking availability while still providing flexibility for people to park as long as they need. This encourages efficient and productive use of available on-street parking.
The proposal will benefit businesses and their visitors to the area, encouraging shorter stays and keeping more carparks available.
Paid parking locations
AT proposes converting all on-street parking to paid parking in these streets…
- Arch Hill
- Chapman Street, Nixon Street, Burns Street, Putiki Street, Monmouth Street (part), Waima Street.
- Grey Lynn
- Crummer Road (part), Mackelvie Street (part), Murdoch Road (part), Scanlan Street (part), Williamson Avenue (part).
- K’ Rd precinct
- Winchester Street.
Note 1: Streets that have residential on one side of the street and businesses on the other side currently have a Residents Parking Zone on the residential side and unrestricted all-day parking on the business side. It is only the business side of the street that will change to paid parking.
Mobility parking exception
Mobility spaces will not be converted to paid parking.
Newton Central School exception
To provide for the needs of Newton Central School it is proposed to introduce a P2 zone from 8:15 AM to 9:15 AM and 2:30 PM to 3:30 PM on school days on Waima Street and Monmouth Street. These spaces will therefore not be converted to paid parking.
Times, days and prices
- Monday to Saturday:
- 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM
- $1 per hour for the first 2 hours
- $4 per hour thereafter
- 10-minute grace period (allows for pick-ups and drop-offs without needing to pay)
- No time limit (allows flexibility for users to park as long as they want).
Parking will be free and unrestricted outside of these proposed times and days.
Have your say
AT would like your feedback. Your local knowledge will give them a better understanding of the area, the community’s parking needs and any improvements that can be made to the plans.
You can help by telling AT what you think about the proposals and what changes, if any, you would make.
Feedback is open until Monday, 24 August 2020.
Feedback link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/5F56NYJ
AT project page: https://at.govt.nz/projects-roadworks/arch-hill-parking-changes/
Hey guys,
I live in the zone you’re supporting paid parking in (Burgoyne st- which isn’t listed but is oddly coloured in? Maybe you can provide me clarity on that?)
I’m really disappointed that you claim to be looking out for residents, but don’t seem to have pushed for a resident permit or coupon system. Myself and fellow residents are often off our street in the day- but heaven forbid we get sick one day! 45$/day fee to stay home!
Please reconsider your support for this and put your weight behind getting AT to at least add some kind of grace system in for residents. Maybe like… a set # coupons a year or something? Just something small so we aren’t penalized for living here, if you’re targeting commuters abusing the area.
Hi Leslie,
You’re absolutely right, Burgoyne Street should be included in the list. I’ll bring that up with the AT team.
It’s a tough one regarding Burgoyne St because you live in a “Business – Mixed Use” zone. It looks like developers took advantage of the more generous rules in that commercial zone to build high-density apartment buildings, which I’m guessing is what you live in?
Given that the apartment buildings have parking garages underneath, and that owners would have known they were not buying into a residential zone, it’s going to be a tough ask to get exemptions for people living there.
If it was zoned residential it would most likely be a Residential Parking Zone (RPZ) and you’d be perfectly catered for. Unfortunately because it’s “Business – Mixed Use” zone an RPZ is not possible.
The only alternatives available to Council are paid parking or time limits, neither of which would provide the solution you are looking for.
It’s a tough one and I really feel for you. I don’t know what the answer is but I recommend including your thoughts in your feedback.
It’s a tough one? No it’s not. Your average person doesn’t know about the implications of mixed use parking and the possibility AC would become so broke they’d have to get creative with revenue gathering, oh no wait, you want to encourage everyone to get on a bike or catch a bus? We know you did your due diligence with public consultation and then you did what you always do, implemented your agenda, anyway. You are trying to force a culture change on people that are already established in this neighborhood, long before the AC decided on this mandate, it impinges on our human rights, it will affect many people and families, forcing some to sell and move away, I’m disgusted that we haven’t been given an opportunity to buy a permit. I go everywhere with my dog when I am not working, how do you propose that works for me using a carless system? Any suggestions ….
Hi,
We are on the Western side of Scanlan Street. The documentation that was sent to us made it sound as though the whole street would be made into paid parking. But your Note 1 above makes it look like our side of the road will remain as Residents Parking. Can you confirm that is true?
We would strongly oppose our side of the road becoming paid parking. We are not allowed to put in a second carpark in front of our house due to heritage restrictions, so effectively we are being told that our only option is to own a single car in a big family house. That is not fair or right.
I provided feedback to AT, but unfortunately recieved nothing back from them.
Thanks
Rupert
Hi Rupert,
Yes that’s my understanding too, i.e. that the residential side of Scanlan St will remain as a residential parking zone and only the business side of the street will become paid parking. That’s something we specifically clarified with AT when they briefed us on the proposal.
Cheers, Brandon 🙂
Thanks, can’t get a permit to park in my own street now
Which street do you live in Troy?
We are on 39 Mackelvie street, most of the businesses on our part of Mackelvie Street have private car parks for visitors. We live in an apartment with only one carpark and were previously able to park on one side of the street, as the other side was a 120 zone. We now have paid parking on both sides forcing us to pay to park in front of our own residence. I have raised this multiple times with Auckland Council requesting resident parking permits for the residents to no avail, which is absolutely appalling! Where to from here and what does it take to be heard? Many are in the same boat and feel that they are being unheard and treated unfairly.