A pilot initiative to increase parking time limits at one of Auckland's most ticketed streets will come into force soon.
By Torika Tokalau of Local Democracy Reporting
Parking around Onehunga Mall will increase from 30 minutes to an hour, and 120 minutes in some places, from May 11 for 12 months.
The move by the Maungakiekie-Tāmaki Local Board and Auckland Transport is to address ongoing parking challenges in the town centre.
Local board chair Debbie Burrows said the existing 30-minute parking in the area which had been in place for some time, was just not working.
The changes to the road layout, the January fire, and increased pressure on the town centre all exacerbated the parking issue, she said.
“We heard from both business owners, people who live in the area, people who come from outside of the area to shop, and we have been trying for a long time to try and implement change,” Burrows said.
“Making the decision to do a trial was not only the quickest way we could implement change, but also the most thorough to hear the wider community voice rather than those who are often the most vocal.”
The pilot will introduce new timed parking limits, including 60-minute parking (P60) along Onehunga Mall between Church St and Grey St, and 120-minute parking (P120) on surrounding streets including Princes St, Church St and Arthur St.
The existing P30 parking on Onehunga Mall between Princes St and Church St will remain in place. There will be no changes to mobility parking spaces, loading zones, bus stops or taxi stands.
Burrows said initial feedback was split – some welcomed the pilot of increased parking, while some wanted to stick to the 30-minute time limits.
The board will be be doing regular surveys of how parking is being used.
"I'm hoping we will also see a dramatic decrease in the number of parking infringements that are issued, and that would be a real success measure of this pilot as well."
According to AT, Onehunga Mall was recorded as the second highest ticketed street in the region last year with 8782 parking tickets. Princes St near Auckland University was the highest with 10,626 tickets.
The mall also ranked sixth overall for revenue generated, with a whooping $196,308 collected in infringement fees.
Burrows said the new parking times were expected to significantly impact Onehunga.
"I'm really hopeful that the community will be engaged in this process, and that we will see improvements in both how the businesses get busier, people will find it easier to come into Onehunga to shop and use our services.
"This is a really positive step forward, in what is a difficult time for businesses economically around Auckland."
Burrows said the pilot would only run for 12 months before they made any permanent decision.
“The beauty of this pilot is that it’s fluid. And we can look at changing the limits on certain streets. We've intentionally split them, we've got some areas that are 30 minutes, some areas that are 60, some that are 120 minutes.
"We want to see how each of those areas are working and rather than complaining, we really want to hear constructive feedback from the community. So that when we look at implementing permanent change, it's actually been driven and led from the people."
– LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
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