A review of time limits on Tauranga's central city parking is being undertaken following this week's workshop on central city parking issues.
Also in the wish list that came out of the workshop on Wednesday are requests for free CBD parking at weekends and the revival of free buses on Saturdays.
'We are going to review the time limits that we have for on street parking and we are going to work with Mainstreet for that,” says Tauranga City Council transportation manager Martin Parkes.
'So we are reviewing all the streets in the city centre. Some of the time limits may increase some may decrease. Most of them will probably stay about the same.”
The call for the parking workshops was made by Mainstreet Tauranga manager Kirby Weis when the council looked set to go down a track proposed by Auckland consultants
MRCagney using pricing to control parking use – raising parking prices in areas of high demand and high turn over, and lowering them elsewhere.
The consultants claim the method increases both parking turnover and parking revenue.
The CBD business interests fear it will continue to drive their customers to the free parking in the suburban parking precincts.
'One of the issues we talked about is if we reduce parking fees then council's revenue drops and impacts on the level of debt retirement, so it's all linked,” says Martin.
'If we reduce the parking charges in certain areas even by 20 cents, it has quite an impact on the bottom line throughout the whole year.
'You could be talking about up to $100,000 loss of revenue – they're some pretty difficult decisions to be made.”
There is still a strong feeling the in-debt council should protect its parking revenue so the surplus can continue debt repayments, says Martin.
Another suggestion from the business interests, including Tauranga Mainstreet, the chamber of commerce, the Property Council and the city centre action group, is for a trial of free weekend parking in the city's parking buildings while continuing Saturday morning parking charges.
'There was quite a bit of discussion on that.
'There's quite a lot of stuff being discussed, some needs more work doing and bringing back to the group to work through again.”
The request to revive the free buses on Saturdays will have to be talked over with the Bay of Plenty Regional Council, the city council and retailers to see who will pay.
'When they did the free buses for six weeks on a Saturday, the retailers say they noticed a considerable difference in the number of people coming into town shopping,” says Martin.
Most of the outcomes from the workshops are expected to then go through the normal council meeting process for a council decision on whether they are actioned.
'As we have each workshop we decide at the end of it whether we need another one or not.
'There's always been an issue with retailers not liking the fact that some of their customers have to pay for their parking.
'They say it's an issue that puts people off coming into town to shop.
'I'm not sure if that's true or not.
'There are still a lot of people coming into town for their shopping, but they see it as having a negative effect on the city centre.”
14 comments
PARKING MONEY FOR DEBT REPAYMENTS
Posted on 14-04-2011 14:42 | By GROMIT
Like when did that happen, this lot have decided not to 'repay' debt this year coming. So does that mean there is more money in the Mt Golf course entertainment fund? Travel to China Fund? or just the 'have fun' fund?
OUT BACK
Posted on 14-04-2011 15:00 | By BUSHWACKER
We don't have parking meters, what are they and how many dogs can I park there for the price.
Posted on 14-04-2011 15:35 | By Colleen Spiro
I have just been to a funeral at St Marys on the corner of Elizabeth St and Cameron Road, so parked in the Avenues and walked...The parking meter lady was chalking every car outside the church. I then left there and just by chance, got a park outside a shop that I thought I would like to look at... Put $2 in the meter browsed and brought, went round the corner to another shop I like and then across the road to Farmers... I made a purchase there...Being very aware that my meter would soon expire I found myself getting agitated with queue jumpers and raced back to the car.... Not a very pleasant hours shopping when considering it was a spur of the moment decision. I can spend up to 6 hours shopping, (can't any woman... My last experience of the Parking building was to pay $15 lost ticket fee because my ticket has blown under the seat. He would not let me park to the side and look calmy for it. Reading this article you say the retailers noticed a difference in trade when they put the free buses on... Just remember that was RIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS".hello..Why dont you trial FREE parking for a couple of weeks and see if the retailers are making more money... Maybe if they are, they could subsidise the parking to the council..They choose to be in the CBD... Yes you are right guys paying for parking in the CBD stops people going there. All three shops that I visited are in other FREE parking shopping centres. They survive without parking meters. I feel sorry for the workers who have to pay the parking building too. A good chunk of their wage gone, when they get paid very little.
THEY SAY THAT ...
Posted on 14-04-2011 22:58 | By WOMBLE
Parking money pays debt, but we know that does not happen, we know that TCC is like a woman in max shopping therapy mode, then add Bill's multipler of x3 then you have an understated TCC budget. Now they say "I want" more parking revenue, more that, more this and more of the other ...
@ WOMBLE
Posted on 15-04-2011 11:14 | By TERMITE
I would think that you building sand castles is cheaper, less cost, in fact no cost to do. Where as parking fees and fines are huge and of course inhibit the ability to shop for a number of reasons: unfair, punitive, limited parking anyway, wasted money to, wasted money to collect, and what ever is left is not used in the CBD, not used for debt reduction (not that the MOUNTAIN of debt would notice it) the end result is a RORT of anyone going into the CBD. Answer = all pay for car parking in all shopping areas or none pay, CHOOSE!
free buses
Posted on 15-04-2011 13:22 | By [email protected]
yes, please think about the free buses into the cbd again. it really makes it easy for the family to go into town on a saturday if we dont have to worry about parking and can all get on the bus without paying for each member of the family. last year we use to spend the money on going to a cafe in town.
Water off a ducks back stuff
Posted on 15-04-2011 14:47 | By Hebegeebies
Slippery slimy backflipping and vascillating are how one could describe this approach.If politicians open the mouth often enough no one can follow what they say and confusion reigns supreme.
@ Tahi
Posted on 15-04-2011 17:55 | By Vomit
The buses are free, did you see the bus parked outside the Hot pools 12.30 yesterday the drive was layed up at the back having a snooze or blond monent, free accomodation there? Wonder if he was clocked in or out ?
No such thing as a FREE BUS
Posted on 15-04-2011 19:12 | By The author of this comment has been removed.
@Tahi: Sorry, but WHAT Free Busses? Somebody Somewhere has to PAY for those buses - They most certainly are not FREE to the Ratepayers. The ratepayers are being raped and pillaged so that the council can give a different sector of the community FREE BUSES. How about YOU pay for the bus if you use it, and the council keep their filthy thieving fingers out of other people's pay packets.
1st
Posted on 15-04-2011 23:19 | By Capt_Kaveman
make the parks of legal size 4m is the rule i believe yet some r much shorter than that, Free buses yeah but keep control of the foul mouth unruly touring kids that never get off or bring in one way rides only at a time, Even with this new time table NO 2 bus is still having trouble with being late since they removed one of them to save $ yet many run after 6pm pretty much empty
TCC IS GOOD AT JUGGLING
Posted on 17-04-2011 10:18 | By WARTS N ALL
That is 'TCC 101' training school stuff for staff. They can not avoid this as it is essential to know all of this to spin out the right yarn on each story.
TRUTH V's JUGGLING
Posted on 19-04-2011 12:50 | By WOMBLE
No need to juggle, the truth is that the CBD is being ripped off and the spoils of that are being filtered off to benefit other areas. SIMPLE!
IT MAKES ME SICK
Posted on 22-04-2011 12:38 | By Vomit
That that all this internal TCC moaning is because the NICE TO HAVES THAT SOMEONE ELSE PAYS FOR can not continue as the money train has run off the rails, crashed, got busted and some.
THE MONEY TRAIN
Posted on 23-04-2011 08:57 | By YOGI BEAR
If the results achieved were real, if the improvements to life did not include a massive debt hanging around every man womans and child neck for generations to come .... and we could see a "MONEY TRAIN" coming would be half as bad as it is now. But as it is the above all applies except there is not going to be a "MONEY TRAIN" coming.
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