Carless challenge for Tauranga council

Could Tauranga City centre become carless? Photo: File

Tauranga City councillor Terry Molloy received an unexpected answer when he asked Jo Wills how the city council could encourage people to use public transport instead of their cars.

'It's not an answer you are going to like, but limit the amount of car parks that buildings, commercial premises and retail premises are allowed to have,” says Jo, who is chair of SmartGrowth's environment and sustainability forum.

'Make parking more expensive. Don't allow for free parking. Parking takes up so much space.

'Cars take up so much space, whether they are driving on the road or whether they are parking. That space is valuable. It could be valuable retail space. It is also valuable cycling and pedestrian space.

'It's the same with residential developments. We just need to be stronger and bolder, saying we will have to actually transition away from car dependency and that means taking the allocation of parking down – or set some targets to reduce it.

'It's what's happening everywhere else in the world.”

Jo was speaking at the public forum section of a recent city transformation committee meeting where she expressed the forum's concern about the car-dependent transport planning going into the new city centres at Te Tumu and Tauriko West.

Terry asked how the council could encourage people to use public transport when many of the city's commercial centres – Bayfair, Fashion Island, Bethlehem, Fraser Cove, The Lakes – and the supermarkets are saying ‘bring us your cars'.

'Apart from ‘build it and they will come', like having decent cycle ways, walkways and a bus transport system that will work, what other mechanisms can we use to encourage people to get on public transport?

'Because I can see it as being incredibly difficult with Kiwis, especially my vintage, getting them out of their cars. Have you got any ideas about encouraging people out of their cars and to use public transport?”

Frequency and reliability are two key factors that a public transport system needs to be able to provide, says Jo.

'I think also from a council perspective we are getting more events happening in the city. We have got a pretty good stadium which is attracting key events, and we have got some nationally recognised events here.”

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15 comments

;0)

Posted on 18-09-2017 07:40 | By Angels

We must think about who live here.This city is basically newly weds and nearly dreads.The first have kids and to move a family around to shop and all by public transport is difficult.The latter ( nearly dreads) don,t walk huge amounts, to bus, around shopping area, walk to bus, then home, not going to happen.That only leaves a small portion.Gold card is a huge incentive, free bus, How many use it in this city.


Buses, Jo???

Posted on 18-09-2017 08:01 | By nerak

So a bus takes up much more space on the road, especially a large bus trundling around town very often with 95% empty seats. How about swapping a lot of the bus fleet out for smaller versions, tweaking schedules/stops (running later in the evening), and keeping larger models for peak hour travel? Don't understand your 'valuable retail space', wherever we look there are plenty of empty shops? Can't blame parked cars for that. And I have to guess you don't drive a car?


dreamers exit stage centre into the harbour on out going tide.

Posted on 18-09-2017 08:33 | By tabatha

Not many cities have existed with no cars in them. Buses are good in some areas but because of Tauranga City Council lack of keeping development up a large part of Bethlehem Road have no bus until they get to Carmichael Rd corner. The road is not keeping in step with the housing development.


I thought the strategy already existed Jo

Posted on 18-09-2017 08:39 | By Border Patrol

...it's already part of the councils cunning plan. Reduce parking in the CBD to reduce reliance on cars, however it's not working. It's hardly rocket science to know that if you have a really convenient, reliable, good public transport system it will get used (particularly by commuters), so why doesn't it just get implemented rather then these pointy heads procrastinating at various committees and forums?


Philippines

Posted on 18-09-2017 09:00 | By Papamoaner

They have Car-less days in the Philippines, and we call it a third world country. I remember when we had car-less days here and it seemed to work quite well.


Carless !!!

Posted on 18-09-2017 10:21 | By marene

There seems to be very little thought of people with disabilities that rely rather heavily on their car to get anywhere and shop ! Jo Wills needs to realize that not every one can walk bike and catch buses, and her comments were rather distasteful in this regard, people should come first not space !!


chooky

Posted on 18-09-2017 12:00 | By Chookymac

What are these TCC idiots up to now.Went to school with some of them,they have not changed one bit since then


So what...

Posted on 18-09-2017 12:43 | By Me again

happens to all the fairly new parking machines the we have in the CBD??? Not that I am all that worried as I don't go into the place.


Not surprised

Posted on 18-09-2017 13:12 | By rastus

How these 'water melon' people get their positions in our society is strange however to call this person the chair of 'smart growth' is just a stupid joke. This distasteful concept is a nightmare (she would call it a dream) of the united nations agenda 21 - their plan is to reorganize us all so that the world has one authoritarian government - getting rid of cars is just the thin edge of a very big wedge that will see 'freedom' as we know it slowly disappear - the left (Communist) agenda is no secret and if we continue as sheep it will become a reality sooner than later! You have already witnessed the 'flip flop' deception from comrade Jacinda, so be advised - like 'rust' these parasites upon freedom never sleep!


We would bus if able

Posted on 18-09-2017 13:29 | By lpm67

My husband and I would use buses if they ran at times and to locations that would get us to work and back. We have lived abroad and preferred busing (and trains) but here its not possible at all.


And the answer is........

Posted on 18-09-2017 21:08 | By ROCCO

Like idiot magnets attract like idiot magnets so leave them clasping one another in a bear hug because that way they can do less damage to the rest of us.Let's give it a name we will call it "Creative".Oh and Smartgrowth ain't smart it fits the definition of doing the wrong thing over an over again expecting different results A.K.A. insanity. Laugh out loud.


Bollocks, NO surprise, a orchestrated set up by Terry Molloy and likely Baldock

Posted on 18-09-2017 23:00 | By Murray.Guy

Tauranga City Councillor Terry Molloy received an unexpected answer ... Bollocks.Terry Molloy is very much a staff/Smartgrowth representative poorly disguised as a community rep. Remember a few weeks back the flip flop on the parking building height, reducing our CBD parking capacity? His excuse, it wouldn't look good!This was a series of scripted questions to secured orchestrated answers in an effort to support a predetermined outcome.Sadly, rarely is anything what it seems!


@Rastus

Posted on 19-09-2017 15:58 | By Papamoaner

I agree with you. Jacinda is a trapeze artist alright and might prove in time to be remarkably nimble at the art. Don't forget Rogernomics was a Labour "initiative" and some of Sir Robert Muldoon's predictions were pretty good. It's that old story again - "he who does not learn from history is doomed to repeat it" It's 2 ticks to National from me (steady as she goes Cap'n).


Papamoaner..carless days?...

Posted on 20-09-2017 21:35 | By groutby

...well.. did "work", but realistically did nothing for Dictator Muldoon tangeably with all the ..ahem.."exemptions" going on..but the jackbooted Traffic Police did their job well..(queue "Chips" soundtrack) ..strange times...


@ Murray.Guy

Posted on 24-09-2017 16:20 | By MISS ADVENTURE

That is indeed true, the interesting part os that Terry has no idea that this is his role, the puppet mastrers have not yet told him, I would expect that news for him to be years away, such is the uptake speed within the nous area.


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