The plans have left CBD workers facing “tough choices”. Some say they can’t catch the bus or afford parking.
Central Tauranga workers say upcoming parking restrictions will be another blow for the CBD and businesses will struggle to attract and retain staff as a result of the changes.
From November, paid on-street parking will be introduced in the streets surrounding the central city - 3rd Ave, 4th Ave, ArundelSt, McLean St, Monmouth St, Anson St, and parts of 1st Ave, 2nd Ave and Devonport Rd.
From April 2024, paid parking will also be expanded west of Cameron Rd from 3rd Ave and Hamilton St, and from September 2024, time-restricted zones will be installed from 5th Ave to 11th Ave.
A council spokesman says the long-term goal is for people to be less reliant on cars while creating a vibrant city centre.
However, Sheila Parker, who parks near Memorial Park for work in the CBD each day, said the changes would mean “there will be nowhere for me to go”.
“I can’t afford to pay for parking in town. It’s hideous, and especially in the cost of living crisis, who can afford to pay for parking in town?”
Weekday on-street parking charges are $2 per hour for the first two hours then $5 per hour after that. Parking buildings cost $17.50 a day, but parking at an upgraded Dive Cres carpark would cost $8 a day once it is completed.
Parker said the extended time restrictions out to 11th Ave would make her daily commute impossible.
“I have other appointments at night. I have family that I’m helping out. The bus doesn’t work for that.”
Parker questioned whether Tauranga City Council considered CBD workers in its decision-making.
“They don’t realise [there are] a lot of people who park down there. We are not all on a bus route.”
A council street design guide and street design tool noted on-street parking was generally intended for visitors and shoppers rather than residents or long-stay parking.
Central area manager for The New Zealand Automobile Association (AA) Heather Kerr said staff loved interacting with customers and the team environment.
“But [they] are faced with trying to work out how they will even get to work or afford the all-day parking options, which can be up to $17.50 a day,” she said.
“While I appreciate that the council is trying to limit congestion in the CBD, public transport isn’t a viable option for everyone.”
Kerr said she heard from many people who did not have the option to work from home who were concerned about the “limited options” for safe cycle or e-bike/e-scooter parking.
In her view, the upcoming parking restrictions were “a short-sighted reaction with no real thought to the consequences” for CBD workers.
Sheila Parker works in the CBD fulltime and parks her car on Devonport Rd, near Memorial Park, each day. Changes coming from the council mean her usual park will become time-restricted and she won't be able to park there. Photo / Alex Cairns
“Unfortunately, [as we work in the] face-to-face service industry, we require our staff to be at work for the full opening hours. Restricting their ability to park [nearby] and walk to work means that they will be facing some tough choices.”
Council general manager of infrastructure Nic Johansson said consultation for a draft parking strategy took place in September and October 2021.
“As it was a city-wide strategy, consultation was on high-level topics and principles, rather than how these were to be implemented on specific streets.”
The strategy was updated and referenced when the council created its Parking Management Plan, which involves the upcoming parking restrictions.
Johansson said it would “continue to monitor and adapt accordingly”.
However, the council would not consider any exemptions or subsidies for CBD workers as its focus has been on “supporting everyone visiting and working” in the area, he said.
The council’s long-term goal was for people to be less reliant on cars while creating a vibrant city centre, he said.
“By making tweaks to parking in the city centre now, it will help set us up for future success,” Johansson said.
“We recognise the shift to alternative transport options will take time, and as the city centre undergoes a major transformation over the coming years, [the] council is committed to ensuring a variety of parking options are still available for workers and people coming into the city centre.”
Work was already happening to support alternative transport options such as a secure city centre bike park and the Shift Hub partnership with Priority One. Plans for a new off-street carpark in the CBD were also being explored, Johansson said.
The council is also considering introducing paid parking in downtown Mount Maunganui to free up parking spaces for visitors.
Mount Business Association’s Claudia West told a council meeting on September 18 that its members were opposed to charging and felt it would “have a negative impact on their businesses”.
Commissioner Stephen Selwood said: “We’ve got people touring around trying to find a park.”
“We are not in this for parking revenue. This is for getting more users of the car parking spaces.”
Kiri Gillespie is an assistant news director and a senior journalist for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post, specialising in local politics and city issues. She was a finalist for the Voyager Media Awards Regional Journalist of the Year in 2021.
