The future of car parking in the Whangārei district – Vince Cocurullo

The council has been grappling with the number and placement of car parks for years, writes Vince Cocurullo.

Whangārei District Council has been grappling with the number and placement of car parks for years.

Each time the council removes parking spaces to allow for increased traffic flow, we must balance this with maintaining accessibility for residents and local business owners.

For inner-city business and property owners, the balancing act is hard too, especially when there are shopping areas just outside the city centre where parking is available and free.

It’s important to keep in mind these areas are privately owned and the owners provide this service for their customers, even while paying commercial rates for the land.

Forty-five-plus years ago, there was on-street parking along Walton St, where my father had his shop, Continental Motorcycles (now the Piggery Secondhand book shop).

While many won’t remember my father or his shop, those who do will recall his ability to fix any motorcycle-related problem presented to him.

Originally, there was car parking down both sides of Walton St, offering spaces right outside his shop door. Then as traffic increased, car parking spaces would slowly be removed.

I know my father always had an issue with this, and if he were still alive today, I’m sure I would be hearing him talk about it regularly.

As stated earlier, it is all about balancing the demand for parking with the need to manage traffic flow effectively.

We are always hearing from business owners that their customers need the parking to be closer to the shops, yet with traffic increasing, we need to be mindful of how and where the council places car parks.

Over the years, the council has encouraged various modes of transport to get in and around the city, and while the humble car is currently still the preferred choice for many, our council is working hard to offer alternative options.

In Whangārei’s 2024-34 Long Term Plan, we have allocated $11.4 million for the construction of a new parking building from 2027 to 2030.

Additionally, we have committed to developing a park-and-ride service over the next 20 years, and in the immediate term we are looking at developing better traffic flows, flow paths and parking arrangements, all to be evaluated within the upcoming parking strategy.

Our Long Term Plan can be viewed on council’s website, where it includes the future growth and development planning for our district.

Our council has great plans that will pay off in time – and let’s not forget we’re still the only district in New Zealand that offers free parking for over-70s!

We cannot manage these developments by ourselves. We need other parties, and partnering with the right developers to offset costs will ensure viability.

In my father’s day, it was logical to have car parking right outside his shop. Many of us still love having that ability to stop and shop – it’s something we all miss.

The reality is we’re not a small town anymore – we’re a city in a fast-growing district and region, and we need to be future focused, thinking strategically and putting things in place for the long term.