Businesses, residents angry over Dominion Rd plan

The changes would ban kerbside parking, restrict some lanes to vehicles with at least two occupants ('T2') and limit the number of right-hand turns. Photo / Glenn Jeffrey

Residents in the Dominion Rd area are fighting to keep their street as it is.

Around 200 locals gathered at a public meeting at Balmoral School last night to oppose Auckland City Council proposals to make changes to the major arterial route.

These include providing four lanes for traffic - with separate bus and cycles lanes - banning kerbside parking, restricting some lanes to vehicles with at least two occupants ("T2") and limiting the number of right-hand turns.

The project is likely to cost around $50 million.

Although the council has pitched the changes as improving the area, many residents at last night's meeting said they would instead be detrimental.

Dominion Rd is lined with restaurants, cafes, shops and many other businesses, and it is feared that changes such as removing kerbside parking would badly affect companies and, ultimately, the local community.

Brendon McDonald, owner of the Vehicle Care Centre at 448 Dominion Rd, said his was just one of many businesses that would suffer.

"If you have no right-hand turn into Herbert Rd, if you have a T2 lane with taxis, buses, trucks, how is the car in the middle lane going to get into my business?

"If people can't get into my business, if they can't stop, they'll drive right past it. And you're taking out six carparks out the front of my business. How am I going to keep my business running?"

Submissions to the council close on August 29.