A group has been using car parks for picnics in Wellington. Photo / Picnics in Parks
A group has been using car parks for picnics in Wellington. Photo / Picnics in Parks
Wellington City Council is concerned for the safety of a group taking over car parks in the CBD to have picnics in them.
Picnics in Parks is described as a grassroots activism movement bringing attention to spaces in cities which could be better used.
They dispute there is a safety issue and say using a car park for sitting, eating, or bike parking should be no more difficult and costly than parking a car there.
The group was created to support local hospitality businesses struggling with restrictions after the first Covid-19 lockdown in 2020. The idea is to purchase lunch from a nearby cafe for the car park picnic.
Those joining in are encouraged to bring a table and chairs, or a picnic blanket and some cushions. A nice rug and a floral table cloth are also known to make an appearance.
The car parks are paid for and a ticket from the parking meter is kept as proof.
But the council, as the road controlling authority, is worried about the health and safety risk these picnics present.
The group has held more than 50 car park picnics without incident. Photo / Picnics in Parks
The main concern being that someone who has set up camp on the road could slip or fall into a lane of live traffic and be hit by a vehicle.
The council isn't against the idea of holding picnics in car parks, it just wants to make sure it's done in a safe way.
But council officials and Picnics in Parks are yet to land on the same page.
Wellington City Council city design manager Vida Christeller said the council is currently working on a traffic management template for "parklets" so people can use car parks for activities other than parking vehicles.
The main requirement would be some sort of physical separation between the car parks and the live lane of cars. This could be done with the likes of planter boxes.
"The objective is to have a really easy, go-to, clear process that we can much more quickly and easily expedite for people who are interested in using parking spaces for other things", Christeller said.
"We as a city are really interested in being vibrant and supporting businesses."
Groups would still have to go through the application process with this traffic management template. In other words- they will need permission.
The council is still working through whether applicants would have to pay a fee for that paperwork to be processed.
Picnics in Parks co-founder Jonathan Coppard doubted the need for a traffic management plan, but was open to meeting with the council.
"Using a car park for sitting, eating, bike parking or whatever should be no more difficult and costly than parking a car there, which is an incredibly streamlined process with no traffic resolution or other bureaucracy required.
"We want to make a nice dining space, we don't want to have a whole bunch of cones and have to squish right up to the footpath and treat it like it's a safety hazard when really we're just trying to have our lunch."
He also disagreed there was a safety issue given thousands of people cross city streets every day.
"There are interactions between people and cars and the city going on all the time."
Planning and Environment Committee chairwoman councillor Iona Pannett. Photo / Mark Mitchell
The group has held more than 50 car park picnics without incident, Coppard said.
He said they make sure groups are set up within the boundaries of the car park, making sure they don't block traffic or get in anyone's way.
The council's Planning and Environment Committee chairwoman councillor Iona Pannett has called a meeting between the parties.
"We just need to have low barriers of entry to participation in the street and if you have to start filling out forms and pay some money, that barrier is too high.
"I also get the point about traffic cones- that would ruin the look because it's meant to look beautiful."
But Pannett said she also understood council officials have a job to do.
She hoped the issues could be ironed out at the meeting.
The council's parklet policy is expected to be completed this year and in place for next summer.
