Police are investigating reports of forty cars being vandalised over recent days. Photo / Frances Cook.
Police are investigating reports of forty cars being vandalised over recent days. Photo / Frances Cook.
A bitter run of tyre slashing near Wellington Airport could lead to rule changes for on-street parking.
Tensions have reached boiling point around Kauri St, with residents getting fed up with freeloading travellers who park on berms for weeks at a time, rather than paying for parking at the airport.
Police are now investigating more than 40 incidents of tyre slashing and spiking throughout the Miramar area.
City councillor and Transport Portfolio leader Chris Calvi-Freeman said it was a major issue that he wants to fix in January.
"The silly thing is, it's likely to be one person, who is probably damaging his or her neighbour's cars too.
"They've got no way of knowing if the cars they're vandalising are people parking and walking to the airport, or people displaced from another street by other people doing long term parking."
Calvi-Freeman said the council had meant to address it sooner, but had been delayed by the need to focus on earthquake repairs.
"It is a high priority, and we will get into it in the new year. We're not going to spring consultation on people during the holidays.
"I don't think we want to barrier off all the berms. Some of the local residents want and need parking, not all of them have off-street parking.
"So we need to look at some possible restrictions, some residents only parking areas. It may not cover the whole area, but we need to look at what people want in the individual streets."
Some parkers are banding together, encouraging each other to report the damage. Photo / Frances Cook.
Wellington Airport spokesperson Greg Thomas said they were sympathetic to residents, and working with the council. But it wasn't ultimately within their control.
"It's not really up to us to say what we think the solution would be. The roads are council roads.
"But some sort of parking restriction would need to be in place to avoid people using it for airport purposes."
Thomas said the airport wouldn't be changing its parking prices any time soon.
"Wellington airport parking, in comparison to major airports in the country, is very much in line if not cheaper than the other major airports.
"It's not an issue to do with airport pricing.
"Regardless of what the airport parking might be, if there's free and unrestricted parking right next door, some people are going to use that."
The Herald counted 11 cars with damaged tyres this morning, with some slashed at both the front and rear of the vehicle. Photo / Frances Cook.
Locals are hoping for a solution soon, saying they're tired of being caught in the crossfire.
Resident Connor said those parking on the street weren't so bad, but sometimes the travellers blocked off driveways.
"There is definitely an abundance of cars here, versus any other neighbourhood.
"My flatmate is definitely not so fond of it. [Parkers] have sometimes blocked their access, to exit the driveway. And it's impeding on visibility at the intersection."
Local resident Anastasia Haidakis said she worried about her own car being targeted.
"In the morning before I take kids to school I have a look around to make sure. I'm not bothering anybody, I'm on my property, but I still worry.
"Even people who work in the airport park here. Even city council cars have been left here for three or four days."
Calvi-Freeman has a last word of warning for the vigilante who's taken to slashing tyres.
"Although people like to think that they have first dibs on parking outside their house, in the absence of a residents parking zone, they don't.
"While I feel sorry for people who look out their front door and find the street is crowded with long term parking, it's not illegal for people to do so.
