Path clear for car park fee rises

Auckland Council yesterday granted its transport arm the power to raise prices at four inner city council-owned car parks.

The move, which covers the Downtown, Victoria St, Fanshawe St and Civic sites, has reignited debate around parking price woes and traffic congestion in the city.

Currently, early bird parkers at council-owned car parks pay about $13, with privately owned car parks typically charging more.

An increase in parking rates is among proposals in a Auckland Transport (AT) discussion document for tackling congestion. The document is open for public submissions until the end of this month.

The Automobile Association's Auckland transport adviser Barney Irvine said it was only a matter of time before parking became more costly in the inner city.

"Inevitably it's going to mean that some motorists are going to be forced out of their cars.

"The question for us would be ... what sort of public transport alternatives are going to be available to motorists who can no longer pay parking costs and what degree of impact is this actually going to have on congestion."

AT said no immediate plans to lift prices had been made.

A spokesman said: "We wouldn't be doing anything until we've considered the submissions from the parking document."