Shore councillors reject parking fee

North Shore civic leaders say they will not consider charging commuters a $2 parking fee to make ends meet at the city's bus stations.

The North Shore City Council will try to talk transport funding agencies out of cutting the stations' operating subsidy, rather than allowing for rising costs.

"It's a matter of fairness," said North Shore Deputy Mayor Julia Parfitt. "Why should North Shore ratepayers pay the lion's share of the bus stations' security, lighting and cleaning.

"We are supposed to be part of a mass transit system, yet on the Auckland City side the rail stations are cleaned and maintained by the transport authority.

"We are meeting the Auckland Regional Transport Authority and NZ Transport Agency to say 'you are not treating all these transit stations in the same way'."

The council faces a 26 per cent Government subsidy cut passed on by the regional transport authority.

This will results in a shortfall of $368,000 this year, growing to $472,000 by the 2011-2012 financial year.

The council believes the high-quality service levels at the stations will deteriorate and put off commuters.

Mrs Parfitt said charging commuters for parking at the Albany and Constellation stations was no longer an option for making up the shortfall.

She said a council committee had rejected the idea on Tuesday, although it had received a report from officers saying it was a "viable option" to balance the $2.3 million budget for stations.

"We have been harangued by many of the people using the stations, saying how could we think about charging. It's a real fear ... a sensitive issue," said Mrs Parfitt.

"We don't want to do anything to jeopardise what is one of the most successful public transport systems introduced in the country," she said.

Mrs Parfitt said the council accepted her suggestion of putting a case for more money to transport agencies.

They now give $1.4 million a year or 60 per cent of the budget, and North Shore ratepayers provide the rest.

North Shore councillor Grant Gillon said the council committee could not accept a $2 charge for bus station parking after earlier granting free parking for two hours daily in its Anzac St and Killarney St carparks in Takapuna.

The move to give a saving of $1 to $1.50 on weekdays was to encourage customers to patronise businesses in Takapuna, which is the only place on the North Shore where the council charges for parking.