Busy roads like Lake Rd between Takapuna and Devonport could see kerbside parking removed. Photo / Alex Burton
Busy roads like Lake Rd between Takapuna and Devonport could see kerbside parking removed. Photo / Alex Burton
Aucklanders will still be able to park outside the dairy for a pint of milk or to pick up some meat from the local butcher on the way home, says Auckland Transport.
This assurance comes as AT today begins consultation on its controversial draft parking strategy, which involves "repurposing" 1200km of kerbside space on arterial and feeder roads for cycleways, bus lanes and cars with two or more passengers.
The plan is to do the first 240km of roads over the next 10 years, subject to funding.
The strategy has alarmed small shopkeepers who could lose kerbside parking for customers but has strong backing from climate change advocates who want more road space used for public transport, walking and cycling.
Auckland councillors are divided on the issue, voting 13-10 on March 31 to approve the draft strategy for public consultation.
The draft parking strategy would see more cycleways built in Auckland. Photo / Michael Craig
The draft strategy does not refer to the practice of having clearways/T2 lanes and bus lanes during peak times, allowing for kerbside parking the rest of the day.
But an AT spokeswoman said this will still be an option and in many cases will be used.
"We just know some roads need to have all-day bus lanes as daytime congestion grows," she said.
After an earlier proposal to give AT radical powers to remove parking without consulting anyone - called "bloody arrogant" by Mayor Phil Goff and dropped - AT has made changes to the draft strategy.
It will now work with businesses, communities and local boards to develop parking management plans in town centres.
But the council's transport body is sticking to the principle that kerbside parking is the "lowest priority" on strategic roads and will be "repurposed to provide space for projects that increase the movement of people and goods, except under exceptional circumstances".
The draft strategy also includes a proposal to begin charging motorists $2 to $4 a day at park and ride stations.
Consultation closes on May 15.
Auckland Transport wants to remove parking from some major roads to make way for bus and cycle lanes. Two Auckland councillors debate the proposal and reveal why they voted for and against it
North Shore Ward councillor Chris Darby on why he backs the changes
Let's face it, Auckland's transport system is not working to its full potential.
I know this, because more than half a million vehicles, including 700 buses, travel along the network during the two-hour morning peak period – and few have a free-flowing experience.
We can improve the system, so that it would be easier to get to and from work, school, and the places we love to visit.
We can make our journeys across Auckland easier and do this in a cost-effective way that maximises benefits for all Aucklanders – and this is the essence of the draft Parking Strategy.
North Shore Ward councillor Chris Darby. Photo / Dean Purcell
One of the biggest barriers to getting around takes place on approximately three per cent of our roads, known as the Strategic Transport Network. It's on these roads where extreme gridlock occurs. By making this small portion of roads more efficient, we can enable more people to get across the whole of the Auckland network in more reliable time frames.
Part of the strategy proposes that we make better use of some kerbside parking on this small but important part of the network, by repurposing them for bus lanes, safe cycling or high occupancy vehicle lanes.
For me, it's a no-brainer. The alternative of forever widening main roads comes at a huge cost to ratepayers, would see businesses and homes knocked down amidst a housing crisis and fails miserably in addressing our job of reducing transport emissions.
Climate change requires climate action – not running and ducking for cover with spurious political arguments while continuing to appear like a climate warrior.
Making way for public transport, high occupancy vehicles and safe cycling on our busiest and most congested roads is a step in the right direction in combatting the climate emergency we face.
Changes in parking management will have benefits for drivers too, especially those who rely on our roads for their work such as the freight and trade sectors – and imagine if our emergency services were able to respond to critical calls faster, because our roads weren't impassable.
According to a New Zealand Institute of Economic Research report, gridlock costs Auckland between $1.4-1.9 billion a year. That cost is shouldered by every Aucklander.
Making our transport system more efficient would have huge benefits for people and our economy.
It would have advantages for businesses too, despite media commentary of late. Studies from across the globe, and locally, have found that shop owners consistently overestimate the number of shoppers that arrive by car and vastly underestimate the number of people who arrive by other transport modes.
The strategy also proposes ways to make town centres more attractive destinations by repurposing parking for outdoor dining spaces, green spaces and outdoor retail areas. It proposes ways to keep turnover of parking high, so each car park can bring in more people into each centre – as well as providing more diverse types of parking, such as spaces for car share, motorcycle and bicycle parking, disability parking and loading zones. This will help bring more people into town centres, improve the delivery of goods and get our local centres humming.
We could sit on our laurels and watch travel times get longer and transport emissions get worse, particularly as our population grows, or we can relieve the pressure on our arterial roads and get Auckland moving – for everyone's benefit. For me the choice is stark clear, that we must make better use of our arterials to get Auckland moving.
Whau Ward councillor Tracy Mulholland on why she disagrees with the proposal
Not surprisingly Auckland Councillors voted 13-10 to support Auckland Transport (AT) consulting on its divisive Draft Parking Strategy, a token exercise based on the advice of transport officials who had declared they have a predetermined view. A flawed consultation is profoundly cynical and will merely offend tired and overburdened ratepayers.
Those same officials are loyally backed by a narrow majority of elected members who believe Aucklanders must sacrifice more convenience, more freedoms, local connections and pay more to receive fewer services.
I voted against the Draft Parking Strategy. Along with my colleagues Christine Fletcher, Daniel Newman, Greg Sayers, Desley Simpson, Sharon Stewart, John Watson and Wayne Walker, I cast my vote against what I heard was a predetermined strategy which is premised on the removal of tens of thousands of carparks.
Who parks in the parking outside town centre shops? Customers do! AT appear to be telling Aucklanders to walk, cycle or catch a bus or a train even if it doesn't suit!
It is essential that we support small businesses, the lifeblood of our region's economy. The café owners, services businesses, chemists, gift shops; people who risk their savings to set up and run businesses and who rely on loyal customers to shop there.
Most customers travel by car and those cars need to park somewhere. Remove the carparks and you remove the customers. Think about it, why do malls and supermarkets offer free parking? To enable the customers that help drive the profit margins.
There is nothing more valuable to small business than loyal customers who buy goods and services. No customers, no business. No business, no jobs.
This reality appears to have been lost on some colleagues who argued for the removal of cars. Maybe some elected representatives don't get it, or it doesn't affect them.
The protagonists for the Draft Parking Strategy argue that commuters should pay to park at Park and Rides.
Park and Rides have been successful in getting people out of their cars and on to public transport. That's a good story but the proposal is to charge at these
facilities. This move is ideologically driven, financially punitive and it shows little understanding of the transport reality for those living in suburban Auckland.
Don't be fooled by the argument that the Draft Parking Strategy is about tackling the 'Climate Emergency'. It's not. I predict Auckland Transport will shortly cut some public transport services because it's going broke. The Government – which is poll-driven, noting the temporary reduction in fuel excise tax – has underfunded AT's activities for more than a decade.
Climate action is a distraction from the real goal, which is charging motorists more and more to help fund AT, which has become both extreme and dogmatic in its puritanical desire to eliminate cars from Auckland.
The real issue for Aucklanders is not the elimination of their cars, but how to resist questionable decisions until such time as balanced decision-making can be restored.
