Warriors fans are paying for their enthusiasm - with higher parking costs. Lauren Mentjox reports
Rugby league fans have been hit with a 100 per cent increase in parking fees outside Mt Smart Stadium after businesses raised the rate to park on their premises during Warriors games.
Businesses around the stadium have
long made parking spaces available for a small fee on match days. But, this year, coinciding with the Warriors' surge in popularity, they have increased the fee to $10.
Just like that.
Pacific Laminations director John Jenkins, whose son supervises the car parks outside his Church St business, says he thought $10 was a bit steep, but that everyone else is doing it.
Season ticketholder Enzo Giordani hates paying it and says: ``It's an absolute rip-off.
``They have a monopoly and I think they are getting a bit greedy. But if you complain too much there won't be anywhere to park.'
Mt Smart Stadium has its own parking, but for only 1200 cars.
On a Warriors match day, those spaces are paid for and used by season ticketholders, corporate box and lounge guests and the teams - leaving no additional public parking.
Auckland Regional Council says there are about 7200 ``car parking opportunities' within walking distance of Mt Smart Stadium.
These include the stadium facili ties, on-street parking and parking on private property such as business premises. The legality of this type of parking arrangement is unclear.
Regional council parks manager Mace Ward says public transport is an increasingly popular option for reaching the stadium.
But Auckland Regional Transport Authority figures show otherwise, with an average of 1024 people travelling by train from Britomart to Penrose for the first three games this season - games attended by almost 20,000 people each time.
That means many fans go by car, providing a good opportunity for local entrepreneurs to make a quick buck.
Most people contacted by The Aucklander declined to say whether they or their businesses charged for car parks. Some said students came in to organise the parking.
Others believed the money collected went to charity.
Richard Lalich, a sales representative at Global Auto Parts on Church St, was more open.
``They make a killing off our car park,' he says. ``And anyone can do it as there is no one there who actually owns the property. The boards just live out next to the road with different prices on them - $5, $10, $20 - depending on what the event is. If it was a grand final, the price would go up.'
Mr Lalich hasn't sold car parks himself, despite his boss giving the go-ahead if he or his colleagues wished to.
It's too competitive, he says, and businesses in the same block often ``herd' customers into separate driveways - to the same car parks.
Mr Jenkins says the 100 car parks outside his business, Pacific Laminations, are available for a fee for any event that draws a big crowd to the stadium. The money earned is split 50/50 between the company's social club and the people who collect it.
``It's always been students, so it's a bit of pocket money for them.'
Permit needed - in theory Business owners and individuals who run private car parks during events at Mt Smart Stadium are breaking the law if they don't get resource consents, says Auckland City Council.
It was unable to confirm how many applications for resource consents it had received, but it was only a ``handful'.
However, Mark Vinall, council group manager of Auckland City environments, says he is unaware of any ``significant moneymaking parking enterprises' around the stadium.
The fans who pay $10 after a 100 per cent increase from last year, disagree.
Warriors' season ticketholder David Dickinson says there are close to 100 spaces at the business where he parks on match days.
``That's worth $1000 now when they don't give you a receipt and they don't stay to watch your car during the game.
There are others that are just as big.'
Although the car parks are in breach of the District Plan, Mr Vinall says the council would not require them to shut down if there were a possibility that resource con sent could be obtained.
``However, in order to be consistent with applying the law, we would need to carry out a robust survey of the area and identify all of the transgressors and undertake follow-up action with them,' he says.
Mr Vinall says the council would use discretion in deciding what level of enforcement to undertake when businesses are raising money for a staff event or social club that creates no harm or nuisance.
Operating an activity in breach of the District Plan can result in a $300 instant fine or, if prosecuted, a fine of up to $200,000.
Window-smashing vandals hike cost Following a run of car break-ins this season, it might be safer to park on the street than in a private car park during Warriors games.
Lance Elliott, who owns Manukau Metal Polishers across the road from Mt Smart Stadium on Church St, says it is not worth paying $10 ``just to get your car broken into'.
``There have been car windows smashed in the car park here after every game this season,' he says. ``Twelve of them were a few weeks ago. It's pretty shocking.'
Mr Elliott doesn't want his friends parking at his business on match days, even though they could park there free. ``I don't want to be responsible for having their windows smashed.
``The people who are selling the car parks should be staying there to watch the cars.'
Onehunga police senior sergeant Hirone Waretini echoes those comments: ``It is important that patrons who want to pay money to park ask if there is some level of security.'
Mr Waretini did not have details about vandalism to cars parked on private property, but says the April 5 game against South Sydney was particularly bad for break-ins on the streets around the stadium, with 13 reported to police.
In response, police sent a patrol car during the last game, against the Sydney Roosters.
Six cars were reported broken into.
Mr Waretini says that if the increase in car crime is a trend, police will consider more patrols outside the grounds.
He says police will not patrol private property and stresses that any one who intends to park in a private car park needs to be assured that their property will be safe.
TAKING THE TRAIN
Number of fares from Britomart to Penrose station.
- Warriors v Eels: 553
- Warriors v Broncos: 1630
- Warriors v Rabbitohs: 890
Source: Auckland Regional Transport Authority
30 04 2009
