Bay of Plenty letters to the editor: Paid parking extension’s ‘never-ending grief’

An expansion of paid parking around Tauranga’s city centre amounts to a 'tax on living in the CBD', a resident says. Photo / Mead Norton

This project reeks ... I guess the council will reap some money from extending paid parking to 4th Avenue and Park St, but what will it get from having two-hour limits out to 8th Avenue?

The answer is of course “never ending grief”. The cost of establishing meters in the first instance and enforcement in both instances will not be recovered.

Nor will any respect for the council when ratepayers are unable to park outside their own property without being moved on or charged.

The council’s reason for the project is to stop CBD workers parking all day in the fringes.

Well, they have to park somewhere all day! If the parking buildings are too expensive and public transport too unreliable, what would you have them do?

Come on council, give everyone a break, put in some behind the kerb parking. You won’t get revenue from it but you will get respect.

Dan Russell

Tauranga

Netball moves

I read with disbelief the Tauranga City Council’s latest goofy TCC proposal to relocate the Mount netball facility from Blake Park to Baypark Arena (Baypark-bound, Bay of Plenty Times, July 19).

The current setup at Blake Park is nine dedicated netball courts plus access to 10 public tennis courts during the season — which is more than adequate.

On weekends and evenings, ample parking is provided by the 50-space front carparks, the 150-space rear carparks at the adjacent Mount Sports Centre, plus on surrounding streets. Relocating the old skateboard ramp behind the netball pavilion and green area would free up even more space ...

Now TCC is dangling the ratepayer-funded carrot with the BayPark mega-build — $37 million for new courts, with 800sq m multisport centre and additional new roading/parking. This mirrors other costly boondoggles like the “Red Shed” revamp and the $300 million Civic Centre, all of which showcase alarming fiscal lunacy and short-sightedness.

Ratepayers deserve better. Instead of succumbing to yet another spending spree, there must be a rating revolt ... to halt this ill-conceived relocation and to hold TCC fully accountable. [Abridged]

Rob Paterson

Ohauiti

On open plan classrooms

They were first built in the early 1970s when Phil Amos was Minister of Education in the Norman Kirk government. I was a teacher aide at Deanwell School in Hamilton and, with another teacher aide, we spent our day chasing 5-year-olds who just walked out of the numerous doors to the open plan room, and brought them back inside.

Shirley Arabin

Pāpāmoa Beach

The Bay of Plenty Times welcomes letters from readers. Please note the following:

• Letters should not exceed 200 words.
• They should be opinion based on facts or current events.
• If possible, please email.
• No noms-de-plume.
• Letters will be published with names and suburb/city.
• Please include full name, address and contact details for our records only.
• Local letter writers given preference.
• Rejected letters are not normally acknowledged.
• Letters may be edited, abridged, or rejected at the Editor’s discretion.
• The Editor’s decision on publication is final. No correspondence will be entered into.

Email editor@bayofplentytimes.co.nz