Parking trial delay irks retailers

DISAPPOINTED: City centre retailer Julie Hammon is disappointed the Tauranga City Council has postponed making a decision about a free parking trial. PHOTO/GEORGE NOVAK

A frustrated central city retailer wishes Tauranga City Council would stop putting off a decision about free parking.

But a city councillor says the trial plan was flawed and lacked information about costs related to the trial.

Hammon Diamond Jewellers owner Julie Hammon told the Bay of Plenty Times she was disappointed the council had failed to make a decision about trialling free parking in the city on Wednesday and were asking for more reports.

"They seem incapable of making a decision. I'm pretty disappointed."

Mrs Hammon, who had been in the city centre for almost 30 years, said the new councillors were initially enthusiastic when elected last year and she had been confident the central city would see some change.

"The more information that council seems to require, the more bogged down they seem to get by the endless churn of figures and statistics."

City councillor John Robson said the motion passed by the council on Wednesday was that staff would create a proposal that was "properly designed" to investigate whether a free parking trial would have an impact on commercial success and the vitality of the city.

"What came to us yesterday was effectively a paper on the idea of a trial that was produced by Tuskany Mainstreet but unfortunately it lacked a lot of detail."

He said the trial lacked financial planning for communication, including publicising the changes and signage, and monitoring.

Status Clothing owner Keith Livingstone said he was disappointed the council had delayed the trial.

He said three months was not long enough for a trial and 18 months would be more suitable.

Mr Livingstone said there would be many tenants with leases coming up in the next few months and not making a decision about the trial was keeping tenants and landlords in limbo.

Pamela Wilson of Maggie J Shoes wanted a "level parking field" with Greerton, Mount Maunganui and Tauranga mainstreets all either having free parking or all charging.

FREE PARKING:
- Some Tauranga retailers claim free parking in other shopping centres deters people from shopping in the city centre.
- In 2013, retailer Bill Campbell collected 3600 signatures on a petition supporting free parking.
- Tauranga City Council collected more than $1.9 million in parking revenue from motorists over the past year.
- Occupancy is peaking at about 85 per cent. It was 35 to 40 per cent in previous years.
- Time limits in the core shopping streets of the CBD were abolished in July last year and charges increased by $1 to $3 an hour.
- This was reduced to $2 an hour in September after feedback from retailers, shoppers and businesses.