Failing to pay for parking will incur a $40 infringement fine. Photo / George Novak
Failing to pay for parking will incur a $40 infringement fine. Photo / George Novak
Tauranga CBD retailers, workers and shoppers say canning the two-hour free parking in the city centre is a mistake, with one worker saying it was "another hit" for struggling businesses.
One retailer said it would drive more people away from visiting the CBD and was in their view contrary tothe council's regular message of plans to help "inject more life" into the area.
New on-street parking rates come into force on December 1 after Tauranga City Council commissioners unanimously signed off on a new Parking Management Plan at Monday's full council meeting.
The first two hours of parking will now cost $1 an hour, then $5 an hour after that, and from February 1, the cost for the first two hours will be doubled to $2 an hour.
Failing to pay for parking will incur a $40 infringement fine.
One irate Devonport Rd retailer, who asked not to be identified, said she was vehemently opposed to any changes to the CBD parking regime.
"It's ridiculous ... If there is any change to our parking it will mean no one will come to town. You can guarantee that 100 per cent. They need to keep the two-hour free parking going," the shop owner said.
"We have already lost so many car parks with all the construction going on in and around the CBD. I think more businesses are likely to close including mine unless we get our parking system sorted out.
"We need more parking spaces not less, and increased charges will definitely have an impact on shopper numbers.
"People aren't catching buses to come in the CBD as the service is too unreliable and quite often buses don't turn up on time. I live on 18th Avenue, I can walk to town faster."
Jessie Britton, who works as a retail sales assistant at a CBD business, thought the decision had wider implications for both retailers and shoppers.
"We are always being told they [the council] are going to help inject more life into the CBD and this is just another hit for struggling retailers and for shoppers.
"Any increased use of buses is a good thing but my concern is the wider implications particularly, as every second shop in Devonport Rd has a for-lease sign."
Brookfield resident Vaughan Cruickshank, 50, who works in the CBD, said: "I think the council's plan to revitalise the city centre is great but that will be some years away and this is not the right time to hit people with increased parking charges.
"The push for more people to use public transport is all well and good, but not everybody can use buses to get to work. I have a two-and-a-half-year-old son who goes to daycare every day, so it's just not feasible for me to use public transport."
Semi-retired Judea resident and CBD shopper Jackie East said she believed the new parking charges would encourage more people to head to shopping malls.
"I feel sorry for the poor businesses who have had to put up with all the road works and building construction since pre-Covid which has dramatically reduced shopper numbers."
Tauranga Chamber of Commerce head Matt Cowley. Photo / NZME
Tauranga Business Chamber chief executive Matt Cowley said he was in favour of the concept that people paid progressively more to park longer than two hours in the city centre, but even Hamilton city had two-hours free parking.
However, he said the "silver lining" with Tauranga's new Parking Management Plan was that there would be reduced charges for Christmas shopping this year.
"There will also be lots more car parks available in the CBD once the changes happen. But this will likely be at the expense of fewer customers for ground floor retailers and eateries.
"Evening hospitality will be the hardest hit as people won't feel like walking various blocks to their parked cars, particularly as people question their sense of safety after dark."
Cowley said the CBD was building momentum after Covid-19 with corporates, who moved down Cameron Rd in the 2000s, looking to come back into the CBD.
"However, access to car parks for their customers, staff and senior partners was a significant barrier. It's not just Tauranga City Council's fault; their hands are tied, as NZTA has advised councils they may receive less transport subsidy funding unless they support more people using buses and bikes.
"Let's see how the CBD employees react next year and whether they work from home more often, or if they choose other employment."
The Bay of Plenty Times sought feedback from the council's commissioner chair Anne Tolley.
Tauranga City commissioners chair Anne Tolley (centre) with fellow commissioners (on the right) Stephen Selwood and Bill Wasley. Photo / Sandra Conchie
In her written response Tolley said: "The evidence shows that shoppers who want to come to the CBD often can't find a parking place, because so many people who work in the area are using the on-street spaces for all-day parking.
"The changes we have approved will discourage that behaviour and encourage turnover in parking spaces, so they are available for short-term use.
"The $1 per hour charge for the first two hours is a minimal contribution to the true cost of providing parking and we think most people will see this as a minor imposition, compared to the extra convenience of being able to park somewhere close to their shopping destination."
Tolley also said the commission had asked for scoping projections of future parking needs, as the city centre rebuilds.
