Extension to paid parking hours in Palmerston North unlikely to go ahead

The extension of paid parking hours was projected to generate a further $125,000 a year in net revenue. Photo / Judith Lacy

The proposal to extend paid parking hours in Palmerston looks set to be spiked.

The finance and audit committee has recommended to Palmerston North City Council the hours remain the same. That recommendation now goes to the full council meeting on October 6.

More than 2700 responses were given to the council's July call for feedback on the proposal, which included introducing paid parking on Sundays and late nights on Thursdays and Fridays.

Most of these responses were through the online form provided. Of these online responses, 96.9 per cent did not support extending the hours, while 3.1 per cent did.

Officers summarised the responses into five themes: negative effect on local businesses; difficulties for older people, young women and people with disabilities; weekend parking, particularly Sundays, should always be free; the proposal is unaffordable; the proposal is needed for the city.

Horizons Regional Council submitted extending paid parking hours was an important step to support a shift from private cars to walking, cycling and public transport. Allocating road space for parking means it cannot be used for improving walking and cycling facilities, public spaces and public transport infrastructure, it said.

Finance committee chairwoman Susan Baty said at the meeting last week she was happy to tick off extending paid parking hours when it first came before the committee this year. She hadn't taken much notice of consultation because there hadn't been any.

Baty said she was concerned about the impact extensions would have on entertainment and hospitality businesses after 5.30pm. "People aren't parking for 40 minutes, they are parking for three hours."

Six to eight years ago Broadway Ave was a ghost street. She pointed to the investment businesses such as Brew Union had put into the CBD to turn that around, and with Covid-19 restrictions now was not the right time to extend paid parking hours. Now was the time for caution, Baty said.

Mayor Grant Smith said to put what is seen as another barrier in front of businesses when they had just been through another lockdown and more pain would be "quite foolish".

The development of a parking management strategy later in the year would be the time to have a more rounded debate about hours and charges, he said.

The extension of paid parking hours was projected to generate a further $125,000 a year in net revenue.

Smith said he was confident the money lost could be made up, pointing to parking revenue budgets being exceeded each year. Extended hours would be inconsistent with other regional cities and some metros.

Councillors Orphee Mickalad and Brent Barrett proposed on-street parking fees be increased from $1.70 to $2 an hour from January 1, but they didn't get enough support from colleagues for their recommendation.