Parking nightmare: Aucklanders claim car park rules making navigating streets ‘extremely difficult’

A lack of parking options in high-density housing suburbs is resulting in people “parking anywhere they can”. Photo / UPL

Aucklanders are becoming increasingly frustrated at the lack of parking options in high-density housing suburbs, resulting in people “parking anywhere they can”.

It comes as the Government announced a revised capacity requirement of 1.6 million more homes in Auckland, with no minimum car park requirements.

Auckland resident Andrea Nicol told the Herald Cherry Tree Place, a 100m cul-de-sac road in Massey, was “extremely difficult” to navigate due to the number of parked cars.

“There’s only enough space for one car on the road at a time and no room to pull to the side so people use other people’s driveways and back on to Don Buck Rd... it’s a very busy road.”

Traffic congestion on Cherry Tree Place, Massey. Photo / Dean Purcell

Nicol said it’s a concern with her 78-year-old father and other elderly residents as there’s “no way” emergency vehicles could fit down the street.

“There are 27 flats and each only has one car park, so people park anywhere they can.

“They park on berms, curbs, yellow lines... everywhere.”

A further influx of cars is expected with 29 vacant houses on the street for sale.

Cars parked up on curbs on Cherry Tree Place, Massey. Photo / Dean Purcell

A Glendowie resident, who did not wish to be named, said the removal of minimum parking requirements was “ridiculous”.

He said 17 units had replaced two pre-existing homes on Roberta Ave near an intersection, which had increased the number of parked cars.

“So now at any given time there are about eight-10 cars parked outside,” he said.

“It’s made turning in one of the directions dangerous because the view is almost entirely blocked.”

An active cyclist, the resident also believed bike lanes shouldn’t be prioritised over car parks.

“I’m all for bike lanes but to remove what little parking there was to install a lane is madness... it’s putting ideology over common sense,” he said.

“What if police or ambulance need to get through?”

He said on Taniwha St in Glen Innes, people have been left to park on yellow lines, footpaths and berms.

Another Auckland resident, Jacqui Knowles, has had people towed from where she lives on Salisbury Rd in Birkdale.

She said people park right up to the end of her driveway, which blocks her view and forces her into the middle of the road.

“I can’t see around them on to the road so most times when I’m pulling out I’m just taking a chance and hoping I don’t get hit.”

A car parked extremely close to Jacqui Knowles' driveway entrance, blocking the view onto Salisbury Rd as Knowles drives out of her property.

Knowles has written to Auckland Transport which has not made any changes.

She said infill housing on Eskdale Rd, a main thoroughfare, has increased the number of parked cars.

“The council needs to paint lines on the road to show how close people can park to driveways,” she said.

According to road user rules it is illegal to park within one metre of a driveway entrance.