Auckland Transport okays unpopular parking charges near congested bus station

Tuesday, 13 November 2018

Cars regularly park on the grass near the Albany Bus Station and the park-and-ride is full by 7.30am and street parking fills up.

Auckland Transport will soon install unpopular paid parking near Albany bus station's overflowing free park-and-ride, a move one commuter derides as 'a joke'.

On-street parking on the eastern side of Westfield Albany, including Don McKinnon Drive and business district Corinthian Drive, will be charged at $1 an hour from February.

Parking will be charged between 8am to 6pm on weekdays, with evenings after 6pm and weekends free.

'Paid parking without time limits will help to increase the availability of spaces, while still providing longer-term parking for those that need it,' Auckland Transport (AT) media spokesman James Ireland said.

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Albany resident Greig Stafford said he'd do away with the bus altogether once paid parking came in.

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Melissa Sullivan, who commutes from Millwater, said, with the cost of the bus, parking needed to be free.

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Of 1258 public submissions received on the paid parking zone near Albany bus station, 85 per cent opposed the change.

The paid parking zone, in blue, will start in February 2019.

But Ireland said on-street parking in Albany was close to capacity, as more than 85 per cent of spaces were occupied during peak times.

AT's parking strategy required it to take additional measures, such as paid parking, when that level of demand was reached.

One worker on Corinthian Drive said he thought it was a good move as sometimes people needed 'a little push' to use alternative transport.

Ireland said it was also an incentive for people to consider other options, including walking, cycling or using public transport, to get to the bus station.

However, Albany commuter Grieg Stafford said he'd soon be trading in his car for a motorbike to ride into the city to work, reasoning it was less than paying for a bus and parking.

'It's a joke,' the Bush Rd resident said.

Other commuters Stuff spoke to thought the solution was better bus connections.

Melissa Sullivan said she drove to Albany Bus Station from Millwater, because there was no connecting bus.

The proposed Rosedale Bus Station would not have a park and ride.

'I think, if they want everyone to catch public transport, [parking] needs to be free, because it's already like $4 or $5 each way on the bus.'

Albany commuter Piero, who preferred not to use his full name, said there was a bus route near his house. But the bus came only every hour, so he drove to the station instead.

Better bus connections, not parking - even if it was free - were the only solution, he said.

However, an ASB employee on Corinthian Drive said he agreed with the move: 'I think people need a little push to be forced into alternative transport.

'For Kiwis, cars are the be all and end all.'

After the new North Shore bus network rollout, AT data showed passenger journeys on the North Shore had increased by almost 89,000 or 9 per cent for October 2018 compared with October 2017.

An additional 135 free spaces would be added at Albany Park-and-Ride by February. A new bus station at Rosedale would also relieve pressure on Albany, Ireland said.

But businesses were already concerned the Rosedale Bus Station would add to existing congestion in the area, as it would not have a park and ride.

AT is also weighing up the potential of development at 10 park and rides and four bus stations, including Rosedale, Smales Farm and Akoranga, using apartments above park and rides to fund more spaces.