Capital Conversation: Cutting struggling businesses a break on car parking

Wednesday, 18 September 2024

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With no parking left on Tinakori Rd and limited spots in the Botanical Gardens, Sprig + Fern Thorndon owner Colin Mallon hunted for 20 minutes on Monday morning before he found a spot 900 metres away.

“If I can’t even find a park in what is not even peak time, customers coming during the day will just drive on by.”

With more than 240 coupon parks and three unrestricted parks on Glenmore St removed to allow for work to start on the new separated uphill cycle lane, Mallon said it meant he was missing out on customers.

He believed his takeaway sales are 20% down from this time last year and called daily deliveries “a war zone”.

Thorndon General store owner Nimesh Patel, whose store is just up the road from the Sprig and Fern said his 40% to 50% drop in sales was a result of roadworks and a loss of car parks, including a five-minute space outside his store perfect for milk runs.

As a result in the sales drop, his Lotto machine will be taken away, with revenue dropping below what is needed to renew his contract.

Wellington City Council has pulled in $16 million in metered parking revenue in the past financial year. And for the past three years, that’s included metered parking in the central city until 8pm.

Restaurant Association president Mike Egan said that extension to paid parking was “a major deterrent”.

“On a wet and windy Monday night”, Egan had witnessed several cars on Blair and Allen Sts being ticketed just minutes before the free parking started at 8pm.

“This makes it feel less like a congestion control measure and more like a revenue-driven exercise, especially since there's little congestion at that time.”

For those who want to park off the street a quick survey shows Wellington costs sit somewhere in the middle of Auckland and Christchurch.

Wilson Parking on Fort Street in Auckland cost $16 for the first hour with a cap of $24. In Christchurch, Wilson’s West End car park charged $2 an hour after hours with a maximum charge of $6. A park on the weekends in Wellington’s Capital car park on Boulcott St costs $6 an hour from 5pm or $12 for 12 hours.

Roger Young from Fidel’s Cafe says he’s never seen Cuba Street so quiet, likening it to lockdown.

It’s not just corporate workers he’s missing out on . The lack of free weekend parking - it was scrapped six years ago - was also keeping Wellingtonians away from the city, Young said. He wants the council to bring it back.

“Rather than trying to find other ways to make money and bring people to the city, they seem to just be wanting to just charge us for every little thing,” Young said.

Wellington City councillor Nureddin Abdurahman said he supported the idea of decreasing the hours of charged parking if it was something proven to support businesses.

“We should be doing everything we can to make businesses lives easier.”

But he wasn’t in favour of free weekend parking, as cars could park all day in the same spot.

Councillor Nicola Young believed the downtown levy - a fund paid by commercial property owners - should fund weekend free parking as it did in the past.

Tim Brown didn’t think cheaper parking was the answer, but thought the council should advocate for more off-street parking.

Iona Pannett acknowledged it was a tough time for businesses but said the city needed to keep on track with its program to make Wellington environmentally and people friendly.

Meanwhile, mayor Tory Whanau won’t need to park her car, saying on Tuesday she sold hers to cut costs and now walks to work.