Paid parking plans delayed in Tauranga after public outcry

Plans to extend paid parking in Tauranga's city centre have been deferred after a public outcry.

Paid on-street parking was set to be extended from Third Avenue up to Arundel Street, and from McLean Street up to Monmouth Street on 26 February 2024.

The commission decided to delay this at a Tauranga City Council meeting on Monday.

Vetro Mediterranean Food co-owner Liz Gore Cerdeira presented a petition calling for paid parking not to be put in close to her business on Glasgow Street and Third Ave West.

Gore Cerdeira said the two streets were made up of industrial businesses with the exception of her food store.

The businesses served the city and all the owners she had spoken to had issues with the paid parking, she said.

"They feel it's going to drastically affect their business."

Getting the bus wasn't an option for many staff as they started too early, she said.

"[Public] transport's got to be sorted out before you put in paid parking all through the city."

Buses needed to run from 5am to midnight to serve early morning workers and hospitality staff who finished late at night, she said.

Gore Cerdeira said she knew it was the Bay of Plenty Regional Council that ran the buses but the councils needed to work together on it.

If paid parking was to happen in her area, she asked that businesses were given two parks for staff or permits that enabled staff to park for free.

Most workers would be unable to afford the parking charges each day, she said.

Commission chair Anne Tolley said they agreed with Gore Cerdeira about the buses.

"We were hopeful that the regional council would have their bus services running a lot more frequently and a lot more reliably by now.

"For many of our workers who are trying to travel at different times, or who have to travel at different times, there are no bus services."

The commission members had taken on board the "huge amount" of community concern about the parking, said Tolley.

"I don't think any of us really took into account the major disruption, particularly in the centre city, that Cameron Road would have."

Cameron Road stage one has seen the street under construction for two years.

The work is adding a separated two-way cycleway, bus lanes and making layout changes to Cameron Road between Harrington Street and 17th Avenue.

Sewers, wastewater pipes and stormwater treatment upgrades were also being done.

When the parking management plan was put in place they were hopeful the Cameron Rd works would be done on a block by block basis, Tolley said.

They weren't convinced that there was a case for extending the paid parking in the CBD when there was still a lot of parks available, she said.

"Normally you put paid parking in when you're trying to manage and get turnover.

"We've got good, good turnover in the centre of the city, so there's no need to try and extend that at this stage."

The council also consulted on paid parking in Mount Maunganui at the main shopping area and beachfronts which was met with fierce opposition from businesses and the public.

Public consultation was meant to happen from 13 November to 15 December but was deferred after the community's initial response.

Tolley said she wanted the parking problems in Mount Maunganui defined first.

Commissioner Bill Wasley wanted to ensure the parking time limits in the Mount were being enforced.

The commission also decided to delay the introduction of clearway bus lanes along Cameron Rd that were meant to start in January.

It would have meant parking in the bus lanes would be prohibited during peak hours.

Tolley said this was to provide some relief for businesses.

Council staff will report back to the commission in March 2024 with recommendations for the parking strategy.

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