Councillors mull rise in parking fees

A proposal to increase parking charges in Queenstown was fiercely debated at a utilities committee meeting yesterday, with some councillors concerned it favoured tourists over residents.

A report by infrastructure strategy manager Denis Mander, aimed at enhancing short-term access to the central business district, proposed changes to 281 long-stay parks on Ballarat St and Boundary St. Charges in Ballarat St would increase by 50c an hour to $1 an hour and a new charge of 50c would be introduced in Boundary St.

The report also proposes free parking anywhere for mobility permit holders and the possibility of residential parking permits and carpooling incentives.

Cr Lyal Cocks said there was a lot of free parking in the Queenstown area and there was scope to increase charges.

Pay machines would enable people to pay for the exact amount of time they needed and even $5 a day was still cheap for parking, he said.

But Cr Vanessa van Uden said she was concerned the policy was weighted towards tourists rather than residents who worked in the town.

Extra bus services set to be introduced in July would improve the system but it would still be too expensive to encourage people to leave their car at home, she said.

Taking the bus from Frankton would cost $12 for a return trip and the council would need to consider subsidising the system, she said.

There was no point in restricting long-term parking until there were positive alternatives in place to encourage people to use the bus or carpool, she said.

The council, except for Cr van Uden, voted to investigate options for a residential parking scheme and consider parking options in the development of the annual plan.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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