Tauranga City Council’s Commission has agreed to stagger the rollout of additional changes to parking in the city centre, to better align with the wider city centre transformation and reduce further disruption.
The parking changes were initially approved in October last year as part of Council’s Parking Management Plan, aimed at improving the way parking is managed in and around the city centre.
The first phase of the plan kicked off in December last year, which saw an end to the two-hour free parking trial and the reintroduction of paid on-street parking in the city centre.
The second phase of changes were due to be rolled out around the city centre fringe in November this year, however the Commission this week approved a staggered rollout of changes over the next 12 months.
General Manager: Infrastructure, Nic Johansson says while the city centre is undergoing a major transformation, it is important for Council to continue to assess the current parking environment.
“As the city centre is transformed over the next few years, there will inevitably be disruption. We acknowledge the need to make sure parking options are adapted accordingly, and by staggering the roll-out, we can be agile with the way these planned changes are implemented,” says Mr Johansson.
“This gradual roll-out will help address the pressure being put on residential streets, as the city centre fringe becomes a high-demand parking area. It also allows us to keep monitoring parking demand in the city centre and ensure we are reducing disruption for residents and local businesses while the city centre transformation takes shape.”
The city centre parking changes will now be spread over the next year, giving more time for the community to adapt to the evolving environment in the city centre.
The rollout is currently planned as follows:
- Phase two: 1 November 2023 – Paid on-street parking to be introduced around the fringe of the city centre including Third Ave, Fourth Ave, Arundel Street, McLean Street, Monmouth Street, Anson Street and extending a section of First Ave, Second Ave and Devonport Road (refer to map for full overview of new paid parking zone).
- New proposed date for phase three: From 1 April 2024 – Paid parking to be expanded west of Cameron Road, from the remainder of Third Ave to Hamilton Street.
- New proposed date for phase four: From 1 September 2024 – Time-restricted zones to be installed from Fifth Ave to Eleventh Ave.
- Addressing car parking during the city centre transformation.
Council says it is committed to ensuring a variety of parking options are available for people visiting the city centre.
Some recent initiatives Council has implemented include:
- The re-introduction of free weekend parking from 3 June 2023, encouraging visitors to the city centre over the weekend.
- Changing the time of paid evening parking from 6pm to 5pm, to make parking more accessible for people visiting the city centre in the evenings.
- Introducing lease structure changes in the city centre car park buildings, freeing up parking spaces that were previously leased, but not frequently used.
- Setting up electronic parking signs at the main city centre entrances, providing commuters with real-time data on available spaces in off-street parking sites.
- The upgrade of the Dive Crescent car park, with stage one opening this month. Once the total project is complete, around 150 car parks will be available for community use.
