05June

Call for parking action in central Christchurch

Central Christchurch businesses want action to ensure high parking charges do not deter shoppers.

With post-earthquake free parking disappearing in the rebuild, motorists are facing fees of up to $5 an hour.

Most off-street parking in the central city is now controlled by specialist parking companies, with Hong Kong-based Wilson Parking at 40 locations including parking buildings.

Central City Business Association chairman Brendan Chase said with the central city still getting on its feet, businesses needed parking charges kept reasonable to attract people to shop and eat.

Both incentives and cost control would help, he said.

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FAIRFAX NZ

Public parking buildings in central Christchurch.

Chase hoped the Christchurch City Council would provide competition for private providers by keeping control of the replacement 800-space Lichfield St building, due for completion in spring.

"I'd hesitate to use words like monopoly or cartel, but the council needs to have some influence on the market," he said.

"Council has the opportunity to promote competition. Essentially, the new [Lichfield St] building gives them a lever on the market, which they can pull if they need to."

He also wanted the council to bring back the one-hour-free scheme, which helped the struggling central city compete with suburban malls before the earthquakes.

Such promotions could be funded by targeted rates, Chase said. At recent meetings, businesses had expressed enthusiasm for a parking validation scheme, as used in some cities.

Landlord Antony Gough said he would give customers free parking in his Hereford St parking building to be built by his The Terrace precinct next year.

"If you shop in our precinct, you will get your car parking paid for. The businesses will validate your ticket."

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DAVID WALKER/FAIRFAX NZ

The West End parking building on Hereford St.

Gough wanted the owners of the ANZ Centre and Crossing complexes to run similar schemes.

He believed parking charges were reasonable and said the new buildings were modern and easier to use.

Council transport operations manager Aaron Haymes said it was undecided whether the Lichfield St building would be run privately. Fees had not been set yet, he said.

With 804 parking spaces, the building will be the city's biggest.

Free parking schemes had not been discussed to date, but "the council is interested in incentivising visits to the central city", Haymes said.

Chase said compared with Auckland, Christchurch parking costs were modest.

"It's a particular Christchurch trait that people need to be able to park right at their destination. In other cities that's just not possible."

Strowan resident Carolyn Barr said she had not enjoyed using two of the new parking buildings.

She thought $6 to park for one hour and 20 minutes was steep, and she had to negotiate narrow stairwells and broken footpaths.

"I know the city is in a state of flux. I like to be positive, but the parking doesn't really encourage people to go into the city.

"We all get sick of trawling the malls but, in the end, they are more convenient and they are warmer and cosier."

The council reports the central city has 1713 on-street public parking spaces, 2120 in parking buildings, and many more in off-street parks, both privately and publicly owned.

Hourly charges peak at $3.10 at the meters, with $2 parking available in some places.

Motorists will pay $4 an hour for casual parking in most parking buildings, although $2-an-hour parks are available under the Christchurch Art Gallery.

Off-street parks mostly charge $2 to $4 an hour, peaking at $5 in the Wilson parks on the Oxford-Worcester corner and the Oxford-Lichfield corner.

To find free car parking, motorists will have to park further out and walk several blocks.

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