Proposed Parking Charges: The Facts - 27/05/2005

We want to set the record straight on the current controversy about parking charges in Wanganui's main street.

The Wanganui District Council has signalled in the Draft Annual Plan 2005/06 its intention to increase parking charges in the Central Business District, as well as other increases in parking revenue.

We want you to understand the reasons for the new charges and how the increased revenue is made up.

There is a difference of $278,000 in parking revenue between the 2004/05 Annual Plan and the Draft Annual Plan for 2005/06. This is not all due to increased parking fees.

The $278,000 is made up of:

$100,000 from reinstating the parking meters in St Hill Street and Watt Street, and growth in the use of parking facilities

• The previous Council decided to remove these meters, then reinstated them. The income from the meters was not included in the 2004/05 Annual Plan. It has been included in the Draft Annual Plan 2005/06.

$90,000 from enforcing existing parking charges and regulations

• The parking policing unit has been operating with one less part-time staff member than usual for the past year. This has dropped the number of parking tickets from 10,000-11,000 per year to 6500 last year.
• We are currently recruiting additional staff. It is estimated that by having a full team of parking staff, an additional $70,000 (net increase) will be gained by enforcing our existing regulations.

$50,000 from increasing the existing Victoria Avenue parking meter charges from $1.00 an hour to $1.50 an hour

• We receive numerous complaints about shoppers (and some retailers) feeding their meters and overstaying their one-hour parking limit in Victoria Avenue. The aim has always been for short-term stays on Victoria Avenue and longer stays on the side streets or streets parallel to Victoria Avenue. The increased charges will encourage people who want longer-term parking to use other car parks.

$38,000 from increasing parking charges in side streets and for daily and weekly parking

• It is proposed to raise parking charges in CBD side streets by 10 cents to 50 cents an hour. Off-street parks will increase by $1 to $3 a day. Rental parks will increase by $5 to $15 a week. This will make charges for these parks consistent with other increases.

The changes will benefit retailers, residents and visitors

Our aim in proposing these changes is to provide a better parking service for residents and visitors to Wanganui.

Increased charges and better policing will help stop the current abuse of the one-hour parking limits in Victoria Avenue. Retailers should welcome this move as it will increase the availability of parking and traffic flows in the main street, with motorists keeping to the one-hour limit.

We know that Wanganui people like to park as close as possible to the retail outlet they want to visit. Increasing parking charges in Victoria Avenue by 50 cents will not make any difference to people wanting to use those parking spaces.

People who require longer-term parking are well catered for with extremely cheap parking available in the side streets, or in daily and weekly rental parking areas.

Further information

If you have any queries about the new parking charges, contact Ian McGowan, Deputy Chief Executive, phone 349 0001.

If you are interested in weekly rental parking, contact Customer Services, phone 349 0001.