The coach stop outside the eastern end of the Town Hall with water from recent rain showing why it would not be suitable for angle parking. To the north is Lake Street where the council proposes two coach stops and across the road where it wants to put P120 parking. Photo: Mary Anne Gill.
Timed parking in Queen and Lake streets and more dedicated coach stops in Cambridge are a feature of a proposal Waipā District Council will put to retailers in the area.
Bryan Hudson
Transportation manager Bryan Hudson told Cambridge Community Board last week regular coach visits had started up again post Covid.
Cambridge i-Site and the Chamber of Commerce had lobbied the council for more coach parks near the central business district and Town Hall.
General coach tours or chartered coaches typically stop in town for one to three hours while visitors used toilets, cafes, went sightseeing and shopping.
“Presently there is one rather poor coach parking space beside the town hall and coach drivers are using ad-hoc parking practice to drop off passengers,” said Hudson.
“The problem arises when drivers cannot find a nearby parking place and are then unable to tell passengers where to find the coach before the allotted pick-up time.”
Bob McQueen, who owns property in Lake Street, has also lobbied council to get rid of the coach park outside the Town Hall and create angle parking. Council staff said this proposal would create six bays of three metres wide.
But the bus bay has a higher kerb, purposely designed for buses that kneel to allow passengers to alight without a big step down.
“This means that low cars nosing up to the kerb are likely to strike and do damage to their fairings/bumpers. The concrete dish channel through the bay also means that on wet days drivers and passengers are likely to step out into water.”
Parking plans for Lake Street
The board agreed with Hudson’s recommendations to implement P120 parking in front of the Waipiata Trust building in Queen Street – home to Kiwi Home Store and Contemporary Classics – where there are currently no parking limits. They also agreed on P120 for spaces in front of 16-20 Lake Street – the block between Queen and Kirkwood streets.
“Workers could be parking all day in these locations,” he said, and businesses would benefit from a 120 minute time limit to ensure space turn over for customers.
They also saw merit in a short term solution for two coach stops using space on both sides of Lake Street between Queen Street and the rear of Supercheap Auto – currently a loading zone – and the vacant Bunnings lot.
The sites would not impact high demand parking areas, said Hudson.
There would be some cost with modifications to road marking and signs, but it would be easy to install now and remove in the future if necessary.
Board member Sue Milner said she would be concerned if tourists used the crossing area from Bunnings across to the Waipiata Trust building rather than the pedestrian crossing further up.
Most people would make a beeline for the pedestrian crossing, said Hudson.
Alana MacKay said she would be interested in knowing the retailers’ views while Andrew Myers said it would be important for the council to engage with McQueen.
Flooding at the bus stop
