If the answer to Cambridge’s parking crisis is to build a car park building, then be prepared to pay for parking right through the central business district.
That was the message from Waipā Transport manager Bryan Hudson at a packed Chamber of Commerce-organised parking workshop last week.
Bryan Hudson
Chaos and growing pains are how chamber chief executive Kelly Bouzaid described the current Cambridge parking situation with projects like the Town Hall Clock, Cambridge Pathway in Wilson and Duke streets and power company upgrades now underway.
Sixty two car parks are gone from the CBD as a result.
The narrative in Cambridge six years ago was retail rotation with businesses asking for more parking enforcement, which they got, she said.
Kelly Bouzaid
But now, while there are 3000 public car parks in the CBD, the town had more than 3000 workers – many travelling from around the region – using those at the expense of customers, she said.
One meeting attendee said that would result in people shopping at The Base in Hamilton which has free parking and choice.
The meeting endorsed Bouzaid’s call for the council to remove no further car parks or change any restricted parking without consultation with the chamber and the business community.
“This is now the start of being heard,” she said while urging businesses to provide the chamber with data to help it make a submission to the council’s long term planning.
“Parking isn’t going to get any easier. It is likely new or expanded businesses will develop over land that is currently used for private parking and the national rule changes mean there are no minimum parking requirements, so the pressure is just going to happen.”
But building a car parking building for $40,000 per car space above ground and $100,000 below ground, would be “extremely expensive” to build and run, said Hudson.
It was generally only councils that build them because there was not enough return for private investors.
“To own one, you’ve got to have that revenue coming in to pay for it, to pay off the loans, to pay off that operation.”
Solutions to getting people out of cars included providing cycleways, walkways and better public transport.
“Just be aware when you look at other growing towns or cities, the more parking you put in your CBD or central area, the more congested it becomes. The longer the periods of peak traffic trying to get in and out. All of those things are realities of expanding parking,” he said.
Cambridge could become like Hamilton where staff park out of the CBD and either walk in or use the Lime scooters people did not want here.
“People love Cambridge because of the way it looks because it’s a great use of space,” said Hudson who cited the trees, parks and gardens as being just as important as parking spaces.
Cambridge Pathway Project at the end of Wilson Street.
Meanwhile The News understands concerns about car parking spaces being taken from outside businesses in Wilson, Victoria and Bath streets as part of the Cambridge Pathway project have been partially allayed by the council.
Thirty two spaces were to have been taken from that stretch. The council intend removing a power pole to change the pathway design south of The Warehouse saving eight car parking spaces outside Riverside Dental, Triton Hearing and Shelley Tweedy and Associates.
The council was also considering introducing restricted parking in nearby Fort Street.
Cambridge Chamber of Commerce chief executive Kelly Bouzaid presents at the parking workshop.
