Huge changes to Rotorua CBD parking | Rotorua News | Local News in Rotorua

Parking in the central city is set for a major overhaul as Rotorua's council looks to free up more spaces on busy streets.

The new parking policy does away with the old two-hour time limit, raises fees in the busiest parts of town, and drops charges in other parts of the city.

The new parking policy for Rotorua comes into effect from Monday next week and Rotorua District Council works manager Peter Dine says it is aimed at ensuring adequate parking for commercial and retail customers in the busiest central city locations.

Mr Dine said the most significant features were an end to the two-hour maximum parking time limits and a new fee regime. New fees would see cheaper parking in less used areas and dearer parking in the busiest central locations.

Removal of the two-hour maximum would mean price remained the key factor influencing parking patterns, as was the case in many cities around the country.

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"Rotorua people will be able to stop in a parking space longer than two hours if they choose, but in very high demand areas, such as central Tutanekai St, it will cost more to do so.

"The rationale behind this comes from parking studies elsewhere that show price controls resulting in higher space turnover make parking easier to find for customers of city stores and other businesses."

Mr Dine said higher fees would encourage people to spend less time parked in the most sought-after central city spaces.

Some parts of Tutanekai St and a few central parts of Eruera St, Hinemoa St and Pukuatua St will become $2-an-hour zones. Other central business district parking outside of this central strip will remain $1-an-hour zones, as will the council's parking building on Pukuatua St. The building will also provide $5 all-day parking on the top floor.

"Parking fees for other low-volume areas in the city will remain free ... or will reduce to just $2 for eight hours - equal to 25 cents per hour."

Mr Dine said the council provided more than 2500 free parking spaces in the central city.

"So the further out from the central core of Tutanekai St that people park, the less they will pay in parking fees.

"On the other hand, parking spaces right in central high volume areas will turn over more frequently making parking more readily available in those locations than at present."

Demand-based parking policies had proven to be successful and the policy was also driven by the many requests the council had had from central city businesses.

The fees were in line with, or were cheaper, than the cost of parking in most other cities in New Zealand, he said.

Mr Dine said the new policy was not a revenue gathering exercise as some might think and "... was expected to be neutral in terms of overall revenue for the city".

He said money collected from parking fees would continue to be allocated to programmes for maintaining and improving the city.

The number and location of spaces allocated for disabled parking would remain the same, as would existing loading zones.

The policy aims to achieve 70 per cent to 90 per cent occupancy for parking spaces during the working week, meaning an average of one in every seven spaces would be available at most times. If occupancy figures dropped constantly below this threshold then the council would consider reducing parking fees, and if they were constantly above 90 per cent, parking fees could be increased.