Parking charges bring opportunity

Queenstown commuters will have the opportunity to travel smarter with the introduction of improved
parking for Queenstown shoppers, Queenstown Lakes District Council transport manager Denis
Mander said.

The journey towards the parking changes on Ballarat and Boundary Streets and the Recreation
Ground began with consultation through the Council’s Annual Plan in April, this year.

“Since that time we have continued to give profile to this change which is timed to coincide with the
introduction of an improved public transport system and education about sustainable travel choices,”
Mr Mander said.

Sustainability, including issues like the cost of petrol and the ‘unsustainable’ projected volume of cars
on Frankton Road in the future, was only one of the reasons for the change.

“The Council carries a car parking debt of $1.1 million and while this needs to be reduced it is not
making a profit from car parking,’ he said.

It was not about making revenue from locals it was about helping locals to change the way they
travelled, whilst keeping the CBD vibrant.

“We know we need more short stay parks to help encourage visitors and shoppers to the centre of
town and we know that for a lot of locals, free carparking is about convenience, rather than thinking
about the choices,” he said. Visitors were growing but the numbers of carparks were not.

“We hope changes to car parking can be looked at as a really good opportunity to explore choices,’
Mr Mander said.

With the anticipated rise in oil prices and the cost of living, now was the time to ask: do I need to take
my car to town every day?

“Bus, walk, bike, ride share and park and ride may not be the way people commute now, but it will be.
The new charges coincide with an offer for free-parking for people that sign up for car pooling,” Mr
Mander said.

Flyers were delivered today and placed on cars in parks where new charges would apply from
November 1.

“The flyers explain the new charges and the car pool offer, which involves registering for free at the
Council office and travelling with 3 or more adults per car every day,” he said.

The change from next month included a bonus of free parking after 6pm at all Council carparks

(excluding Church and Man Street).

Mobility Parking would continue to be free and people with disability permits could now park on-street
or in the Council’s carparks for free.

More information was available on the Council website www.qldc.govt.nz

What are the changes?
• Charges increase by fifty cents an hour to $1 on Ballarat Street, and a new charge of fifty
cents an hour with a $2.50 cap on Boundary Street and non-leased parks on the Recreation
Ground.
• The changes will apply between 8am and 6pm, 7 days a week. This is a change in that
presently charges apply in the Ballarat Street carparks up until 11pm, it is now free after 6pm.

The changes don’t affect:

• The carparks next to the Library.
• The P10 spaces in the Recreation Ground carpark.
• Mobility parks in the Recreation Ground and Boundary St carparks.
• Leased parking.