Park n Ride Shame

 

The only way you will encourage more Aucklanders to use the train or bus is to provide a park ‘n’ride so those not close to the transport facility can get there -and so far that policy is hit and miss in Auckland.

But if you are going to provide it -as this site has argued before- there has to be some guarantee of security because, like airport carparks, it’s obvious the vehicle will be unattended for sometime and in the case of a train, unattended until at least the next incoming train arrives.

In other words, an open invite to thieves.

I know someone who stopped using ferry services when their prized car, alarm and all, got stolen when left during the day at the official Park n Ride.

Reader Andrew parked in the one adjacent to the new Onehunga railway station -and was shocked to not only find later cars had been broken into in broad daylight in a very public spot but that there seemed to be no CCTV.

This is appalling.

Andrew reports:

Coming back there were about half a dozen cars left. And signs there’d been a break-in - thankfully not my car. Looking around, I noticed that the park and ride facility is not CCTV monitored. It seems that car thieves know this too. Of my photos , I think the one with the “vehicle security” sticker on broken glass drives the point home rather well.

That was where I found it too - in the disabled carpark. The rest of the broken glass was further back from the station, not sure if they’re from the same break-in or not.

It’s obvious thieves know this is rich for pickings. It needs action urgently. I have asked  Auckland Transport about their plans. Let’s see how fast they act.

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9 Comments

 
  1. Andrew says:

    Thinking about it, the low frequency of services also presents an opportunity to thieves - when trains are hourly, after one leaves there is nobody around for as long as 45 minutes before people start turning up for the next service.

  2. Owen Thompson says:

    Actually I do not expect CCTV to be at free public carparks. If I plan on returning late on the train, I park on the road so the car is more visible.

  3. Kurt says:

    CCTV is prominent at the Orakei park and ride so its odd its not at Onehunga.

    You are right few people will use the car park once its noticed that cars have been broken into which defeats the expense of providing park and ride facilities.

    Its presence also helps the security of the surrounding area as well so whats the chances the council will provide it?

  4. AKT says:

    @Kurt I thought CCTV had been put in at Onehunga but maybe it doesnt show on the park n ride just the station. Anyway thats only good after the event if it is not visible as a deterrent.

  5. Andrew says:

    I assumed there was CCTV at Onehunga, until I saw that glass, then I checked all the poles I could see around the carpark and couldn’t spot any cameras mounted on them.

  6. mark says:

    I agree that it’s a bad look to have that occur. Hopefully CCTV will help, though I’m dubious. Unless it’s watched like a hawk so they can respond very quickly, or the offenders are particularly stupid in showing their faces nicely.

    “The only way you will encourage more Aucklanders to use the train or bus is to provide a park ‘n’ride”

    Uhm, aren’t there, like, one or two other ways too?

  7. joust says:

    it probably reduces confidence in park and rides in general, as many of us assumed since there is CCTV coverage at other stations, there must be at Onehunga as well - though as it turns out there isn’t any covering the parking lot as we’re used to at places like Orakei and Panmure.

  8. GJA says:

    My car was stolen at Panmure and the Police was able to obtain good pictures of the idiots who stole my car. They are before the courts :-D

  9. Jeff H says:

    Security is clearly needed, but park n’ ride is showing other limitations. Try getting a park at Orakei at peak times. What we need are good airport style ‘kiss ‘n ride’ drop off points and ticket integrated local feeder buses running short residential loops on an up to 3km radius from train stations. Then the car can stay (hopefully) safe at home all day.
    Where practical the bus system should be designed to feed rail rather than compete with it. It’s a free country of course , but would be interesting analyse where all the cars at Orakei each morning have originated from - Reducing congestion or cheap parking 5 minutes from town?

 

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