Subscribe to RSSMore Carparks Sends Mixed Message
While on the one hand the Council is encouraging a CBD rail link and being willing to consider closing off Queen St, it is also looking at making more money by encouraging more cars in the city.
A report to the latest Auckland Council Property Ltd committee reveals that a purchase of the new Britomart car park is being considered.
We are currently awaiting further information on the car park building, estimated management and operating costs and current agreed lease arrangements. We are working with the previous staff responsible for the project and our legal advisors on this project to ensure there is a clear understanding of the various amended agreements with the developer. Once all of this information is compiled and understood the value of the carpark can be assessed to enable the Council to consider whether to proceed to purchase.
The Herald reports this would be a 50% stake - along with building a multi-level carpark at Manukau.
Talk about mixed messages.
We have already had mixed messages with the waterfront development creating a people space on Queens Wharf with a carpark being built around the corner on Quay St.
A new carpark was built in Quay St. how many more do we need?
We are already seeing wonderful spaces being developed in a renewed Britomart precinct and CBD Shared Spaces that could easily lead to Queen St becoming one.
The Council needs to make up its mind whether it wants to embrace a shift away from the vehicle-clogged city and Auckland’s obsession with cars or ignoring these issues for the naked pursuit of revenue.
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11 Comments
It’s okay for council to own parking buildings if they’re charging market rates, the problem is that they’re currently undercutting the competition in their other buildings. They also come under political pressure to lower prices (see recent Herald articles on the matter).
From my understanding the plan always had been for this carpark to revert to council ownership once complete, I didn’t realise they were expected to pay for it though.
This is stupid Auckland already has lots of carparking buildings compared to most other big cities in the world. I thought Len Brown opposed these stupid things and would stand up to what the people want.
If we are to move on in life we have to stop building these big ugly looking carpark buildings and start encouraging public transport not building infastructure that competes with it.
The Britomart carpark was a huge mistake, as the local roads that serve this area get congested at peak times this will only get worse if the council keeps encouraging more carpark buildings to be built. Not too mention the prices are sky high and are more of a money maker than something to serve the community. The problem is guys this country won’t move forward if we keep having the should have built this years ago attitude, rather than thinking ahead into the future.
Petrol prices are going up, more people are using public transport it seems completely crazy to encourage more carpark buildings, I’m glad this was reported in the Herald this morning as this will make a lot more people concerned on what is going on so we have a chance to have a say on this matter before the council makes up its mind on this stupid crazy proposal!
Agreed. I wrote a pretty scathing email to his office. What the heck is Council doing, getting even more dependant on moving cars into our CBD???
This is a disgrace that a Len Brown government is even considering this seriously. John Banks, I wouldn’t have batted an eye at - but this? I didn’t help elect you for that, Len!
Anyone else see this bizarre and confused rant in the petrol drinking section of todays Nana?:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/motoring/news/article.cfm?c_id=9&objectid=10726029
Hard to tell if he knows what he’s angry about…. He seems to think it is obvious that you need to drive a car to catch a bus…?!err perhaps you could catch a bus to the park ‘n’ ride? Mind you, this being AK there may not be one…..?
No more carpark buildings in the city. Use that money to streamline the bus service in the form of bus lanes or a bike rack / locker system at train stations or a cycle track from Sylvia Park to the CBD beside the eastern train line please.
OK build the car park because Auckland isn’t hurting enough yet! Only when you get to rock bottom will there be change.
If I recall correctly, provision of a carpark building was part of the original Britomart precinct plan, and is a resource consent condition, to replace the one previously above the old bus terminal before the station was built. This dates back to the Fletcher council and some very old thinking.
Remember that hideous bus station? We have come a way in AK, such a battle though….
Thank you, we already were around rock bottom in the late 90s, and I don’t want to go back there, Kon. More cars will only feed the call for more roads.
With Banks back soon for ACT, we may yet get a minister for Auckland as keen on new motorways as Steven Joyce.
Okay, thinking about that, I just made myself puke. This is too possible to be funny anymore.
Sorry to bring back your nightmare Ingolfson, but all of the AKT shortcomings will be joked about and ridiculed during and after RWC. I remember that Perths electric rail upgrade and susequent expansions can be linked back to the Americas Cup in the late eighties.
of course we don’t need any more carparks, the provision of more carparks would make the congestion issue worse, and encourage more cars to flush into cbd. this is not proper for council to do this, and the council should balance the supply and demand by using other transport techniques.