Paid parking extends into central Auckland suburb, businesses worried about impact

Parking fees are being extended in a popular Auckland retail strip despite some businesses saying they are already on their knees.

Auckland Transport is extending paid parking into more Ponsonby streets, even though more than 80 percent of feedback was against the move.

Previously, parking on the majority of side streets off of Ponsonby Road was free for two hours, but the change will mean charges Monday to Saturday 8am to 6pm in extended areas.

A number of businesses are worried it will drive customers away when times are already tough.

Marcin Kulak who co-owns the restaurant Mekong Baby on Ponsonby Road is not happy with the decision.

He told Checkpoint Auckland Transport was ignoring what the majority of the public wanted by implementing further parking charges.

"I don't think that people shouldn't be paying for parking around the Ponsonby if it's implemented correctly, and Auckland Council actually takes feedback to consideration."

"What is the point in a democratic society to send a letter to all the businesses asking for feedback, talking about... considering them, and then 81, 82 percent comes back saying no, we don't want to do that, and then the Auckland Council goes, well, we're still doing it."

Kulak felt that businesses has not been taken into consideration during the consultation, and the paid parking would just be another thing that business owners had to deal with in already challenging times.

"Things are bad already, things have been bad for two years."

He said Auckland Council should be working with businesses to determine what may successfully drive customers into Ponsonby.

"What I would really appreciate is that our input would be taken into account, rather than creating a few parking spots here and there on Ponsonby Road.

"How are we going to work together to find the solutions to help drive the customers here, bring more people here, and attract customers to Ponsonby Road, rather than creating things that might or might not."

AT group manager Network, Planning & Policy, Andrew , said The Waitematā Local Board had endorsed a plan to convert some time-restricted parking to paid parking in high demand streets, which will includes new or extended paid parking on parts of 13 side streets off Ponsonby Road.

"Approximately 76 percent of on-street parking in Ponsonby remains free. There will still be more than 4000 free parking spaces in Ponsonby, most of which have time limits for visitors to the area who don't have resident parking permits."

McGill said since paid parking had been implemented on Ponsonby Road itself, it was now easier for people to find parks, but that meant parking demand had spilled onto residential side streets, prompting this action.

The council is also working to make other improvements to parking and kerbside around Ponsonby, including more loading zones and mobility spaces, dedicated e-scooter corrals, and additional car parking spaces.