Happy Valentines Porirua parkers!!!!

David from Cannons Creek

I have reposted this as I have received a response from the council and the original one(www.neighbourly.co.nz...) is due to expire shortly.

UPDATE: 11/4/24
Here is the response from the council.

"We understand that small businesses, like many others in our community, are facing challenges right now. While we can not offer special treatment for one group, we do have some good news about parking in the weekends.

Parking in the CBD is free on weekends and public holidays. Paid parking only applies from 8am to 5pm, Monday through Friday.

About the 50 cents surcharge for electronic payments, it is not a charge from the City Council (PCC) and unfortunately, we can not waive it. If we did not collect it, the cost would fall on all taxpayers, which wouldn't be fair."

1. I wasn't aware of free weekend parking this myself but good to hear regardless and assume this has always been the case since installing the new parking meters.

2. Regarding the 50 cent surcharge and that it is not one from the city council - but it does imply they receive it(?).

3. They have refused to offer free parking to business owners and their staff simply because they can not offer 'special treatment' to certain groups.

The 'groups' consist of business owners and staff - both essential for a healthy CBD environment.

It is not about 'special treatment' in fact, if anything, its probably more akin to discrimination - as the council's decision has disadvantaged a specific group ie business owners(and their staff) which is now costing them more to run their business and secure staff who's income is also being reduced in order to fill the council's coffers.

This is about a council decision resulting in new additional revenue for the council but a new additional cost to small business owners (who's profits are reduced by parking costs and for their staff(especially part time ) who's income is also reduced - making them question whether it is worthwhile working in the first place - all this in the face of cost of living,housing/rental and general affordability woes. So is the council really happy to place such people in a worse off position-especially a group that significantly contributes to the CBD's vibe?

This decision may earn more revenue for the council but it has reduced it for the business owners & staff- so who really is getting 'special treatment'?

A request to consider removing this additional costs to the business owners- so that their businesses can function unhindered will still allow council to earn significant revenue yet it they have declined it nonetheless.

What is the point of business owners to continue running their businesses and what is the point of part time staff to work?

The council's decision disadvantages business owners(and their staff) impacting on their ability to profitably run their business.

Lastly, the new parking charges IS one initiated by the council - who can waive it (for business owners and their staff alike).

I will send this response to them for reconsideration.


UPDATE: 2/4/24 I have sent an email letter to the CEO (who will forward it on to the relevant department) to consider giving the business owners /workers a break from the parking charges.

*****Original post..19/3/24

I am, of course, referring to the 13/2/24 Kapimana News article titled ' Porirua paid parking still angers' .

Here's my $2 worth, this, by the way, is the newly introduced hourly charge for parks in the Porirua CBD.

Regarding Long's concern, owner of Porirua Bakery and Cafe, that she is losing business because customers(and her staff) are concerned about getting ticketed for overstaying in the parks and that customers don't want to wait more than 5 minutes for their orders-which is the grace period(charge free) for parking. So customers are walking off not placing their orders because, of course it would take longer than 5 minutes! Also, she is now having to pay for her staff's parking costs just so the business can operate fully staffed.

What is the purpose of the grace period? Is it to allow customers to finish their shopping or to wait for their orders which takes longer than 5 minutes? Then shouldn't the council extend that grace period?

It was the council's decision to introduce a new charge because they couldn't find other ways to minimise rates increases/generate revenue?

What does it tell Porirua residents/parkers and local business owners of the council's decision? A decision that now impacts on local businesses. Isn't one of the council's objectives to ensure that the business/retail sector is thriving in the CBD and that any of their decisions do not significantly impact that. By the way, it was sad to see Bargain city close soley due to unreasonable (hence unmanageable) rent increases in the Northcity plaza for the same space occupied by the business for the last several years- as most businesses are still in vulnerable positions since the Covid crisis. I can see the area, especially the Cobham court area, once again, becoming a row of empty shops, absent of vibrancy and the city/retail 'buzz' you typically see in thriving areas. Sad to see if this happens as there was a 'slump' in filling the empty shops in the area previously. I guess the way to avoid this would be to convert retail space into apartments/housing areas- I would hate to see this happen.

Businesses are hard to run with many overheads ie rent & costs of employing(and retaining even retraining) staff etc and there is a lot of pressure on small business owners to keep their head above water in today's climate. It's a shame to see several longstanding businesses shut up shop in Wellington such as Dixon street deli, Tulsi on Cuba street, Wishbone etc so it's on any council to ensure businesses have the right environment to thrive in and, especially, if they have some control over the impacts on those businesses.

The article mentions a '12 month freeze on parking charges'- I wouldn't consider it a 'freeze' as such as that would imply the council, out of the kindness of their own heart, stopped charging for parking for a while. Instead, I recall that the council jumped ahead and installed the new fangled/modern parking metres before I even knew about it (whether they informed the public of their intention to do so and give us an opportunity to object to it I don't know) and stated that they would not immediately be in operation at that time. This was a way of reducing (or managing) public reaction to a newly introduced cost for parking in areas where previously it was free.

Also, if the council responds by stating there are free parking areas around the CBD(I don't know of all of them) that seems to be a reasonable response provided none of the staff have any mobility issues or there isn't any time restrictions on those parking spaces or that there are enough of those spaces available for all such staff, but the council, in making their decision,have dismissed any consideration to consequences at the 'lower' end of things.

The reason for introducing new parking charges was to direct costs to actual parking space users and not the ratepayers in general(I can't argue with that), but really to reduce rate increases. In saying that,now that, we, the residents/public, have now been 'acclimatised' to these additional parking fees it will be easier for the council to subject us to gradual annual increases of parking charges because (and I say it again, the first time was during verbal submissions for the intention to introduce parking charges about 4 years ago) it is an 'easy out' for any council to resort to increasing parking charges every year to increase revenue/reduce rates despite it being a reflection of lack of innovation, creativity and ingenuity.

The council will say that the parking charges are markedly lower than that of their Wellington City counterparts -while that is true it is all relative really isn't it? But more importantly, it is a newly introduced cost to parkers, business owners and retail staff.

In comparison with Wellington CBD of approximately $5 per Porirua parkers are charged $2 per hour(approximately) but the point is, this is an ADDITIONAL charge.

Again, lets not forget that once any council implements a newly introduced parking costs it is now easier to gradually increase it annually. Now that the council have introduced this fee any subsequent increases are exactly that 'just' an increase of an existing charge.

The modern parking metres, thankfully, offer a choice of coin payments as well as wireless card payments. For the latter option an additional fee is charged - I think 50 cents a pop which is not much on its own but adds up over time especially for daily parkers such as retail staff and CBD workers. I don't think Wellington CBD apply an additional charge for the wireless option.

The article mentions that the council are in regular contact with local businesses, well, if this is true, it be for the purpose of being the first to be aware of any concerns and impacts on small business owners. So why haven't the council addressed such concerns as those expressed by the owner of Porirua Bakery and Golden Scissors already- which applies to most local business owners in that area?

What does it tell the council when employers are having to pay for their staff's parking charges just so they can keep their doors open for a full day?

The council have made a change -the result is retail employers are facing an additional cost to ease the burden on essential staff as well as retail staff facing those additional costs also. So, is it worth part-timers working in the first place?

Here's what I think the council should consider.

1. The council to allow retail workers/owners to park for free during their working hours only- this will allow small businesses (such as Porirua Bakery and Golden Scissors) to operate fully without staff concerns and their staff without parking concerns. The business makes money and so do the staff. Otherwise what is the point of working to only to have a portion of your earnings used up on parking charges- and the longer you work during the day the more its going to cost you?

2. Free weekend parking not only to entice out-of-towners to the Porirua CBD for recreation, but to increase spending and to ensure shoppers can do so without time pressures which typically discourages shoppers staying longer to browse for goods- the longer you browse the more likely you are to spend and find what you are looking for.

At least trial free- parking -weekends for a reasonable period.

3. The council to remove the additional charge of wireless card payment of 50 cents.