Auckland council plans to skyrocket parking charges

Proposed changes to inner Auckland's parking charges mean motorists could stay in the same spot for longer - but they'll be paying through the nose for the convenience.

If the increases go ahead, some drivers will pay more than triple what they do now.

Auckland Council wants to implement a "central city parking zone", which would see two different pricing levels.

Inner city streets such as Albert and Quay Sts will be more expensive, while charges will be less in the outer CBD.

Time limits on parks would be lifted, but motorists will pay more if they stay longer.

Click to enlarge; see map of zones top right.

Currently, weekday parking on upper Nelson St costs $4 for four hours, but the new charges would see a four-hour increase to $18.

For example, on popular shopping destinations such as High St a 30-minute weekday stay costs $2 now.

Under the new plan - which allows for a four-hour stay - motorists will be penalised a whopping $29.

Heart of the city chief executive Alex Swney supports the proposal, saying it represents a significant shift in thinking about parking by "making it simpler and easier to use our city centre".

"We know that free parking isn't the answer but this proposal goes a long way to responding to our concerns," he says. 

The idea, according to the council, is to get more people into carparking buildings if they want to stay longer and promote on-street parking for shorter stays.

However, parking in a building isn't necessarily any cheaper.

The nearby Britomart carpark - owned by Cooper and Company - will charge $38 for a four-hour weekday stay, while the Tournament open-air carpark on Fort St costs $26 for three hours.

As well as putting the prices up, the council also wants to extend the period for paid parking from 6pm to 10pm on week nights.

It says this will "improve parking availability for customers" in busy entertainment areas.

NBR ONLINE asked the council how much extra revenue it expected to raise as a result of the proposals. 

Council spin doctor Wally Thomas denies it has done any revenue projections, saying "it's just a proposal at this stage." 

Residents have until July 1 to comment on the proposals.