Auckland council car park to skyrocket $40 a day

Brian from New Lynn

Auckland commuters who use the Downtown car park are set to face a 67 per cent hike in daily parking costs next year. From January 21 the capped price for parking at the Auckland Transport-owned car park will rise from $24 to $40 a day. The capped rate kicks in for those who park for more than five hours. At the same time its hourly rate will rise from $4 to $4.50. A spokesman for Auckland Transport said the Downtown car parking building was frequently full meaning parking was not available for people who were going into the city centre to do business.
"Auckland Transport wants to encourage short-term parking in this building rather than all day parking." The spokesman said Auckland Transport also wanted people to use public transport or take active modes to the city centre if they were going to be there all day. He pointed to the cost of the nearest private car park - the Viaduct Car Park on Sturdee Street which charged $12 an hour or $45 a day. Barney Irvine, a spokesman on Auckland transport for the AA, said the big winners would be the private car parking operators as people switched to other car parks nearby. Irvine said he doubted private car park owners would jack up their prices to the same extent. "But it opens the door for private operators in that vicinity to bump up prices." He said commuters using the carpark would be unlikely to all switch to public transport.
"If it was a convenient option they would be doing it already." That meant people would move to private car parks which would be good news for the likes of Wilson and Tournament car parking companies.
The increase is the third hike in five years for commuters using the Downtown car park. In August 2015, Auckland Transport increased its daily parking rate at the Downtown, Civic and Victoria St car parks from $17 to $24 per day. The move came after the council removed Early Bird parking rates in December 2014, meaning drivers arriving before 8.30am and leaving before the car park closed could no longer pay the subsidised price of $13. At the time, the council said the change would reduce traffic congestion during morning rush hour, with extra revenue being used to upgrade public transport. The Auckland Transport spokesman said it would not be changing rates at the Civic or Victoria Street car parks which it also owns. The rates at those car parks will remain at $4 per hour and $24 a day. The spokesman said unlike Downtown those buildings were not clogged with people parking all day.
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