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The introduction of paid parking in Ōrewa town centre looks increasingly uncertain after local board members commented on the unreliability of Auckland Transport’s (AT) survey on the issue.
Data from the survey was to be key in providing community feedback before a decision is made as to whether paid parking should be introduced in Ōrewa and, if so, which option to choose.
The Hibiscus and Bays Local Board is set to decide on the issue at an upcoming business meeting but AT presented a summary of the public feedback to a workshop on October 20. At the workshop, chair Alexis Poppelbaum and deputy Jake Law pointed out that a change made to the survey could make the data difficult to rely on when decision-making.
A decision would require a majority of board members supporting either Option A or B for any paid parking installation to go ahead.
Between June 22 and July 23, community feedback was sought on two paid parking options developed in partnership with the local board and business association Destination Ōrewa Beach. Most town centre parking would remain free under either proposal.
The two scenarios were Option A – 75 paid spaces spread across busy parts of the town centre, or Option B – 58 spaces in only the busiest areas. A majority supported Option B.
However, at the workshop it became clear that two days after the survey was launched, following complaints that there was no option given for No Paid Parking, AT made a change that meant respondents could complete the survey without picking either A or B.
A total of 421 responses were submitted before the change and 828 after.
AT surmised that anyone not choosing either A or B wanted no paid parking, but local board members pointed out that was an assumption that could be incorrect, skewing the data.
Deputy chair Jake Law said that it would be difficult to make a decision without knowing how many surveyed did not want any paid parking.
“I think confusion over that invalidates the survey,” he said.
At the workshop AT’s parking designer, Parking Design and Solutions David Martin described parking as challenging in Ōrewa at peak times and said that the aim of the review was to seek better access, turnover and availability of parking spaces.
He said AT “expected people would not support paid parking, and we were not disappointed”. “Nobody wants to pay for it, but when time restrictions are no longer working, that’s our next step,” he said.
One issue he raised is that a signifcant chunk of those parking in the town centre work in local businesses (20 percent of those surveyed), some moving their vehicles to get around current restrictions.
It’s an issue that business association Destination Ōrewa Beach has raised in the past. The association has worked with AT intensively over a couple of years looking at key problem areas and options. Business manager Hellen Wilkins says her organisation supported Plan B for the Ōrewa Community Centre carpark, where demand regularly exceeds availability, particularly at weekends.
However she says Destination Ōrewa Beach understands the community’s concerns about paid parking and did not support its introduction across Ōrewa, recognising the impact this could have on residents, visitors and businesses.
“We recognise the concerns, but doing nothing will not resolve the problem. Ōrewa does not have a lack of parking, due to over-stayers (and staff vehicles) it has a lack of available parking. Our position has always been about finding a practical balance specifically for the Community Centre carpark, without penalising the rest of Ōrewa.”
Wilkins says she also questioned the survey engagement process, raising concerns with AT in early July that the face-to-face engagement began more than a month after the online survey opened.
“By then, people were receiving broader information that may have influenced their view, especially as it was apparent that many people had not read the information about the two options proposed and assumed it was a town-wide plan,” she says.
AT will come back to the board with a recommendation, but the decision itself rests with the board, or with Auckland Council depending which option is selected.
Based on feedback provided through the survey on other matters, AT is now investigating whether Bakehouse Lane should be converted to one-way, and/or whether parking could be reconfigured; a pedestrian crossing near a roundabout and if changes could be helpful; and broken yellow lines/no parking areas on the residential roads suggested outside the town centre.
