My Account
Gay Smith, Owner of Gull Matakana
Does Matakana have a parking problem?
Yes, it has a huge parking problem.
How bad is it?
The problem is really bad. Locals tend to hide by staying home as they don’t want to get caught up in the slow traffic looking for carparking. We are often asked, “Why isn’t there a parking area/space?” We put out cones in front of the petrol station as visitors will park there and make the road way approaching the roundabout very narrow, which causes traffic jams.
How could it be solved?
A car park needs to be away from the village area (ie. the pony club but this is weather-permitting only) and no parking down Matakana Valley Rd at all. There should be foot traffic only down Matakana Valley Rd to perhaps the hall. Only freight and delivery traffic should be allowed in the village area. This would stop driver frustration and this would help to make the locals accept and be happier in Matakana.
Kieran Rice, Morris & James general manager
Does Matakana have a parking problem?
Yes.
How bad is it?
From our (Morris & James) point of view, the bigger issue is the impact that the parking problem has on traffic flow through Matakana. A lot of people, who are not intending to stop in Matakana, get caught up in the congestion. These are people heading for places like Goat Island, Tawharanui and Leigh.
How could it be solved?
We need parking spaces on the edge of town and at busy times, we should look at banning parking along Matakana Valley Road. A lot of the problem stems from the roundabout, which is a bit of a bottleneck on busy weekends. People turning into Matakana Valley Road often have to sit and wait for people parking and then the traffic backs up from there.
Simon Barclay, Matakana Community Group chair
Does Matakana have a parking problem?
It’s terrible.
How bad is it?
On a busy day in summer, the congestion starts at the Hill Street intersection in Warkworth and ends at the Matakana roundabout. In the 2006-2016 Matakana Structure Plan, Rodney District Council forecasted traffic volumes to double. And it has, but there has been absolutely no investment in infrastructure to cope with it.
How could it be solved?
We need a co-ordinated response. The group is currently working on a concept plan which will address both the problem of the open drains along Matakana Valley Road and the lack of parking. We’re in talks with Auckland Transport to cover the drains and provide angle parking and tree planting. We estimate this could provide an additional 70 carparks.
