Viewpoint – Parking strategy – have your say

One of most successful transport infrastructure projects in our area is the Northern Busway and the parks ‘n’ rides at Albany and Silverdale. 

Pre-Covid-19 you were lucky to get a spot at either park ‘n’ ride after 7.30am. In the last six months, public transport numbers have plummeted across the Auckland network and patronage is still only at 40 percent of pre-Covid levels. Which is why I am struggling to understand why AT is now proposing to charge for the park ‘n’ rides, as part of its new parking strategy. AT has indicated the cost will be between $2 and $4 per day. 

AT wants to encourage users of the Northern Busway to walk or cycle or take feeder buses to the park ‘n’ ride. However, this is not an option for rural Dairy Flat residents, as the bus service is not even hourly and there is no current bus service for Milldale residents. Safe walking and cycling are not an option for either area as there are no walking or cycling facilities across the Silverdale interchange or the Albany hill. 

For other residents living in the more urban areas such as Silverdale, Millwater and Ōrewa, AT needs to look at why residents drive to the park ‘n’ ride. Is it the location of the feeder buses or the frequency of service? And I think the reason residents don’t cycle to the park ‘n’ ride is the traffic and the design of the cycleways. A painted line on the road is not safe cycling. Cycleways need to be off road for the entire journey and connected to the transport hubs. 

Unfortunately, we are not learning from past mistakes and even our big-ticket infrastructure projects that will be delivered in the next couple of years that include safe walking and cycling within the design – such as Penlink and the Highgate bridge – don’t fund the necessary safe cycling connections to the transport hubs and town centres.

Please make sure you have you say on AT’s draft parking strategy. Feedback closes on May 15.

On a slightly different topic, the Rodney Local Board is continuing to fund the planning required for our 154-hectare park at Green Road, Dairy Flat. This is a massive park, bordering the Rangitopuni stream with established trees and beautiful meadows. 

Green Road has the potential to become the Cornwall Park of the North Shore. We have just completed the plan for the 5.7km perimeter path that is detailed in the Green Road master plan. Going forward we need to establish a community group that helps drive this project and ensures that the rural values and open spaces agreed in the master plan are protected for future generations to come.