Parking changes create a stir
PARKING changes agreed upon by the Dunedin City Council yesterday led to heated discussion about parking in the city.
Fortynine car parks have been added and 51 have been removed across the city in recent changes voted in by councillors after being recommended by the traffic and parking bylaw subcommittee.
These include the addition of 23 fiveminute parks, three mobility parks, four motorcycle parks and five authorisedvehiclesonly parks.
Parks lost include 10 240minute parks, seven 120minute parks and 19 unrestricted parks.
Cr Lee Vandervis said many of the changes would affect parking in the city, and he asked council staff why many parks around George Street Normal School had been lost to signage about safety.
‘‘They [the signs] could have been made cheaply without destroying badly needed car parks,’’ Cr Vandervis said
Following several similar questions about parking, Cr Steve Walker raised a point of order and said Cr Vandervis had been speaking about parking in general, which was not covered by the item the council was discussing.
It was the second point of order raised in relation to Cr
Vandervis and was upheld by Mayor Aaron Hawkins, who said staff were there to speak to questions raised about the item rather than a ‘‘wideranging discussion around parking’’.
Cr Jim O’Malley said it was frustrating to see questions asked of staff ‘‘that are there to criticise’’.
While parking near George
Street Normal School was not on the agenda, it was still being brought up by Cr Vandervis, he said.
‘‘They are trafficcalming measures [at the school]. It’s not us running around trying to steal car parks from people.
‘‘We are improving the outcome but the only commentary some people can say is that car parks are going down,’’ Cr O’Malley said.
The addition of 28 leased parking spaces at the site of the former The Warehouse in Maclaggan St, additionally included in the changes, was the result of ‘‘great negotiation’’ by council staff, he said.