Parking system needs tweaks
There has beenmuchcriticism of the parking system in Rotorua’s CBD.
I agree that it is far from perfect, with the main problems being the poorly designed and difficult parking terminals and the annoying fixed levy on credit card payments. However, the Prestopark phone app provides a good alternative, and I recommendit to anyone wanting to avoid the physical terminals.
Afewyears ago, it wasclear that the old parking meters had reached the end of their life, and were not suitable as wemoveto an increasingly cashless society.
Changewasneeded. Whatcritics fail to do is to say what they would have done at that time.
Therdrrteam has repeatedly advocated freecbdparking with time limits to ensure turnover. Idonot agree. While the current system is costly to run, it has resulted in anet revenue ofsome $300,000. Afree system would be expensive.
Toavoid the problem OFCBD workers monopolising parking spaces, it would need a rigid enforcement system. Myuneducated guess is that this would cost several hundred thousand dollars to staff and administer.
Combined with the loss of current revenue, the result would be a large net cost to ratepayers. Unless thiswas met by a levy oncbdbusinesses, it would fall on all ratepayers.
This wouldmeanthat thosewho never or seldom drive to thecbd
would be subsidising the regular users.
I believe that the current user-pays system is right in principle, butsome practical
improvements and tweaks are still needed.
Keith Garratt
Rotorua
Lawandorderdeteriorating
Weare all being encouraged by the current government to bemore inclusive caring citizens.
That being so, law and order innew Zealand appears to be significantly deteriorating over recent times, putting law-abiding citizens at risk.
Over the last three months, violence involving firearms has been numerous. This after tightening the gun laws and assurances that an improvement wouldbecomeevident.
Waikeria Prison six-day debacle. Every day this situationwasallowed to continue only strengthened the lawbreakers’ resolve of themselves,
other prisoners and future prisoners.
2020 holiday period road deathsup almost three times that on the previous year. Someclearly demonstrating disregard for the law and also the need for increased policing of our roads as well as somerequired stronger penalties.
Afurtherdownward trend of the above can be arrested quite readily by the current governmentnowthat they have a clear mandate to do so.
Leigh Neilson
Tauranga