Illegal parking in spotlight

Illegal pavement parkers on Wellington’s Hutt Rd are again being threatened with tickets and towing.

Since Wellington City Council announced a crackdown on illegal footpath parking between Aotea Quay and Tinakori Rd last September, its staff have issued seven tickets and 42 warnings to motorists on Hutt Rd.

The same scrutiny will now be applied between Placemakers’ Kaiwharawhara and Westminster St, after a new clearway begins operating on Hutt Rd on Monday.

Both the city’s busiest commuter biking route and a busy car conduit, Hutt Rd’s two traffic lanes will now be available only to commuters from Monday to Friday, between 7am and 9.30am.

After 9.30am, southbound vehicles will have to merge into one lane by the pedestrian crossing at Placemakers to make way for 70 on-street parks.

The changes to Hutt Rd have upset business owners concerned over the loss of parking and speeding cyclists.

Wellington City Council spokeswoman Lyn Murphy said parking wardens expected little issue with the incoming changes.

‘‘Compliance has generally been pretty good. People who are parking in this area knew that the change was coming and have made other arrangements.’’

Winger BMW principal Richard Wharton said some cyclists were clocking 40kmh past his showroom. ‘‘I think there’s a huge opportunity for things to go horribly wrong,’’ he added.

La Cloche cafe owner Francois Febvre also had concerns about safety. Both business owners said they were pro-cycleways, and promised to raise their concerns with the council in the coming week.

Wellington City Council’s network improvements planning manager, Paul Barker, said the changes would make the path safer, allowing hundreds of cyclists and pedestrians to commute without having to negotiate parked cars.

Improvement works north of the Aotea Quay overbridge would finish in the coming weeks. Construction would then begin under the overbridge and onwards to the intersection at Tinakori Rd.

The council expects this work to be completed in four months, weather permitting.

PHOTO: MONIQUE FORD/STUFF Wellington City Council is again promising to clamp down on illegal pavement parkers on Hutt Rd, as a clearway opens on Monday.