Gardens-goers angered over parking fee proposal
Owners of a bustling cafe in Hamilton Gardens say they’ll face ‘‘instant’’ job losses if a proposal for a $5 car parking charge becomes a reality.
And regular animal walkers are ‘‘outraged’’ their quality of life could worsen if they can’t exercise in the peaceful outdoors for free.
Hamilton City Councillors recently floated a proposal for the parking charge at the Hamilton Gardens car park.
Cars, buses and other motor vehicles could be charged every time they park there, either automatically – similar to toll roads – or on a timer basis, where the fee would kick in after two hours.
The proposal has been included in the city’s draft long term plan, and the public will be consulted between March and April 2021.
But owner of Hamilton Gardens Cafe Jenny Fraser said she might as well ‘‘shut up shop’’ if the parking charge is implemented.
‘‘People aren’t going to want to pay $5 parking to come to the cafe for a cup of coffee.’’
Fraser employs up to 30 people during peak summer season, and said there will be instant job losses from the parking charge.
Rotary, Lions and Rebus community groups regularly used the cafe and other groups used the function centre, which she expected would lose bookings too.
On a daily basis Fraser saw families picnicking on the lawns, people lying on the grass reading books and kids playing at the playground.
‘‘This is a park owned by the ratepayers of Hamilton, people should be free to come down and enjoy it.’’
Regular animal walkers Stuff spoke to were furious.
One woman, who declined to be named, walks her two energetic golden retrievers at the dog exercise area most days.
‘‘I’m outraged, outraged! ‘I have been coming here for 30 years, and I am not paying . . . civil disobedience.’’
Meanwhile, Megan Jones has walked her cat Pearl in Hamilton Gardens every day for the past 10 years.
It’s her and Pearl’s ‘‘stomping ground’’ and Jones’s favourite part of the day.
‘‘I know every generation of duck, I know the rabbits, I know the eels for God’s sake. It’s peaceful and lovely, there’s a lot of different walks for her. Pearl loves the car park, she likes the stones for rolling.’’
Five dollars was too much money simply to take her cat for a walk, Jones said. But she did think visitors from outside Hamilton should pay for the enclosed gardens.
‘‘They are taking down the greenhouses and that’s a real shame, so I know they need money, I know they need input.’’
Cyclist and Gardens volunteer Gail Blackwell agreed. Blackwell was leading the Tamahere Friday Cycling
Club when Stuff visited the Gardens.
She was supportive of a parking charge.
‘‘It’s one way to stop people from abusing the place. Overseas you pay so much to go to a place like this, and you pay separately for the parking.
‘‘Huge buses and huge tour groups come here, but we don’t get a thing from it.’’
The parking charge is expected to generate about $500,000 a year for the council, with the purpose of maintaining and upgrading the popular attraction.