July 1, 2021 3:00pm by David Farrar

WCC must scrap the two hour parking limit in the evening

Wellington Mayor Andy Foster says the council needs to rethink a controversial parking change over fears it could spell the effective end of the city’s famed culture and hospitality industries.
His comments come after 16 high-profile Wellingtonians wrote to their city council on Monday imploring them not to impose the new parking limits, which they said would hinder their already-hurting industries.
The letter was signed by a former mayor, as well as heads of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, World of WearableArts, Creative Capital Arts Trust, the Royal New Zealand Ballet, the Restaurant Association, and others.
Wellington City Council will vote this week on changes extending paid parking from 8pm to 10pm in the central city and, crucially, putting a two-hour limit on parking in a single spot.
Foster said he had never been in favour of extending parking hours and the two-hour limit was a particular concern because most shows and concerts run longer than two hours.

I’ve got no problem with extending the hours in which you have to pay. Parking should be user pays. But it is crazy crazy to have a two hour time limit after 6 pm. Do they want to kill off the central city?

It is very very rare that you will be out for less than two hours if going out for dinner, a movie, a play etc.

To force people going out to risk huge parking fines because they can’t move their car while they are at a movie is, again, crazy.