Parking changes surprise Port residents

The Dunedin City Council has confirmed a fresh round of parking changes, this time in Port Chalmers.

Councillors at Monday's full council meeting voted to accept the changes, which would see some free all-day parks on George St - the town's main street - controlled by P60 time limits for the first time.

The move would also see most of the street's existing P30 parks swapped to P60s, while others were reduced to P10s, and other minor tweaks.

The changes come after angry Dunedin business owners last year accused the council of a lack of consultation, after the introduction of changes designed to free up the city's parking spaces.

The council eventually admitted it had erred and announced a series of changes.

Waikouaiti Coast/Chalmers ward councillor Andrew Noone said he was confident consultation with business owners, landlords and tenants in Port Chalmers meant a repeat of last year's fallout would be avoided.

Community board chairwoman Jan Tucker had spoken to the affected parties, and implementation of the changes had been delayed by a month while the proposals were "double-checked", he said.

"The board said, `After what happened in the city, we want to double-check we have got this right.'"I think the majority will be satisfied."

However, several business owners contacted by the Otago Daily Times yesterday said the changes were news to them.

Tunnel Hotel owner Fred Morgan said parking spaces outside his business on Beach St, next to the library, were often filled by Port Otago staff working eight-hour shifts, creating a nuisance for his customers and library users.

However, he had heard "not a thing" of the planned changes, doubted they would be effective and worried they could lead to parking meters being installed.

Port Chalmers Motors owner Jon Houston said his customers often left their vehicles in long-term parks on George St while waiting for repairs, because space at his garage was limited.

"No-one has come in and said anything to our business about it," he said.

Port Chalmers publican Wayne Sefton, who owns Mackies Hotel and the Portsider Tavern, had also not been contacted, and believed the changes would be "a total waste of time and money" without enforcement by parking wardens.

"At the moment, we are lucky to see [parking wardens] once a year, which we are all happy about," he said.

A Harbour Health Port Chalmers staff member, who would not be named, was also unaware changes were planned, but thought they might free up spaces for elderly people outside shops.

"That would be quite handy for several places."

A report by council senior traffic engineer Bruce Conaghan said the changes were identified earlier this year after the board said it wanted changes outside the library and town hall, and some members of the public wanted more short-term restricted parking on George St.

There was concern unrestricted spaces were being tied up by Port Otago staff, and needed to be freed for shoppers instead, his report said.

chris.morris@odt.co.nz