Coffee cart 2 Peas in a Pod co-owners Raewyn and Janine Hastie want people to stop selling their cars outside their mobile business in Kaikorai Valley Rd.
Raewyn said the cars for sale were often parked in spaces between Manchester and St Albans Sts that coffee cart customers liked to use when stopping for a coffee.
The cart was losing custom because many regular customers had driven off after failing to find a car park, Janine said.
The sisters had created a template message to text the car sellers, asking them to move their vehicles, she said.
Most sellers texted back to confirm the car would be moved as soon as possible.
However, some of the car owners bluntly refused.
"Our customers get really upset for us,'' Raewyn said.
"We rang the Dunedin City Council and they said there was nothing they could do about it,'' Janine said.
When The Star visited the cart last week, the line of cars for sale was shorter than usual, Raewyn said.
The sisters wanted the council to make a large space available for people to park vehicles for sale in a bid to stop the street dealing.
The nearest car dealership to the cart is Midway Motors.
However, Midway Motors director Chris Henderson said he was fine with the sale of private cars near his business.
"It brings people to the area ... and I don't look at them as direct competition.''
However, Marcs Cars director Marc Mitchell said people selling cars privately in Kaikorai Valley Rd was "cheeky''.
The number of cars sold privately on the street was increasing, including near his business, between Frasers Rd and Hermond St.
He said the trade was only just starting ... and we are hoping it won't grow and build, because once there are one or two, it's like a herd - they multiply.''
The people selling privately outside his business were "feeding off'' his livelihood.
"It's a bit offensive they are selling right outside.''
Council transport strategy manager Nick Sargent said if a vehicle had a current registration and warrant of fitness, it could be parked on the road as long as any signs or restrictions in the area were adhered to.
No restrictions were in place near the cart in Kaikorai Valley Rd, he said.
"In the future, we hope to have area-wide conversations with communities about parking needs for residents, businesses and visitors to the area.''
In January, the council introduced a new parking restriction in a section of Hillside Rd, South Dunedin, forcing the removal of a fleet of private vehicles for sale.
After consultation, the council installed "P240'' signs allowing motorists to park for up to four hours. The vehicles for sale then disappeared.
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Comments
Seriously? it doesn't matter where you are cars come and go so spaces will appear. I go past here several times a day and there are always spaces either outside or on the other side of the road. I have also noticed that there is a large piece of land that they are parked on so they need to better utilize that space. Perhaps putting their cart at one end and using the driveway as an entry and exit so that cars came in and turned around in front of the cart. A few signs on the footpath would easily direct customers as to where to go.They obviously don't pay rates so complaining about other people who have a right to park where they like is a bit rich.