Parking management for Queenstown, Frankton and Wānaka will be discussed at next week’s Queenstown Lakes District Council workshop, before the full council is asked to approve the parking management plans for public consultation.
Included in the 158-page report to be considered next week, are two new proposed permits for Wakatipu residents.
Zone-based resident permits, which appear to be primarily targeting Frankton, at this stage, would entitle eligible residents to exemptions from fees and time restrictions within the zone, plus half-price parking in other paid areas for up to three hours a day.
Transport strategy manager Tony Pickard’s draft report said the council introduced 48-hour parking restrictions to apply to most residential streets in Frankton, however, residents’ vehicles were also being ticketed if they parked outside their properties and did not comply with restrictions.
To address that issue, the residential parking permit scheme would be introduced and linked to vehicles’ licence plates.
One permit would be allowed per property, but it would be limited to the permit zone that includes the property.
The number of permits would be up to half the total of parking spaces in each zone — properties without garages or off-street parking spaces would be given higher priority.
Those permits were proposed to cost $150 a year, with a $25 fee to transfer them — applications would require a proof of address, a vehicle registered to the address with NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA), or a letter of permission from the owner.
"Feedback from the community also suggested changing the 48-hour time restriction to 12 hours or 24 hours," the draft report said.
"Through consultation on the [parking management plan], we will explore changing the time restriction to better suit the needs of residents."
The zone-based permit scheme, however, would not be established in areas where residents were competing for parking with one another due to high-density residential development, or high household occupancies.
Additionally, local parking permits were also proposed for permanent residents, which would entitle holders to half-price parking for up to three hours a day for on-street parking and within council’s off-street carparks.
Proposed to cost $25 per year, there would be no limit to the number of permits available to residents and would require proof of address, a vehicle registered to the address with NZTA, or a letter from the owner.
"This permit aims to mitigate the burden generated from the high tourism demands and promote access and economic activity for local residents in our main town centres," the draft report said.
Residents who held a new parent, seniors or residential parking zone permit would automatically qualify for a local parking permit, while mobility permit holders would be eligible to park for double the time limit in standard parking spaces for up to three hours and park in the Rees and Beach St shared spaces in the Queenstown town centre for up to 60 minutes.
