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Galway Street, City Centre – Parking Changes Galway Street, City Centre – Parking Changes

Proposal status: Feedback closed 9 July 2021. Last updated 13 August 2021.

Reference number: RTV-373

Proposal outcome

In June 2021, in response to a request from The Hotel Britomart, we proposed to change the parking restrictions on the stretch of Galway Street directly outside of the hotel. After reviewing all the feedback, we are proceeding with the work as proposed. These works will help support our Vision Zero goal.   

What happens next

We anticipate the changes will be implemented in October 2021.

Community feedback

Thank you for helping us make better decisions for your neighbourhood, informed by your local knowledge.  A summary of your feedback and our responses to community questions is below. 

  • Concerns around allowing vehicle parking in shared zones. Belief that Galway Street should be a pedestrian only space. Belief that allowing parking in this street completely defeats the high costs involved in turning it into a shared zone. The current restrictions in place allow for vehicles to park for loading and unloading between 6am and 11am. While it is not the preference of Auckland Transport that the allowance for vehicle parking in Galway Street is extended, we cannot ignore the fact that The Hotel Britomart exists within this shared space on Galway Street. The Hotel Britomart is a 5-star hotel which has no other viable option but to use Galway Street to receive deliveries or allow customers to check in. We considered a range of different solutions and we believe this to be the most pragmatic solution which preserves the integrity of the shared space principles as much as possible whilst ensuring guests can check in and out of the hotel 
  • Belief that vehicles constantly park for free illegally on Galway Street. Belief that this creates a safety risk for pedestrians. Concern that allowing further parking will only worsen the situation. Observation that many vehicles already park illegally down Galway Street. Concerns about lack of parking restriction enforcement currently and whether new P15 zone will be adequately enforced. Vehicles can currently park to load and unload anywhere on Galway Street between 6am and 11am. This proposal provides a limited area where vehicles will be permitted to park for a maximum of 15 minutes at all times. Auckland Transport does enforce the restrictions in Galway Street currently, and it is as a result of this enforcement that we identified the operational demand from The Hotel Britomart for parking to be permitted after 11am. Auckland Transport will continue to enforce the no parking restriction between 11am and 6am, outside of this new defined P15 area. 
  • Request to install 24/7 CCTV cameras to enforce the shared space restrictions. Thank you for your suggestion. Auckland Transport will explore this option as resources allow. 
  • Concern about the proximity of the proposed parking zone to the railway station and businesses/restaurants, generating high numbers of pedestrians. Shared spaces prioritise pedestrians and encourage slower traffic speeds. We believe that allowing 15-minute parking within this defined area outside of the standard times will not introduce a greater risk to pedestrians in this area. 
  • Belief that hotel guests are already less than a 100m walk away from the Britomart Carpark, train station and numerous bus stops. Belief that there is no need for proposed parking zone for hotel guests. While the Britomart Carpark is within 100m, we appreciate that this is not the experience associated with checking in to a 5-star hotel.  
  • Concern that 15 minutes is longer than is required for hotel guests to check in or out. We have discussed this at length with the hotel and feel that 15 minutes is the most appropriate timeframe. 
  • Suggestion for hotel guest loading to be done from Customs Street or Gore Street. Request to implement hotel parking in Customs Street instead. Thank you for your suggestions. This would not be a possible solution as parking on Customs Street East is currently used for public transport stops. 
  • Belief that The Hotel Britomart should have foreseen this issue prior to placing their entrance in a shared space. This issue was raised during the consenting process and at the time it was considered that a loading zone on Commerce Street was suitable. Unfortunately, this has not proved the case and therefore we have decided upon the most suitable alternative option.  
  • Suggestion to install retractable bollards at either end of Galway Street. Auckland Transport has previously installed retractable bollards at the boundary of pedestrian malls. However, pedestrian malls have a different legal status and operational procedures than a shared space. A shared space remains a road which vehicles are permitted to pass over and often park within for limited periods. Therefore, bollards would not be appropriate at this location. 

We're proposing improvements in your area

In response to a request from The Hotel Britomart, we are proposing to change the parking restrictions on the stretch of Galway Street directly outside of the hotel.

We are proposing to:  
• Implement P15 (maximum 15 minutes) parking restrictions on a 12-metre stretch of Galway Street directly in front of The Hotel Britomart. This would improve access for hotel guests by providing a location where they can park short-term whilst checking in or out of the hotel.

Download proposal drawing (PDF 248MB)

These changes would make The Britomart Hotel more accessible for guests and visitors by providing a space for vehicles to park whilst dropping off or picking up guests and their belongings outside of the hotel. Currently, vehicles are not allowed to stop on Galway Street between the hours of 11 am and 6 am, making it difficult for vehicles to park short-term close to the entrance to the hotel.

If you would like to post in your feedback, download and print our feedback form template, fill in your details and send it to Freepost using the address details on the form. 

What happens next 

  • We’ll consider all the feedback we receive, and then decide the best way to move forward.  
  • We’ll post the outcome of this proposal and a summary of community feedback on this webpage. 
  • We can email you the proposal outcome as soon as it’s ready – just select that option when you fill in the survey. 

Auckland Central: Safe with us 

Auckland Transport cares for your safety. We want to make our roads safe for everyone, people walking and cycling, especially for our kids and senior citizens and people driving. Projects like this one around Galway Street are another step towards our goal of achieving no deaths or serious injuries on our roads. We are guided by the Vision Zero approach to transport safety, which prioritises human safety over other measures (like minor time saving).