St Stephens Avenue, Parnell - P120 parking restrictions St Stephens Avenue, Parnell - P120 parking restrictions

Proposal Initiation and Goal

• Query into what the long-term parking strategy is for this area of Parnell. In the future, we intend to introduce a more comprehensive residential parking zone to this section of Parnell. However, we do not have the resources or capacity in the current work programme to be able to do this immediately.
• Suggestion that on-street parking is not typically an issue on St. Stephens Avenue. Our parking surveys indicate that demand for on-street parking on St. Stephens Avenue has increased following installation of the adjacent residential parking zone. We recognise that this change can have an impact on residents and their visitors.
• Concern that the proposal will not eliminate commuter parking in the area. The proposal aimed to encourage shorter-term parking availability at designated points along St. Stephens Avenue and on adjacent streets. Based on feedback, however, this interim proposal will not proceed.
• Query into the status of the previously proposed cycleway. Please refer to our website for details on the status of the cycleway project.
• Concerns that cars are frequently left parked at this location for multiple days or weeks at a time. At this stage, given that a vehicle is displaying a current Warrant of Fitness (WOF) and registration, there is no time restriction on parking within the public road reserve.

Extent of P120 Parking

• Requests to extend P120 restrictions and/or residential permit parking zone:
• Along the entire length of St. Stephens Avenue and on all adjacent/nearby streets.
• At various points on St. Stephens Avenue and nearby streets.
• On Logan Terrace, Glanville Terrace, Waitoa Street, Papahia Street, Lichfield Road.
  We understand that there is demand for a new residential parking zone in the area between Awatea Reserve and the existing Parnell Parking Zone. At this time, we do not have sufficient resources available to incorporate such a proposal into our current programme of works. It will be investigated further at a later date.
• Enquiry as to why the P120 parking was not placed outside of multi-dwelling units. The proposed locations were generally suggested outside of properties with off-street parking, so as not to greatly inconvenience residents who have to park on-street outside of their homes.
• Requests to remove the current P120 Resident Parking Zone west of St. Stephens Avenue to lessen parking issues in the east. It was appropriate to propose and install the existing Parnell Parking zone given the issues that those streets were experiencing. Regardless of the high parking demand on its periphery, the existing parking zone will not be removed.

Impacts on Nearby Streets

• Concerns over the impacts the proposal would have on parking:
• On Crescent Road.
• On Awatea Road.
• On Glanville Terrace.
• On Logan Street.
• On Waitoa Street.
• On Papahia Street.
• On Brighton Road.
  We acknowledge that some displacement parking from the current parking zone would likely be an issue on adjacent streets. Due to the demand from residents on St. Stephens Avenue, we considered it appropriate to offer an interim solution to alleviate some the short term parking issues. However, based on feedback received we will not currently be proceeding with the proposal.

Broken yellow lines

• Request to permanently remove parking on St. Stephens Avenue between Awatea Road and Bus Stop 7654 (outside of No. 89) to ensure manoeuvrability for buses. Should this be adopted, further consultation would be required and it would be more likely that we would include this as a part of our longer term plan for St. Stephens Avenue in 2019.
• Request for broken yellow lines around driveways. Parking within one metre of a driveway or in a way that obstructs vehicle access is already prohibited. We do not support the installation of broken yellow lines at these locations as these are typically used as a road safety control; therefore, using them in situations such as this can devalue their impact in road safety situations. Should you observe vehicles limiting or obstructing driveway access, please contact Auckland Transport’s Parking Enforcement on 09 355 3553.
• Request to install broken yellow lines around intersections and corners. Parking around intersections and close to corners is already prohibited. Any driver parking in contravention of this rule makes a decision to do so and their vehicle could be liable for an infringement notice.

Pedestrian safety

• Concerns that parked vehicles block visibility for pedestrians and school children crossing roads:
• In the general area.
• Near Parnell District School and Parnell Daycare Centre.
  We have provided a pedestrian crossing on St. Stephens Avenue to facilitate safe crossing adjacent to the school.
  We does not advise crossing the road between parked vehicles however NZTA offer information for pedestrians, “If you have to cross the road between parked vehicles, move out as far as the headlight of a parked car nearest the traffic, then check for moving vehicles and wait for a gap before crossing the road.”
• Concern that individuals with limited mobility frequently have to park at a distance from their destination. On-street parking is provided on a first-come, first-served basis so there is no guarantee that residents will be able to park directly outside of their property. We do appreciate that with increased on-street parking availability the opportunity of being able to do this would be greater.
• Concerns over parents' ability to drop off and pick up their children around the school. We do not support “Drop off, pick up” type parking restrictions. This type of restriction encourages parents to drive their children to school in the expectation that they will be able to park conveniently and drop their child off close to the school. The drop off tends to operate smoothly as parents arrive at different times and stay for as long as it takes to drop the child. The pick-up, however, rarely works efficiently as parents all arrive at a similar time expecting to be able to park in the short term restriction.
  As we can never provide a sufficient number of spaces to meet demand, parents are often frustrated and congestion develops as vehicles cruise the block waiting for a parking opportunity or park illegally. This often means that parents arrive earlier in order to secure a parking space and exceed maximum time limits.
  Further opportunities for short-term parking are available on Gladstone Road.

Road operation and visibility

• Concern that visibility is frequently blocked for drivers at the intersection of Glanville Terrace and Awatea Road due to parked cars, posing safety hazards. Parking directly around intersections and close to corners is prohibited and as long as drivers adhere to that rule, visibility should be sufficient. Any driver parking in contravention of this rule makes a decision to do so and their vehicle could be liable for an infringement notice.
• Concerns that parked cars are effectively making local streets one-way. Parking restrictions do tend to encourage turnover and availability which can create spaces for vehicles to pass. There is a balance to be found between the advantage of parked vehicles slowing traffic speed and of having gaps available to allow vehicles to pass.
• Concerns that visibility is frequently blocked for drivers at the intersection of Bridgewater Road and St Stephens Avenue due to parked cars, posing safety hazards. Parking directly around intersections and close to corners is prohibited and as long as drivers adhere to that rule, visibility should be sufficient. Any driver parking in contravention of this rule makes a decision to do so and their vehicle could be liable for an infringement notice.

Street sweeping

• Concerns that street sweeping and regular road maintenance has not been carried out recently, partially as a result of parked cars. Street sweeping is carried out as part of a scheduled programme and it is not uncommon that we are unable to access sections of streets due to parked vehicles.
• Enquiry as to whether the street sweeping company was consulted. We consulted internally with the department responsible for street sweeping.
• Suggestion for street sweeping to be done at night, when fewer cars are parked on-street. This suggestion has been discussed with the relevant department who have highlighted that while there might be fewer vehicles parked on the street at night this has to be balanced against the noise which is far more noticeable at night and can often lead to complaints from residents.

P180 Parking

• Request to install P180 at the western end of St. Stephens Avenue near the Parnell Road shops. This area is currently part of the P120 parking zone. Should longer periods of parking be required, there are alternative options available on Parnell Road.
• Requests to instead introduce P180 parking in the area. We do not believe that three hour parking is appropriate as enforcement associated with this time period is easily avoided by moving vehicles.

Driveway Access

• Concerns that parked vehicles frequently block visibility or obstruct access for drivers entering/exiting their driveways. Parking within one metre of a driveway or in a way that obstructs vehicle access is prohibited. Should you observe vehicles limiting or obstructing driveway access, please contact Auckland Transport’s Parking Enforcement on 09 355 3553.

Timeframe

• Request to implement P120 outside of Parnell District School immediately for safety reasons. We have been informed that Parnell School would not view this proposal as having a positive impact on safety.
• Query as to why we are consulting on this now when this was implemented a year ago. This proposal relates to the northern section of St. Stephens Avenue, outside of the parking zone.
• Requests for the proposal to be implemented immediately. Based on the feedback received, this interim proposal will no longer be proceeding.
• Queries into how long the interim proposal would be in place. Based on the feedback received, this interim proposal will no longer be proceeding.