Mayor slams Auckland Transport for “bloody arrogant” parking scheme

Early last month it was confirmed that Auckland Transport was investigating the notion of removing street parking on roads all over Auckland in an attempt to clear areas for bus lanes and cycle ways.

As you might expect, the scheme quickly drew ire among a lot of Auckland residents, with most classifying it as another attempt to make car ownership more difficult in New Zealand’s largest city. And now Auckland mayor Phil Goff has chimed in on the matter. 

The NZ Herald reports that Goff told senior AT officers during a planning committee event that they would look “bloody arrogant” giving the green light to a project like this without consultation with the public. 

Goff noted that the AT’s plan had added pains, as its arrival would likely come at the same time as the government lifts the requirement for mandatory off-street parking for new housing developments. 

If you happen to live at one of these new developments on a road that AT wipes street parking from, you’d be unable to park your car anywhere. 

“Democracy is about governing with the consent of the people and I’m a little worried we will piss people off enough that they will simply revolt against this,” he added. 

Goff has a mixed reputation when it comes to being on the side of Auckland car owners and being on the side of the push to make the city friendlier to public transport at their expense. 

Back in June, the mayor endorsed an AT recommendation to open up the sale of one of Auckland City’s largest car parks, the Downtown Car Park on Customs Street, to buyers without the necessity to provide available parking spaces, potentially carving almost 2000 parks from the already over-stuffed CBD. 

“This project will build on this transformational energy. It will revitalise a currently tired area and create a world-class, environmentally attractive urban space that will become a magnet for business and investment and a thriving place to live, work, visit and shop,” Goff said at the time. 

“This will complete a major section of the City Centre Laneway circuit, strengthening its connections with the harbour edge stitch. It also supports the shift to sustainable transport modes, which has long been a key part of the City Centre Masterplan.

“Redevelopment of the Downtown Car Park has been in our City Centre Masterplan since 2012. I look forward to this process progressing to find the best way forward to meet both our urban development and transport outcomes.”