Christchurch Parking Demand By 1980 Assessed

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29830, 24 May 1962, Page 15

Christchurch Parking Demand By 1980 Assessed

By 1980 there will be a demand for 18.000 parking spaces m centra! Christchurch—an increase of 100 per cent, on today’s figure. This prediction was made last evening by Mr H. E. Surtees, traffic engineer of the Christchurch City Council. in an address to the Can•erbury branch of the NewZealand Institution of Engineers. With a net increase in 1980 of 8100 parking spaces, all of -a hich must be off the streets, the provision of 450 spaces a year must be made from mw to meet the demand, he said. Mr Surtees said that Cnristchurch. like, other cities, had an acute parking problem in the central parking district. This area was b unded by Rolleston avenue, rid Sal sbury, Barbadces, and St. Asaph streets. In the central district there were 5533 on-street spaces ■Deluding meter spaces, and 5000 off-street spaces, including public and private With the rating 85 per cent, for saturated parking. Christchurch, in October. 1959. had 70 per cent onstreet parking, and 60 per cent, off-street parking in the • ours from 9.30 a.m. to 4.30 pm. In seme areas the use w is sometimes 91 per cent. In 1980 Christchurch would hi ve an urban population of

311.000. and cars would be at the ratio of one to 2.6 persons, compared with 4.1 persons in 1958. Mr Surtees said. The demand for 18.000 parking spaces included 1080. or 6 per cent., for trade vehicles. To meet this need at a uniform rate would require the provision of 450 spaces a year," he said. Mr Surtees said that advantage gained by the acceptance by all-day packers of greater walking distances was purely a relief valve. "Present maximum walking distances, already two to three block lengths or. say. 2030 ft. are considered reasonable design maximum." To provide this extra parking on the surface, 90 acres would be needed; 18 acres would be needed if the spaces were provided in fivestoreyed buildings and 63 acres if 10 buildings of 500car capacity were built. Mr Surtees said the cost of all-surface parking would be between £ 1.82 m: all parking in buildings £4.62m to £B.lm; and £ 3.55 m to £6.83m if buildings for 500 cars were built. Mr Surtees said that because transport was vital to the life of the city, its absence would start decay. Only two alternatives were of any importance to the parking problem—-the mass transport system, and the

park-and-ride system where buses ran a shuttle service between the city and suburban parking lots. He did not favour the second system for Christchurch. Mr Surtees recommended more research into the problems of parking, and a striving by engineers and architects to develop cheaper methods. "Cities must be prepared to acquire land for parking on the basis that location is often mure important than ccst.’’ he said. “If the total demand cannot be met. preference should be given to providing such short-term parking as is necessary to ensure prosperity to the inner city area. “To ensure the welfare, safety, and convenience of its citizens, and to ensure its own future existence. Christchurch, along with other New Zealand cities, must adopt and implement a definite parking policy.” Mr Surtees said.