AIRPORT TOLL PLAZA' New fees upset businessmen

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33454, 8 February 1974, Page 10

AIRPORT TOLL PLAZA' New fees upset businessmen

The Canterbury Chamber of Commerce will ask the Department of Trade and Industry to determine whether the Christchurch Airport Authority sought approval to increase its car-parking fee by as much as 1000 per cent.

i The new parking Icharges are: First hour |or part. 20c; succeeding hours, 10c; daily maximum, $l.

Mr R. C. Wallace told last night’s meeting of the council that he had been amazed that one of Christchurch’s local authorities had seen fit to “savagely increase” the 1 parking fee.

“For the businessman travelling to Wellington for the day the parking fee, a) 1000 per cent increase, repre-i sents almost 31- per cent ofj the return air fare,” “EXPENSIVE SYSTEM” I Mr Wallace said sophisti-! cated ticket machines and cash registers had been installed at the new “Toll plaza” — with four attendants on duty on a busy day. “I am concerned that an obviously more costly system of collecting parking fees has been installed and that businessmen, who have their prices controlled, should now be asked to pay an extraordinary price increase for the privilege of parking a car in the samel open space close to the air-j port. “I am sure some business-! men must be angered by thei blatant attack on the pocket I of the regular users of the' car park.” The council will ask the;

Department of Trade and Industry if the new system can be justified if the resulting high cost to the user does not confer any real advantages to those who of necessity are forced to use the area provided by the airport authority.