50% rise in parking rates

Press, 2 August 1979, Page 1

50% rise in parking rates

Off-street car-parking charges in Christchurch could rise by 50 per cent on September 1. On-street charges will be reviewed at the end of this financial year, the City Council’s public utilities committee said, but will remain the same in the meantime. Fees in parking buildings and other off-street facilities will rise from 10c to 15c per half hour. They will still be lower than charges in Wellington and Auckland. The cost of reserved parking in council buildings will also be higher. The committee called for a report showing which meters might be shifted because they are not being fully used. Such meters could be moved closer to

the Christchurch Hospital to help relieve visitor and patient parking problems. The committee chairman (Cr M. R. Carter) said it would be some time before the influence of earless days on parking revenue was known. “I think on-street parking will be very seriously affected by changes in car usage,” he said. It could eventually become necessary to “retire a large number of parking meters” because they were not being used. Increased off-street charges should bring in about $216,000 more a year. The money would be used to offset increased running costs and help build a fund for future library off-street parking.