You may recall Park(ing) day from September. The council have released a video about it.
Earlier this year we transformed car parks on Lorne and High streets into places for people.
As you can see from the video, the response was pretty positive. We’re now looking at installing a parklet in this area long term.
About PARK(ing) Day
PARK(ing) Day is an annual global event where people turn parking spaces into “PARK(ing)” spaces – temporary public places – for the day.
“We’re now looking at installing a parklet in this area long term.”
What area would that be?
The shared space directly across the adjacent Wellesley Street intersection that was meant to be a place for Aucklanders to gather (outside the library) and enjoy lunch but seems sorely under-utilised every time I pass by?
Or the plaza in Kartoum Place, about 10 metres from where the parklets in this video were created?
Surely not the new upgrade planned for Freyberg Place, because that’s too far away.
And as for the first vox pop: “For once the footpath isn’t blocked…” – are we to believe that the streets are full of people blocking the pavements because they’ve stopped to eat/drink coffee/sit in a bean bag and play Jenga and that only parklets can clear them?
By all means strip out a side of short term carparks on Lorne Street and use the extra space for a widened footpath (seriously, I’m all for it) but spare us the ‘parklets’. They’re very twee and only ‘work’ when a bunch of folk from PARK(ing) Day turn up to make a big deal about it. I’d suggest the ratepayers’ resources would be better directed at redeveloping Kartoum Place.
Surely the last thing we want is a parklet in lorne / high st long term? Having a parklet long term implies no shared space long term. Mind you, I can think of one particular location on High st that would be good to have one
Why is kerbside parking needed in the inner city at all. Sure, loading zones to service the businesses are needed, and drop of zones to drop off and pick up people, but I can’t see the point of having spaces for people to simply park their vehicles and wander off.