Proposed two-hour time limits at shopping hotspots in Masterton could cause more harm than good, some residents say. 

Masterton District Council heard from several submitters at a hearing this week regarding a new parking strategy. 

Community feedback was sought on a few proposals including introducing 120 minute time limits in the following hotspot areas: Dixon Street near Queen Elizabeth Park; parts of Kuripuni Shopping Village; and Lansdowne Shopping Village. 

The aim of doing so was to address the problem of all-day parking which reduced vehicle turnover and impacted people’s ability to find parking spaces. 

“These time restrictions aim to balance the needs of shoppers and facility users who need convenient short-term parking with our requirement for better parking turnover in high-activity commercial areas,” the council’s consultation document said. 

New World Masterton owner Kaylea Bradshaw said this would put vulnerable staff at risk as they would be forced to walk a greater distance between their vehicle and workplace. 

“We have vulnerable team members many of which are young females that under these proposals will be forced to walk a distance in many cases past Robinson park where aggressive, drunk, and drug-influenced homeless people are living,” she said. 

“This directly impacts their safety and their willingness to stay working with us.” 

Bradshaw said problems with vagrancy in the area had significantly escalated over the past 18 months “and the level of aggression from these individuals has also escalated”. 

“We have had staff confronted at 3am in the morning and chased down Queen St by these people.

“Our team start at 3am in the morning and many leave after 9:15pm at night.” 

The two-hour limits proposed for Kuripuni and Lansdowne shopping villages were also problematic.

Eve Buchanan, who owns The Screening Room in Kuripuni, said most films ran longer than the proposed limit which created a high risk of patrons overstaying and facing fines. 

“We're concerned not only for our customers but also for our business, as this may deter spontaneous visits especially given the existing parking challenges in Kuripuni.” 

She proposed a three-hour time limit instead. Neil Anderson, of Firstclass Hair Studio in Lansdowne, said a two-hour time limit would also be problematic for business. 

He said hair appointments often took longer than this, with some taking up to four hours. 

The council’s hearings committee would meet again on August 13 to deliberate on submissions. 

Close to 50 submissions were made in total. 

Other proposals the council sought feedback on were making all time-limited on-street parking in areas near the CBD consistent by adding additional time-limited areas to Queen St, and standardising limits where possible. 

It also proposed adding 60 minute time limits to the lane off King St and removing time limits from the Perry St Town Hall carpark. 

-LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.

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