Around 400 Wellingtonians shared their views on a new Traffic and Parking Bylaw which was unanimously adopted by the Council and came into effect on Friday.

Wellington Mayor Andy Foster says the previous bylaw was no longer fit for purpose so consultation with the public and stakeholder groups was carried out in May and June as part of the process to update it.

“Last year we adopted the new Parking Policy which prioritises safe and efficient movement of people, active and public transport over private vehicles and the use of public road space based on a new parking space hierarchy.

“That policy is now reflected in the new bylaw and ensures we can protect, promote and maintain public safety on roads or parking areas owned or managed by the Council.”

The new bylaw includes a range of changes and additions. For example, it makes it easier for temporary road changes for pilot/trial schemes such as shared pathways, and simpler for parking officers to remove non-motorised vehicles that park on the street for longer than seven days such as trailers, boats and caravans. It also regulates the parking of vehicles for advertising or selling purposes and manages mobile trading in roads and public places.

New tools to manage driving, riding or parking of vehicles on beaches and unformed legal roads are covered in the bylaw, as is the definition of taxi which has been updated to include small passenger service vehicles for services like Uber, Ola and Zoomy.

Wellingtonians were also asked to share personal experiences of engine braking noise or cruising activity disturbance, their thoughts on whether motorcycles should be able to park in car-sized parking spaces and how the Council could best manage pedestrian and vehicle access and parking on narrow streets.

Almost 250 people provided suggestions of alternatives to parking on footpaths, which ranged from installing more broken yellow lines on the road, parking on one side of the street only, creating a shared use space or widening roads.

Over time the Council will work with communities to implement feasible solutions that give effect to the Parking Policy. As Wellington works towards becoming a net zero carbon capital by 2050 these solutions will increasingly look to support active and public transport modes over private vehicle use.

Many of the new bylaw provisions require a Council traffic resolution prior to the changes coming into effect. Traffic resolutions require a 14-day notification period during which the public may submit their views to Council on the proposals. Traffic resolution notifications will be posted on the Council’s Have Your Say page and on the Kōrero Mai Let’s Talk website

A summary of the consultation results and the full submission report are available online.

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