With the new rise in parking fees people working in the area will seriously have to question whether this indirect tax by the council on their income makes it worthwhile to work in the area. Our hospital has wards closed/amalgated because of serious staffing issues. Increases in parking are not going to make it any easier to get staff. The DCC is making the inner City Area a very unattractive place to work. Many of us have to take a vehicle because we have to drop and pick children up from school.
For somebody on the minimum wage ($12) $1.60 an hour is more than 10% of their weekly income before tax, $64 dollars a week.
DCC keeps telling us this is NOT a revenue gathering exercise but a measure to improve safety, clean up our environment etc. Why not then REWARD drivers that share a ride to work. I could be wrong but currently I think the only rideshare parks are in the north end around the polytech and university. If this is not simply a revenue gathering exercise to generate more money by charging more for parking and extra revenue generated by more people using the buses then I challenge the council to come up with a rideshare scheme for the rest of Dunedin to reward those of us that currently share transportation to and from work.
* Just had an answer from the Council… I can have a leased park for $35 a week. I only work 5 hours a day ! but it would be available to me 24/7… suggestion I should write to my Councillor… done 