The NZ Transport Agency is instigating a No Parking rule along State Highway 6, through Frankton, from the lower Shotover Bridge to the BP Roundabout then back to the Kawarau Falls bridge, past the turnoff to Queenstown Airport.
The decision follows consultation(external link) on the proposal which was triggered by safety and aesthetic concerns from Queenstown Lakes District Council and Queenstown Airport Corporation.
The enforcement of the parking ban along the picturesque state highway will be policed by Queenstown Lakes District Council’s parking enforcement officers.
From Monday, 3 July, cars parked along this stretch of road will be ticketed and risk being towed. The signs warning of this change have been in place for some time now.
QLDC's larger than life parking warden sign.
To help educate people who use this area for parking, QLDC have installed a number of larger than life parking warden signs, explaining that changes are coming. Since the new signs went up, the number of vehicles parking along SH6 has greatly reduced, and QLDC are hoping for high levels of compliance when the parking restrictions come into play.
QLDC Regulatory Manager Lee Webster says the Council has taken a pragmatic approach to enforcement along State Highway 6. “We’ve taken a number of steps to educate vehicle owners that these changes are coming up and we’ve already seen a change in behaviour. These changes are the result of great teamwork between the QLDC, the Transport Agency and Queenstown Airport, and will make a real difference to this stretch of road.”
The No Parking rule has been timed to start after Queenstown Airport’s expansion of terminal parking facilities and new Park and Ride system(external link) which launched at the end of June. The Park and Ride facility on Brookes Road offers 150 more carparks and will double in capacity to 300 spaces in December.
To ensure the removal of roadside parking on SH6 doesn’t shift the parking issue into residential areas, QLDC is extending the 48 hour maximum stay(external link) restrictions across residential Frankton, which will apply from SH6 to the Frankton lakefront. This will enable residents and their visitors to continue parking outside their homes for a couple of days, while discouraging others from leaving their vehicles there for longer.
Public transport network on horizon
From the fourth quarter of this year, Queenstown and Wakatipu Basin residents and visitors will also have access to a completely new, subsidised bus service(external link). A key feature is a capped $2 fare across the network including the outlying areas like Kelvin Heights, Jack’s Point, Arthur’s Point and Arrowtown. The Otago Regional Council, which manages public transport services, is planning four simple routes(external link) from these areas as well as between Queenstown CBD and the Airport.
“Combined with the extra lanes the Transport Agency recently opened at the BP Roundabout, and the opening of Stage One of Hawthorne Drive(external link), these changes and the partnership approach shown by all the groups working in Queenstown are starting to bear fruit for local people and visitors alike,” says Jim Harland, Director Regional Relationships at the Transport Agency.
