St Heliers Bay Village, St Heliers - Parking Changes

About the project

St Heliers Bay Village is a bustling and vibrant area, where locals and other Aucklanders come to enjoy the beach, eat some delicious food, stroll through the shops and get a fantastic view of Rangitoto Island. Auckland Transport (AT), the local board and the business association want everyone visiting to have a great time without worrying about finding a parking spot or getting a fine. AT acknowledges that parking availability in the village is limited, and it needs to be managed carefully.

To do this, we are proposing changes to the existing parking in St Heliers.

What we are proposing

Why is AT making these proposals?

Auckland Transport (AT) regularly carries out parking reviews in town centres across the region. This is to ensure that parking schemes address the current and future needs of the community and businesses.

• Parking occupancy on St Heliers Bay Road, Maheke Street and Goldie Streets were above 90% occupancy. This means that finding a parking spot is difficult and frustrating for visitors and locals.
• Approximately, 90% of visitors stayed less than 2 hours in the town centre during the week and weekend.
• In the main town centre area, on-street parking currently varies from 30 minutes (P30) to 2-hours (P120), with the most common restriction being 60 minutes (P60) Mondays to Saturdays.
• Local businesses surveyed told us that all day parking was not good for businesses and requested for more short-term parking. They mentioned that the lack of parking was causing illegal parking (stopping on a broken yellow lines or vehicle entrance ways, overstaying etc.)
• AT’s infringement data between July 2019 and January 2023 showed that most infringements were issued for overstaying by up to 30 minutes.

Main findings:

• 30 minutes is not long enough for people and people often overstay.
• Most people stay for more than 30 minutes and less than 2 hours.
• The unrestricted spaces on Goldie Street are mostly used by people for all day parking.

AT’s proposal

Introduce a 2-hour (P120) time restriction zone applicable from Monday to Sunday, 8am-6pm:

• Goldie Street from Tāmaki Drive to Polygon Road which opens 58 short-stay spaces on Goldie Street increasing turnover and accessibility to the town centre.
• Maheke Street
• St Heliers Bay Road from Tāmaki Drive to Keys Terrace/Devore Street
• Turua Street
• Tāmaki Drive from Goldie Street to Cliff Road
• Polygon Road from Goldie Street to Turua Street

It provides people more time to park if they need to, without worrying about getting a ticket.

Loading zone / 10-minute (P10) short-stay parking

Turua Street

• A new 10-minute (P10) time restriction Monday to Saturday, 8am – 6pm, to 2 spaces on Turua Street providing short stay parking close to the NZ Post Shop for people needing a quick stop.

Tāmaki Drive / Turua Street

• Relocate the existing 5-minute (P5) loading zone in the angled bay opposite 8 Turua Street to a parallel space outside 425 Tamaki Drive. This will be available for goods vehicles only, and the restriction will apply Monday to Saturday, 8am – 6pm.
• The existing loading zone will be changed into a general use parking space. The current loading zone is in an angled parking space which is not a good layout for a loading zone, as any vehicle longer than 5m would cause delays on the traffic lane due to manoeuvrability issues (with vehicles on the road having to go around a delivery truck, as an example).

St Heliers Bay Road

• Extend the existing 5-minute (P5) loading zone on St Heliers Bay Road into where the old mobility parking space was located. This will be available for goods vehicles only, and operate Monday-Sunday, 8am – 6pm. This means either two smaller delivery vehicles can use it at the same time, or a larger truck will have enough space to make their delivery.

Mobility spaces: Change mobility spaces to 3-hour (P180) and to apply to all times:

Polygon Road: Relocate mobility spaces from outside 3A to outside 10 Polygon Road.

• This moves it closer to the main shopping centre and removes the need for people to cross the road, providing easier and closer access to the business area.

Maheke Street: Apply 3-hour (P180) time restriction that will always apply to the existing two mobility parking spaces.

• The time limit on the mobility spaces will mean that there is more availability for mobility users and therefore make it more likely they are able to find a park when visiting. Currently the spaces are unrestricted, meaning any one user could utilise the space for an entire day.

Turua Street: Creating two mobility spaces and moving them one space along, avoiding the kerb.

• These spaces will have a 3-hour (P180) time restriction and apply at all times. The existing mobility parking space will be converted back to angled parking for general use. It will also be moved down slightly so that the spaces line up with the kerb, providing easy access to the footpath.

St Heliers Bay Road: Relocate mobility parking from 28 St Heliers Bay Road to next to the existing angled mobility parking space outside 11 St Heliers Bay Road.

• These spaces will have a 3-hour (P180) time limit restriction at all times and will provide better access to the footpath. Angled mobility spaces are preferred to parallel parking as it means that if the person is on the drivers’ side of the vehicle, they don’t have to exit the car into a live traffic lane, improving safety.

How this benefits your community

Improving parking management in St Heliers will:

• Increase parking availability
• Reduce congestion and traffic caused by vehicles circling the area looking for a park
• Allow more people to enjoy the area and support local businesses
• Reduce signage clutter and make the parking system easier to understand.

What we want your feedback on

We want to hear your thoughts feedback on the proposed changes. Have we missed anything? Your local perspective and insights are invaluable for our decision-making process.

How you can have your say

Have your say by completing the online feedback form below. The survey is open from 3 March 2025 and closes on 31 March 2025.

Public Information Day