Changes to improve access and road safety and better utilise car parking in Wanaka have been recommended to council.

At its meeting last week (December 3), the Wanaka Community Board (WCB) unanimously approved some new parking restrictions and the amendment of other parking regulations in response to public safety concerns.

A four hour parking limit will be added to the 12 sealed car parks at the Roys Bay Marina reserve, near the Lakeside Drive entrance, to improve the availability of parking for reserve and marina users. Currently these parks are unrestricted, permitting drivers to park all day. 

The Queenstown Lakes District Council report presented to the WCB identified many of these car parks were being used all day by non-reserve users, leaving marina users nowhere close to the marina to park. (The rest of the reserve is for boat trailers and yacht club use only.)

During the meeting, concerns were raised by elected members that this restriction would impinge upon the commercial operators taking guests out on lake trips and recreational fishers who might spend more than four hours on the lake.

The council said inappropriate parking was becoming increasingly common.

On balance, though it was decided all day parking should be discouraged and if necessary the four hour restriction could be revisited during the future considerations for stage five of the Lakefront Development Plan from the marina to the Yacht Club.

Also approved by the WCB were further restrictions to parking by extending the “no stopping” yellow lines on certain residential streets to discourage vehicles from parking too close to intersections.

Nationally, parking is not permitted on roads within six metres of an intersection but council’s approved plan will now extend the yellow lines even further on various intersections, including Little/Hedditch, Dungarvon/Tenby and Helwick/Upton Streets. 

The council report acknowledged that the demand for parking on residential streets was in high demand but said “inappropriate parking was becoming increasingly common”.

No stopping restrictions will also be added to one side of Stone Street where it narrows as it’s considered too narrow for traffic to safely park on both sides, and to Gordon Road where access ways to businesses were being partially blocked by parked cars.

A 400m stretch of Timaru Creek Road in Lake Hāwea will also feature no stopping signage to discourage vehicles parking on the narrow road which provides access to a walking track. 

And in response to public complaints a heavy vehicle restriction was also approved for the full length of MacPherson Street, which according to complainants was “being used as a rat run for heavy vehicles”.

Planning for traffic demand management and parking in the future is underway, with the Wanaka Transport Strategy and district parking strategy in progress, as well as the ongoing development of the Wanaka Town Centre Plan. These plans and strategies will identify further changes and adjustments to traffic management and parking in due course. 

PHOTOS: Wanaka App