We want Ponsonby's streets and parking to work well for everyone, so we're seeking your feedback on our proposals.
What did we look at?
We’ve taken a detailed look at how parking
works in the area. This included checking how
full parking areas get, how long people stay
for, and where parking rules are often broken.
We’ve also spoken with the
Waitematā Local Board to understand
what’s important to the community.
Based on our findings, Ponsonby, Freemans
Bay, Herne Bay and St Marys Bay have
been identified as high demand areas that are ready for a comprehensive review.
We have considered future growth projections and planned commercial and residential developments, so that parking meets everyone's needs today and well into the future.
What we're addressing
- There is high demand for on-street parking in Ponsonby during the day and the evening.
- Supporting businesses with fair access for customers and deliveries.
- There is a lack of pick-up and drop-off spaces and loading zones along Ponsonby Road.
- There are pedestrian safety issues caused by street clutter.
- There are unreliable bus journeys around Three Lamps.
- Damage to public assets is being caused by berm parking along Richmond Road and Williamson Avenue.
- Commuter parking on residential streets is limiting access for residents.
- We want to prepare for future growth and better travel connections.
What the data tells us:
What we're proposing:
Public parking
We know many people rely on their cars to get to Ponsonby for work, shopping or to enjoy the vibrant nightlife. So, we want to make sure there’s reliable access to parking when it’s needed the most, easing congestion and keeping parking turning over in the right places to support businesses.
- We’re planning to add four new parking spaces at the western end of Hargreaves Street.
- We’re planning to convert parallel parking to angle parking on Fitzroy Street and Brown Street, creating extra parking spaces.
- We’re proposing to extend the resident parking zone to include Kelmarna Avenue and Buller Street, to prevent commuter parking from limiting access for residents.
- To improve parking turnover and improve access to businesses along Ponsonby Road, we’re planning to convert some time-restricted parking to paid parking in high-demand streets, including parts of:
- Tole Street, O’Neill Street, Pember Reeves Street, Summer Street, Vermont Street, Lincoln Street, Norfolk Street, Douglas Street, Brown Street, Fitzroy Street, Anglesea Street, Picton Street, and Richmond Road.
- To ensure everyone can enjoy Ponsonby’s popular nightlife, we’re planning to extend paid parking from 6pm to 9pm on Thursdays to Saturdays in busy streets within the central part of Ponsonby, including parts of:
- Ponsonby Road, Tole Street, O’Neill Street, Pember Reeves Street, Summer Street, Vermont Street, Lincoln Street, Norfolk Street, Douglas Street, Brown Street, Anglesea Street, Picton Street, Richmond Road, Mackelvie Street, Pollen Street, and Rose Road.
- We’re planning to introduce paid parking at the Margaret Street off-street car park due to high demand for parking throughout the day.
Specialty parking
Regular parking spaces don’t work for everyone. We provide other types of parking, in place of general vehicle parking, where it is needed. This includes pick-up drop-offs, mobility, loading and servicing, motorcycle, bicycle and scooter spaces.
We understand that there is high demand for rideshare and food delivery services in the area. We need to make sure there’s enough short-term parking spaces available for quick pick-ups and drop-offs so there isn’t disruption to the road.
A number of our proposals for Ponsonby consider this.
- We’re planning to add 10-minute pick-up/drop-off spaces at key locations along Ponsonby Road for ride-share vehicles and general use.
- At 252 and 346 Ponsonby Road, we’re proposing to allow general loading (including food delivery) at the two existing loading zones from 6pm to 6am. These loading zones would remain for goods vehicles between 6am and 6pm.
- At 57 Mackelvie Street, we’re planning to allow general loading (including food delivery) at all times.
- We’re planning to add evening general loading zones (6pm–10pm) at Vermont Street and Brown Street, near their intersection with Ponsonby Road. These loading zones can also be used by food-delivery vehicles.
- A new daytime loading zone is proposed for 6 Crummer Road for goods vehicles only. We also plan to remove the loading zone at 105a Jervois Road which is no longer in use.
Creating a pedestrian friendly Ponsonby
We are aware that it can sometimes be hard to find a parking space in Ponsonby, but that doesn’t mean parking is allowed on footpaths and berms. People using wheelchairs or strollers often need the full path, and stepping into the road to get around a car is unsafe.
Parking on berms and footpaths damages them, costing ratepayers more money to repair the ground, and can impact on underground services.
We’re planning to discourage illegal parking by adding clear ‘no parking’ signage on the northern side of Richmond Road and in between 24A and 48 Williamson Avenue.
Our changes to how rental scooters are parked along Ponsonby Road and on a few other streets will also make it safer for people to use the footpaths.
Bus improvements
We know that public transport plays an important role in connectivity to all parts of Auckland.
- We have already consulted on a new bus stop on Shelly Beach Road and now we're looking at a proposal for Curran Street to further improve connectivity for people travelling to/from the North Shore, St Marys Bay, Ponsonby, Karangahape Road and Newmarket.
- We’re planning to create a clearway near 100 College Hill during peak times (7-9am and 4-6pm) Monday to Friday to improve travel times for buses.
Parking proposals map
How to use the map
Zoom into a specific street/area on the interactive map to see what is proposed.
If you want to view more information about a specific proposal, select the rectangle/circular shape that is next to the icon. This will display a pop-up box with more information about the proposal.
Interactive map
Have your say: Parking in Ponsonby
What happens next?
Once you’ve provided your feedback, we will look for common themes, review any direct property access concerns and ensure we haven’t overlooked anything important.
After that, we’ll meet with the Waitematā Local Board to review everything together and decide on the next steps. We’ll then share the outcome with you, so you know what’s happening and what to expect
Frequently asked questions
Ponsonby, Freemans Bay, Herne Bay, and St Marys Bay are some of Auckland’s most iconic inner-city neighbourhoods. With their vibrant retail and hospitality scenes, heritage charm, and strong community spirit, they attract residents, workers, and visitors alike.
Ponsonby Road alone sees over 20,000 vehicles a day.
The residential streets in the area are also narrow and provide access to dense historic neighbourhoods. As a popular area, we need to manage many competing demands for limited road space. We’re seeking your feedback on how we can better manage parking, improve safety, and support access while staying true to Ponsonby’s unique identity.
We regularly make small changes to parking in Ponsonby and now’s the opportunity to take a big picture look to make sure it all works together.
Our parking surveys show that the central part of Ponsonby, including parts of Ponsonby and side streets, are very busy in the evening, particularly from 6pm to 9pm, regularly exceeding 85% occupancy.
This makes it difficult for visitors to find a park. We know convenient parking is important for supporting local shops, cafes and services. Our approach is designed to keep parking spaces turning over so that more customers can find a park close to local businesses, giving smaller shops better access for customers as opposed to commuters who park all day.
We’re also making loading zones, short-stay, mobility, e-scooter and motorcycle parking so it’s easier for people to pop in, shop locally and support a variety of businesses.
Many streets near Ponsonby Road, such as Richmond Road, Summer Street, and Angelea Street, are at capacity for large periods of the day.
Introducing paid parking along small sections of these streets (near Ponsonby Road) will free up space for potential visitors to Ponsonby and better encourage turnover of parking with the aim of supporting access to the area.
Residents and businesses with valid parking permits and coupons will not be affected by the paid parking proposals. Permit and coupon holders will not need to pay for parking, where they are parked within the relevant Residential Parking Zone.
Residential Parking Zones are used to discourage commuter parking, which limits on-street parking for residents and their visitors. We are not proposing any large-scale changes to Residential Parking Zones within for the Ponsonby CPMP.
However, we are proposing to include Kelmarna Avenue and Buller Street within the Ponsonby Residential Parking Zone due to concerns about commuter parking on these two streets.
Evenings from Thursday to Saturday are some of the busiest times on Ponsonby Road with people visiting restaurant, bars, cinemas and other venues. Some locations are over 85% occupied in the evening (in some cases being fully occupied). This includes Brown Street, Vermont Street, parts of central Ponsonby Road, Tole Street, and other sections.
High demand for parking leads to drivers circling for parking, stopping in locations where this is not permitted, and make it hard for customers to find a park.
By extending paid parking into these busy evenings, we encourage higher turnover, so more people have a chance to find a space and enjoy what Ponsonby has to offer. This supports local hospitality and entertainments businesses by making access easier for more visitors.
We aim to offer people a multitude of choice when it comes to travelling which includes buses, walking, cycling and driving to where they need to get to.
Our Room to Move parking strategy focuses on more efficient and equitable use of road space to reduce congestion and keep our city moving. The goal of the transport system is to meet everyone’s needs.
Our streets are under increasing pressure to cater for a wide variety of needs within a finite road space. The roads in Ponsonby are already at their maximum width and there simply isn’t room to add more lanes without removing shops, homes or footpaths.
Widening the road is also very expensive and disruptive and may not always solve congestion. Our focus is on managing the space we already have more effectively – through better parking management, public transport, walking and cycling options.
This approach makes it easier for more people to move around safely without the need for major roadworks.
Auckland Council is in charge of implementing new off-street parking options, including park-and-ride facilities and parking buildings. The construction and maintenance of parking buildings is a significant investment, typically costing millions of dollars that must be recovered through rates.
The objective of this project is to optimise the management of existing parking resources. The introduction of new off-street parking facilities is not within the scope of this programme. Instead, the focus will remain on maximising the utilisation of current assets to minimise costs for ratepayers.
The goal of these projects across Auckland is to better manage the parking we already have. Sometimes we are able to add angle parking in place of parallel parking to increase the number of parking spaces.
There is already a large number of angled parking on side streets and we are proposing to add additional angle parking on Brown Street and Fitzroy Street.
Introducing new off-street parking facilities will not be part of this program.
Introducing these changes will be staggered. Some proposals will be implemented within the next year, while others may have a long-term focus so the conditions might not be ready for us to implement these straight away.
Once we have agreement on our proposals with the Local Boards, you still start to see these changes gradually rolled out over the next ten years.
Yes, we have a couple or proposals to add some bus stops for better connectivity to North Shore.
No, there are no plans for additional bicycle or scooter infrastructure beyond parking as part of this project.
