SMC Call To Arms: Further bike parking removal by Council/ARTA

[Jiminy]

I'm not an Auckland uni student, but if it turns out to be true, what about all of you giving a polite phone call to whoever at the city council who has some authority on the issue? If a couple of hundreds biker students call the right person, then he/she might take the issue more seriously.

[motorbyclist]

READ ALL OF THIS POST

OK, so being the internet savvy engineering student I am, I thought, "I really hate calling beurocracies and trying to get an answer out of people who don't want to admit they know or don't want to admit they don't know or simply don't want me to know; why not simply look up the drawings, as they must be made publicly and readily available, and examine them myself?"

"central transit corridor" page - has all drawings for entire project

the relevant drawing to the main section of symonds st

Alfred Street plans

Now I have examined all the drawings and read a fair amount about the project, here is a summary of my analysis:

Good:

• The pavement will be tidied up, look nicer, and gravel should be absent.
• Above ground pedestrian crossing introduced outside the main engineering school entrance and the gym, with lights, to hopefully stop pedestrians trying to get run over and make it safe to cross the road if you're too lazy to go under it.
• More importantly for bikes, this will also give more clear windows in which to enter/leave bike parking safely
• Motorbikes can use the new bus lanes, including Grafton Bridge.
• Grafton Bridge will be strengthened and brought up to spec. - so it's less likely to fall down under the heavy traffic

Bad:

• It would appear from only three denotations of motorcycle parking on the "university" drawing that we are about to lose a significant portion of our bike parking in favour of gardens
• They were told parking loss was an issue basically everywhere along the route, so kept parking on Anzac Ave. and ignored everywhere else
• They are planting more trees... not really an issue due to absence of parking, but the current bylaws make future removal of these trees problematic, especially if they wish to re-establish or increase parking.
  "Trees have been prioritised over parking. However, some trees are being felled to provide additional road width for bus lanes. The total number of trees on the route will rise from 162 to 201."
• No bus lanes by what bike parking is left, so no safety improvement in that respect
• I cannot locate the bike parking on Anzac Ave. plans, assume it to be removed.
• ALL Symonds St. parking between Grafton Rd. and Alten Rd. is to be removed
• If there was bike parking further up Symonds St. and over Grafton bridge before, it won't be there any longer - most car parks to be removed also.

Conclusion: this is bad, very bad - bus lanes and trees are deemed more important than motorcyclists

Unless I have misinterpreted the drawings and "planting" actually means "parking", there may be some leeway if either we are able to "convert" the gardens to parking with their approval or "convert" the gardens to parking without their approval.

I will still have to go confirm, but now I have seen the drawings and know where they are, there will be little allowing them to fob me off while they play dumb.


I will append this post to the first post of this thread for newcomers. Squiggles, I might suggest emailing all the club members about this once things are a bit more concrete.

[Swoop]

Well thank you for your polite reply

My post was meant seriously, and was written without any "anger" or rudeness intended.
The University, quite honestly, does not give a flying f*ck about parking. It is a small annoyance to them.
So long as the CEO has a parking place, all is good with the world. Student parking will be quite low on their agenda.
Auckland Uni is one of the biggest in the country, and located in the center of NZ's biggest city.

[Squiggles]

My post was meant seriously, and was written without any "anger" or rudeness intended.
The University, quite honestly, does not give a flying f*ck about parking. It is a small annoyance to them.
So long as the CEO has a parking place, all is good with the world. Student parking will be quite low on their agenda.
Auckland Uni is one of the biggest in the country, and located in the center of NZ's biggest city.

But in no way are we going to bend over and take it. The writing is on the wall today, and ill be seeing our ausa pres when he gets in to try and sort both internal and external parking.

For now though, i'd like to see them try and tow the tl from its nice, out of the way, park

[motorbyclist]

just called the guy at beginning of the email trail, Tim Greville, to get the contact who told him about the project. he seemed a bit angry....

APPARENTLY, it clearly states on the site there will be no loss of motorcycle parking....

i'm yet to find it, but i'll have another look


got answering machines when chasing up the uni parking

[Phurrball]

MB - I'm endebted to you for your research efforts. Anyone talked to BRONZ yet?

No doubt the f*ckers have complied with their notification requirements - does anyone know where this was notified shame they didn't make any effort to approach those affected - ie notices around the bike parks.

I don't know where the geniuses think the bikes from the overfull parks will go - this will create a major problem (understatement of the decade)

I have no doubt that the University was approached regading this. I would suggest that both the university and the council believe that university parking is the other's problem. Clearly the university don't want bikes parked on campus as evidenced by their 'ticketing' of bikes out the back of the commons. Doubtless those in the ivory towers believe that there is no problem due to the fantastic $4 an hour-market-rate Owen Glenn building parking. (that'd be $4 per hour or part hour from the once I made the mistake of parking the cage there)

I cannot believe this - students need to be told to study elsewhere - that is about the only thing that would make UoA take any notice. Hurt their flabby pockets. I can personally vouch for the fact that Otago has a much more student friendly administration, and that the UNiversity and council work TOGETHER on parking issues.

The measured tone of my words belies how enraged I am by this.

[Phurrball]

just called the guy at beginning of the email trail, Tim Greville, to get the contact who told him about the project. he seemed a bit angry....

APPARENTLY, it clearly states on the site there will be no loss of motorcycle parking....

i'm yet to find it, but i'll have another look

It may well state that one the site *somewhere*, that's not how I read the plans, however I am not a surveyor, architect or engineer or *bureaucrat*. Clearly the latter has interesting interpretations.

Further to the above -

As well as public consultation, there has been on-going communication and consultation with the project's key stakeholders. These include the University of Auckland, the Auckland District Health Board and the Grafton Residents' Assocation, as well as the Langham Hotel (formerly the Sheraton), Auckland University of Technology, Auckland Regional Transport Authority and the Auckland Regional Council.

The university obviously had a hand in this genius.

[Squiggles]

MB - I'm endebted to you for your research efforts. Anyone talked to BRONZ yet?

No doubt the f*ckers have complied with their notification requirements - does anyone know where this was notified shame they didn't make any effort to approach those affected - ie notices around the bike parks.

I don't know where the geniuses think the bikes from the overfull parks will go - this will create a major problem (understatement of the decade)

I have no doubt that the University was approached regading this.

Thread in General Bike Ravings, aimed at UoA Bikers, the travel plan was passed through last year, and despite the number of submissions by bikers, we were ignored.

I believe they are planning cyclist facilities though... funny that, university seems to already be very accomodating for our motorless 2 wheeled friends

[motorbyclist]

LOL the IRONY

[Phurrball]

Never mind trying to park on Symonds street without being mowed down by a bus...

So who's volunteering to be killed so the f*ckers take notice of the problem? (P/T)

[Phurrball]

Thread in General Bike Ravings, aimed at UoA Bikers, the travel plan was passed through last year, and despite the number of submissions by bikers, we were ignored.

I believe they are planning cyclist facilities though... funny that, university seems to already be very accomodating for our motorless 2 wheeled friends

I made a submission to that. I recall the central issue being the removal of parking on Alfred St - we were mollified with the promise that there would be no ultimate loss in parking - it seems that various prople have interesting ideas on what is equivalent, never mind safety considerations.

The plans seem to have made in the preceding few years BEFORE petrol prices drove the massive increase in two-wheeled transport to UNiversity (scooters especially) and haven't taken this into account.

The f*ckedness of parking was a major theme amongst those signing up yesterday - mention we were lobbying to improve the situation, and people were stoked.

[motorbyclist]

called tim greville again and suddenly he couldn't quote where on the site it said.... it would seem he never even looked at the plans - but that isn't his job

the uni stipulated there would be no loading/docking bay or 2 wheel parking loss

he gave me the number of who might have the right number, but does think this question is addressed on the site somewhere... time to google search the site then!

EDIT: google gave me NOTHING useful beyond the mention that alfred st parking was relocated to alfred st

[Phurrball]

Will check in again in teh middle of the day - home from my 8am now to caffeinate.

[Squiggles]

called tim greville again and suddenly he couldn't quote where on the site it said.... it would seem he never even looked at the plans - but that isn't his job



he gave me the number of who might have the right number, but does think this question is addressed on the site somewhere... time to google search the site then!

EDIT: google gave me NOTHING useful beyond the mention that alfred st parking was relocated to alfred st

Phone the guy i mentioned a couple of pages back, he is the one heading the bus lane project on symonds, he'll have the answers

Steve

[motorbyclist]

Phone the guy i mentioned a couple of pages back, he is the one heading the bus lane project on symonds, he'll have the answers

Steve

will do - you mean kevin wong-toi?

Just emailed Earl Wyatt asking for the reasoning behind the no parking approach, plus asked a few questions...

• Why are bikes not allowed to park under the commons if they do not interfere with the car parking?
• Why are bikes not allowed to park on the gravel on Grafton Rd near the new commerce buildings?
• Has there been any complaints that should be forwarded to the SMC?
• Why are pedal bikes allowed to park wherever they so please?
• Is the university aware that the parking of motorcycles under the commons is in response to a shortage of parking on symonds st?
• Is the university aware that the parking of motorcycles under the commons is in response to ongoing thefts of the more valuable motorcycles from symonds st?
• Is the university aware that the parking of motorcycles under the commons is in response to the frequency of "near misses" where students trying to negotiate into a tight parking slot find themselves caught by a wave of traffic?
• Is the university aware that the parking of motorcycles under the commons is in response to the frequency of "near misses" where students trying to negotiate out of a parking spot cannot see traffic (and vice versa) due to the trees blocking everyone's view?
• Is it not in the best interests of the university to ensure that it's students are not financially crippled by theft?
• Is it not in the best interests of the university to ensure that it's students are not physically crippled by an avoidable accident?

I will stress that, in order to get maximum cooperation from the uni, that we do NOT do anything stupid until all peaceful means have been exhausted. however amusing and convienient, removing the no parking signs will not help our case.