Mobility Parking Spaces Report on the 2019 mobility parking spaces review Contents Executive summary ........................................................................... 4 Background ...................................................................................... 6 Method ............................................................................................ 9 Findings…………………………………………………………………………...............17 Conclusion ...................................................................................... 21 Appendix 1: Table of all feedback received on individual mobility parking spaces plus results from the technical survey ....................................... 22 Appendix 2: Tables of feedback received on individual mobility parking spaces ............................................................................................ 26 Appendix 3: Maps to show the distribution of comments received by category. ........................................................................................ 31 2 List of figures and tables Figure 1: Facebook post to promote the online questionnaire .................. 10 Figure 2: Example of a map of mobility parking space locations (Tawa) .... 11 Figure 3: Example of a map of mobility parking space locations (central area) ............................................................................................... 12 Figure 4: Example of how the posters were used to provide feedback ....... 13 Figure 5: Facebook post on Wellington City Council page to advertise Central Library drop-in event ......................................................................... 14 Figure 6: Example of the poster used to promote the drop-in events ........ 14 Table 1: Number of Mobility Parking Spaces at different Parks, Sports and Recreation facilities ........................................................................... 7 Table 2: Breakdown of how people provided feedback on mobility parking spaces ............................................................................................ 17 Table 3: Let’s Talk website statistics (at survey close) ........................... 17 Table 4: Summary of feedback by category and by city area .................. 18 3 Executive summary It is important that all people with disabilities, particularly those that are not able to use public or active transport, can easily access services, educational venues, events and recreational facilities in Wellington. This means we need enough mobility parking spaces in the right places. It also means that how the Council engages with people with disabilities is effective and accessible. As we are reviewing the Parking Policy 2007 and Mobility Parking Policy 2005, we wanted to review our current mobility parking spaces to identify any issues with placement or design or destinations with no mobility parking provision. We also wanted to trial a number of different engagement techniques to determine which approach was the most effective at reaching people with disabilities. We tested several methodologies to engage with mobility permit holders in Wellington. These included a workshop, drop-in events and an online map- based user questionnaire. We targeted all current mobility permit holders with an information email via CCS Disability Action1. We sought feedback from the Council’s Accessibility Advisory Group and encouraged the members to promote the questionniare. We also emailed approximately 40 organisations that provide services or networks for people with disabilities and promoted the events and the questionniare via Facebook. The engagement approaches that generated feedback from the most contributors were the engagement website and comments on Facebook posts. From the feedback that was received, most comments were about mobility parking spaces in the central area. This may be due to: • the number of services and key destinations in the central area, • a higher number of mobility parking spaces, and • a higher dependence on on-street mobility parking spaces as there are fewer accessible off-street mobility parking options and a greater distance between destinations compared to a suburban town centre. The review also revealed a variety of user experiences with different parking spaces. This may be due to the differing types of disability that impact accessiblity and/or due to the variety of mobility parking spaces themselves. The results can be used by the Council to inform mobility parking space improvements; inform the development of the draft parking policy and improve how we engage with people with disabilities. 1 One of two organisations that administer mobility parking permit applications 4 Project aims The project had two aims: • to trial a number of different engagement approaches to identify which approach was most successful at reaching people with disabilities and what method would give us the best insights. Success will be measured by how many individuals provided feedback on their experience with using mobility parking spaces and the information it provided, and • to identify issues with our current mobility parking spaces, such as placement or design and to identify public destinations within Wellington City with no or not enough Council mobility parking spaces. The Council wants to ensure that our mobility parking spaces are fit for purpose, provide adequate information for users on the design, location and occupancy of these spaces and then address any compliance or enforcement issues. The results from this project will feed in to the review of the parking policies and inform any new guidelines that are required to support the management and use of Council mobility parking spaces in to the future. We can also apply learnings from the engagement approaches to the upcoming consultation on the draft parking policy to ensure people with disabilities have an opportunity to provide their views. 5 Background The Parking Policy and the Mobility Parking Policy provide the guiding principles for the supply and management of on-street and Wellington City Council-controlled off-street parking in Wellington City. We are reviewing both policies to ensure they fit with the future transport system vision for the city. The Council adopted the Mobility Parking Policy in 2005 with the aim to ensure Wellington is a liveable place for people with limited mobility by enhancing their ability to participate in employment, social, cultural and political life and their access to services and resources. The first stage of the Parking Policy review collected data and information about the use and occupancy of different types of mobility parking around the city. Statistics New Zealand figures show that in New Zealand one in four people live with a disability and over 20,000 working-age Wellingtonians have disabilities. Around 18 percent of people have limited mobility, and this is likely to increase as the population ages. In 2018, CCS Disability Action issued 3,223 long-term mobility parking permits and 204 short-term permits for Wellington City. 7,857 mobility parking permits were issued to residents of Wellington City, Porirua and Lower Hutt. At the time of the review, there were 66 Wellington City Council mobility parking spaces in use in the central city area plus 167 on-street and off- street mobility parking spaces in the suburbs and at Council facilities such as the Wellington Regional Aquatic Centre, Freyberg pool and Newtown Park plus mobility parking spaces at the car parks for other Wellington City Council-Controlled Organisations such as Zealandia and the zoo. The table below provides a breakdown of the number of mobility parking spaces at the Council’s key parks, sports and recreation facilities. 6 Table 1: Number of Mobility Parking Spaces at different Parks, Sports and Recreation facilities Mobility parking permits allow holders to park in spaces for longer than the time restriction. This recognises the extra time needed to go to and from destinations. Mobility permit holders can park for an additional hour over any time restriction of 30 minutes or longer and an hour over the time paid for. Based on sensor data, mobility parking spaces in the central area have a lower occupancy compared to regular metered parking. Mobility parking has a 16 percent occupancy rate at the peak of day, compared to 75-95 percent for regular metered parking. Central area mobility spaces had an average stay time of 37 minutes, with 9 percent of visitors staying over 2 hours and 56 percent of visitors staying 10 minutes or less. A number of factors could contribute to an overall low occupancy such as: • low demand • design that does not meet the needs of users, • difficulties in locating spaces, • location and placement not being convenient to the destination, • payment price and accessibility of payment options, and • spaces used differently, such as more pick up/drop off rather than parking. 7 Analysis of usage of individual metered spaces shows that usage patterns of spaces vary considerably. Some spaces have long average stay times, while others have short average stay times. Many spaces have a high number of short-term (less than 5 minute) stays, which suggests that the spaces may be used for pick up and drop off by non-mobility permit holders. Sensor data shows the usage of spaces, but not who is using them. Council infringement records for the period 1 April 2017 to 31 March 2018 show 487 infringements or formal warnings issued for vehicles parked “contrary to the signage” in Council-provided mobility