Wellington City Council is proposing changing some of the parking on William Street. They would like to create two EV charging station car parks outside number 3 William Street.

This would involve:

Reorientate the 60o angled parking spaces to 90o parking spaces
Apply the following parking restrictions: P120, EV Charging only

Why?

WCC is proposing the change as Wellingtonians have asked the Council for action on climate change, housing, and better transport options, so Wellington City Council is getting on with it.

As part of Te Atakura – First to Zero, our climate change action plan, one of the goals is to reduce the city’s emissions to net zero by 2050. Around 50% of the city’s carbon emissions come from transport. To help reduce emissions, the Council is making important changes to our transport system to give people better ways of moving around the city so we can all enjoy more vibrant, liveable streets. They are changing some parking spaces for electric vehicle (EV) charging, in line with our Parking Policy 2020. Installing EV chargers on local streets and places like our pools, libraries, and recreation centres helps to encourage people to switch from their petrol or diesel vehicles to an EV.

WWC is also making things safer and easier for pedestrians, people riding bikes or scooters, people taking the bus or using car share so more of us can be less reliant on our cars. Switching to an EV can be one of the biggest ways for individuals to reduce their emissions.

Electric vehicles are a growing presence in our city. Between January and September 2023, 16% of new vehicle registrations in New Zealand were battery-electric vehicles. The Land Transport (Clean Vehicles) Amendment Act 2022 sets incremental emissions reduction targets over the next five years. These targets will increase the number of electric vehicles in the market and, thereby, the demand for charging facilities. In response to this increased demand, the Council is installing 60 fast (25kW DC) chargers at 30 locations. These chargers take between 40-70 minutes to charge a vehicle and are, therefore, best located in places where people can do other things while they wait.

Hataitai currently has no publicly accessible electric vehicle chargers. The proposed installation near the shopping area would enable residents and visitors to recharge their vehicles as they visit nearby community facilities, shops, and cafes. The selection of this site was based on its proximity to the shopping area, the space required to install the chargers in line with good design practice, and the ability to connect them to the electricity grid within a reasonable budget.

The change to P120, EV charging only, is consistent with WCC's parking enforcement abilities and other council-controlled parking settings for EV charging-equipped parking spaces. It ensures that the parking spaces are used for their intended purpose with a turnover rate that enables a range of users to utilise the chargers. The change from 60-degree to 90 degree parking angle is required for users to drive in or reverse into the parking spaces. This is required so that users can access the charging port, which can be on either side, front or back, of the vehicle.

• For more information regarding our Privacy Statement, please check the Council’s webpage: Privacy Statement - Wellington City Council.

Feedback • If you would like to provide feedback, which will be added to the Traffic Resolution following consultation and made public in full, you can do so by filling out an online submission form, downloading a printable submission form on https://www.letstalk.wellington.govt.nz/ or emailing us at trfeedback@wcc.govt.nz.

Please note if you are giving feedback, the consultation period opens at 9am, Tuesday 13 February 2024 and closes at 5pm, Monday 26 February 2024.