Hold on to your hats, Dunedin - the city is about to get more car parks.
The Dunedin City Council is planning to put old bus stops to new uses, after they were made redundant by the arrival of the central city bus hub and its new bus routes.
Council transport group manager Richard Saunders said that included converting some to short-term car parks.
Others would be made into no-parking spaces for now, but then occupied by new mini "parklets" being planned as part of the central city upgrade over time, he said.
It was not yet known how many redundant bus stops would be converted across the city, or what would happen to any associated bus shelters with murals painted on them, he said.
But in the central city, where the council's focus was initially, the changes would begin with bus stops along George St, in the Octagon and in Princes St between the Octagon and Moray Pl.
That would result in redundant bus stops being converted into 28 new car parks, including 11 P30 spaces, seven P5s, five "authorised vehicles only" spaces and five mobility spaces.
Five spaces would also be reserved for future "parklets".
The new parking spaces were among changes considered by the council's traffic and parking bylaw subcommittee on Wednesday, and due to be signed off at the full council meeting.
Otago Regional Council support services manager Gerard Collings said what happened to the rest of the bus stops and shelters was a matter for the DCC as the road-controlling authority.
The ORC would cease funding the maintenance of redundant murals, shelters and stops, but it would be up to the DCC to decide what happened next, he said.
The exception would be the newer style of shelters made redundant by the bus hub, which were "more easily relocated", he added.
