There's outrage at Auckland Transport's (AT) proposal to scrap kerbside parking on main roads across the city.
Under a draft parking strategy, commuters would also have to pay fees for park-and-rides.
AT proposes that 1200 kilometres of Auckland's main roads could lose their car parks for public transport infrastructure, footpaths, mobility spaces, bikes, and bus lanes over the next decade.
"There is an awful lot of off-street parking available and we want to send a signal very clearly that you need as much as possible to provide your parking needs off the street because the street is for movement," Andrew McGill from AT says.
Many business owners are angry, including Keith Scott who hires out cars on New North Rd.
"It'll just make it impossible. And these zealots with their cycling lanes. I'm a cyclist myself, but there's no need for this," he says.
AT is now promising to consult but says businesses will benefit in the long run.
"If we replace the parking lanes with a bus route, for instance, we could be bringing many, many more customers past their shop," McGill says.
Another proposal is to charge $2 to $4 for park and ride - an unpopular suggestion among Aucklanders.
"It's just going to deter people from wanting to park here, which is kind of the point of having it for free," one person says.
"We can't always get off-street parking which is why we tend to come here," another adds.
"You are encouraging more people to take more cars to the motorway," a third person says.
But AT says many users are abusing the system.
"Not only do some people drive to park and rides when they could easily walk, cycle, take a bus, or get a drop-off, but also that some people are just parking and walking to nearby businesses," McGill says.
New Auckland mayoral candidate Wayne Brown says Auckland Council - and not AT - should decide.
"So the wrong people are making the wrong decisions at the wrong time, exactly what I said."
Fellow Auckland mayoral candidate Leo Molloy would scrap AT altogether.
"It's about an elite proposition put forward by a bunch of extreme left-wingers who think they know what's best for you because they have a superiority complex."
Among other candidates, Efeso Collins proposes to introduce free public transport, Viv Beck says local communities must be listened to, and Craig Lord says any parking spaces should only be removed with extreme caution.
Clearly, AT will struggle to get its proposals out of the slow lane whoever is the next mayor.
