Council Rules

I had my first first-hand one-on-one encounter with my local council last week.  That being the Auckland City Council.

Be warned.  The greater part of this diatribe is a rant.

Requiring some official council documentation I made my first ever, intrepid journey to their Graham Street offices in the city.

Apparently that which I would be requesting was to be straight forward and hassle-free.  It would cost me a small amount of dollars – dependent on how fast I wanted to have the information – but c est la vi,  that was not at all unexpected.

I was advised to drive behind their building where there would be free car parking for anyone wanting a short visit.  That part was a surprise.  Free parking at council? This same council that has placed huge increases on any parking anywhere in the city?  To find I could go into their offices and park for nothing was a pleasant surprise.

As per the instructions given I drove around the side of their building and parked.  As I did I noted there was a very obvious council designated motor cycle parking area, clearly provided for the many council staff members who chose to commute via the two-wheeled motorised transport rather than drive their cars into the city each day.

How noble of council to provide for these environmental thinking staff members.

It is quite a long designated motor cycle space, maybe ten metres, clearly marked with yellow lines.  

Pictured below you can see the area and motorcycles described.

This photo above is was not taken on the day but taken from a Google Map shot.  The first thing I noticed last Monday was the amount of motor bikes and cycles parked in the designated area.  Commendable, I thought, to those good thinking staff members who chose that form of commuter transport. 

The next thing I could not help notice were the two large tow trucks parked adjacent to the area with three tow-truck-driver-esk fellows pushing motor cycles up ramps at the back of their trucks, loading cycles side by side onto tow truck decks.

As I drove slowly past, I paused, curious as to what was happening.  Surely there could not be so many broken down motor cycles requiring towing to away to a garage for repairs?  I looked again.  Both trucks had cycles on the decks and two of the men were quickly pushing another up.  Then I realised they were actually towing away cycles that had been just outside the yellow painted area, those parked at each end of the designated motor cycle parking areas due to the parking area being tightly filled by the 15 or so other cyclists who had clearly got into the office really early that morning and filled up the spaces available.

Now this may seem to make sense to some, indeed, I can hear the reactions of the reactionaries - "Well, they were parked illegally, they shouldn't be parked there.  If we parked our cars there we would be towed, why shouldn't they.  Just because they're motor cyclists doesn't mean they shouldn't be towed too."  

Fair enough.

But, for purposes of this article, I have screen dumped some Google Maps snap shots of the very motor cycle park (thank you again Google Maps).   You will see that at each end of the designated parking area are two to three metres of area that do not intrude into any other space designated for anything else;  it is not space that is designated for anything, nor is it blocking any entrance way, nor blocking any pedestrian way.  It’s just blank space.  Which makes one wonder why council would not just paint a few more yellow lines along the area to increase the 'formal' area for their own motor cycle driving staff to use.

On this particular Monday when I was there motor cyclists had parked at each end of that designed area.

If you see the picture below you will see only two parked on the left outside the yellow marked area.  On Monday that space was filled with little scooters.

This photo above shows 2 more at the other end, On Monday there were 3 more parked there.

Not one of the excess motor cycles or bikes were intruding into any space, in any way, that was detrimental to the landscape, the drive/road way, the pedestrian way, the car parking way. They were spaces conscientiously being utilised by conscientious council staff members who no doubt were inside the big building, conscientiously beavering away at their conscientious tedious council work.

And while they were being so conscientious these 3 tow truck drivers, contracted by the Auckland City Council, the employers of the conscientious council staff, were rushing as fast as they could to uplift every two-wheeled vehicle that was not parked in the yellow, designated area before any of the owners of said bikes could rush out and claim back their bike or scooter.

These two truck drivers were working at a furious 100% effort to get as many motor bikes, cycles and scooters onto the backs of their trucks before someone inside that building would send out an SOS to their workmates about their commuter vehicles being towed by their employer's contractors.

How nasty is that for an environment to work in. Subjective statement.  When your employer not only does not make available enough spaces for those conscientious scooter riding employees – but then call in the nasties to make their council working lives more miserable by having their precious work commuter vehicles towed.

And I have friends who work for council, and like their jobs. Clearly they are the ones who do not park their scooters in this area.

….. believe it or not  …. Non of this relates to my own experience with Council.

So back to me and my personal experience.

Getting a Property CD.

I needed a ‘Property CD’.  This is a CD council can provide with all information held by them on the address in which I live. 

According to the lady behind the Property CD desk, I could have a CD produced within 5 working days for $53.95, or have it produced instantly whilst I wait for $103.95, or have it produced within 4 hours for $83.95.

OK, methinks, that’s all fair enough.   Do I want to wait for 5 working days?  Nah, cause experience of other government-type offices reminds me that would probably end up being 6-7 working days.  Do I need it instantly?  Nah, I can wait for the 4 hour CD.  So I pays me monies of $83.95 for the 4 hour CD.  On paying the funds I asked, how do I know when it is done and ready for collection.  “Someone will telephone you,” I was told.  Fair enough.

By that time it was 12.20 pm.  Four hours after that would be 4.20 pm.  Fair enough.  It’s only a ten minute drive from my house to the council building, so that gives me forty minutes to get there and pick the $83.95 CD up before the council’s 5pm closing time. 

I leave and head home and wait for the 4.20 pm telephone call.

It doesn’t come. 

At 4.45 I realise time is running out for me to get in there and pick up the CD.

I pick up my mobile phone and call the council.  I get put on the hold programme.  At 4.50 I am still on hold.  And clearly will never make it to the Graeme Street, motor-cycle-tow-truck-administration building before their 5 pm closure.  I hang up.

Meanwhile, no phone call on the home phone ever comes.

Oh well, that’s yet another learning experience about dealing with ‘Council’.

Next day, I’ve prearranged commitments until 12 noon.  But at no time from 8 a.m. (when council buildings open to the public) until 1 pm do I receive a phone call to let me know my 4 hour CD is available for collection.

Post 1pm that next day I drive myself into that same building and head to the same counter.  (Note: there were no scooters or motor cycles parked outside those yellow lines.  Just two great big, empty spaces with nothingness in them.)

I ask for my Property CD, the receptionist heads off to a back office and comes out with the CD.  It’s been there, awaiting my collection, since yesterday.  Seems no one felt the sense of commitment, agreement or righteousness to give me the expected telephone call.

Do I get a refund or something in return for the non-compliance of the contract I paid $83.95 for, I asked.  No, I was told.   It was up to me to be back in 4 hours to collect it, even though the very same receptionist was the one who had told me the day before that I would be telephoned to let me know it was available for collection.

Well.  Council. 

And they wonder why they get bad press.

And this just adds to it.

I leave the office with my envelope with the CD in it and head home.  On the way out I am yet again bemused by council road signage I had seen the day before; painted on the tarmac outside their building.  

There it was – the notice on the road beside the big council building – ‘BEWARE OF PEDESTRIAN’.  It sent shivers down my spine.  Clearly there was a pedestrian out there that we were being warn about, a pedestrian who was to be feared. No doubt an Arnie Schwarzenegger, or Charles Bronson, or Bruce Willis type character - who had been waiting since eternity for a Property CD to be completed and ten decades later still waiting in the wings of the council car park building, hiding, prowling, waiting to unleash all their pent up council torment and anger - onto the walking, general public.

Or perhaps he'd had his 50cc scooter towed one day!  

On both visits to this council building I saw this frightening warning and both times planted the foot hard on the accelerator and flew out of that car park area like there was no tomorrow.

With a heavy sense of anxiety and relief I drove away from those council building with the lifelong hope that I never need to return for fear of tow truck drivers, uncalled calls and fearsome pedestrians.

And that, is my Monday rant.