Overzealous clamping on the part of parking officials has meant that the Get Fixed bicycle café have been forced to close its doors. Owners Simon and Ange Bendall say that visitors to the café, which is housed in a renovated shipping container and offers drinks and bicycle repairs services, frequently have their cars clamped in the shopping mall car park next door.
However, the clamping company says they are caught in the middle and just following orders, and the Porirua City Council is to blame for giving a permit to a business which is unable to provide public parking options.
“Once every six weeks I'll go in there, do a chalk and catch maybe two or three people who have parked there all day and gone to work,” said Valley Parking Services owner Tony Valentic. “It's like if the council came in to your back yard and told you they were building a fish and chip shop – the council have seriously stuffed up.”
Porirua Mayor Mike Tana said that the Council is currently looking at resolving the situation, noting that the café had been an “amazing success.”
"There is a solution there and we will find it," he said.
Burns & Ferrall is offering the chance for one lucky company to win a fully functional commercial kitchen housed in a recycled container, worth over $125,000. Simply spend $1000 at Burns & Ferrall to go into the draw.
