Central city all-day parking begins
The time limits have been removed on a trial basis
People driving into central Palmerston North will now be able to park their cars all day – as long as they pay for it.
City council staff were busy changing signs in the central city in the weekend, in preparation to allow all-day paid parking from Monday.
The council decided at a meeting in June to allow the removal of time limits on paid parking spaces in the central city, but to leave parking charges as they were.
A move to allow the first hour of parking to be free of charge was voted down, on the background of a survey showing most people thought people should pay for parking, and that an hour of free parking would put at risk between $1 million and $1.2m in meter revenue each year.
Mayor Grant Smith – who campaigned in 2015 to get the first hour of parking free – said it was about making the city ‘‘inviting and vibrant for both locals and visitors, with parking that is as easy as possible’’.
‘‘We’re really looking forward to receiving feedback about the allday parking trial and are confident it’s going to bring more people into the city centre with significant benefits for retailers and other businesses.’’
Council roading manager Graeme Tong said all the parking signs and meters would have updated information, and people would continue to have multiple ways to pay.
There will also be a Frogparking mobile app which allows drivers to make payments from wherever they are in the city, without returning to the car.
The time limits have been removed on a trial basis, which will run until July 2017. For more information, including a map showing the location of all day parks, see the council’s website.