Invercargill city streets are set to get new parking kiosks with a new pay-by-plate system to go live next month.

Invercargill City Council will begin installation of the new parking payment kiosks this week, ready for Monday 13 December when the current “lollipop” parking meters will be switched off and parking payments will move to the new system.

The new modern kiosks, which have a colour and touch screen, will be placed at multiple locations on the city streets where paid parking is in place, at the Leven St car parking building and both public car parks on Esk St and Don St.

The new system will require users to input their vehicle registration plate number, when parking in a paid parking zone, and the time they plan to stay. Payment can be made with coin, card via Paywave, online or through the Pay My Park app.

Council Roading Manager Russell Pearson said this was an exciting move for the city that had been long requested by the community.

“The new meters are user-friendly, more reliable and similar to those in Dunedin and Queenstown, so many of our residents will be familiar with them already,” he said.

“We recognise that it’s time for change to our paid parking system and we’re really pleased to finally be able to offer different payment options and to have a more modern tool for our staff to work with.”

The kiosks are solar powered and use mobile technology to communicate with the parking team, so they’ll no longer need to chalk tyres, Mr Pearson said.

The paid parking fee structure will be changing to a tiered system with the new kiosks, which means there will be a variation in the charges for parking, he said.

“Under the new fee structure, it is slightly cheaper if you stay for a shorter amount of time, however as there will be no time limits for the car parks, the charge will increase the longer you stay. The key thing is to enter your registration plate every time you park via the kiosk, app or website.”

Currently parking is a flat fee of $1.50 per hour, with time limits in place. The new system is charged in 15-minute increments and gives you 30 minutes of free parking each day. It will cost $1 for a full hour, $3 for two hours, and $4 per hour after that. Parking costs will be charged per day for the total number of hours you park.

The new meters will also be installed in some parts of the city that currently do not have metered parking, including parts of Forth St, Clyde St, Liddel St and The Crescent.

 

“This will offer a significant ease to parking available in the city centre, and will ensure we can more effectively support our city businesses and retailers by keeping traffic and visitors to the city flowing through.”

As well as the new tiered fee structure, on-street parking infringement costs will also look different. Currently expired meter parking fines are set at $12. The new parking system means that infringements come under a separate offence, in which fines range from between $12 and $57, dependent on the paid time exceeded or if you have not entered your plate into the system.

For more information about the changes, fees and fines, please visit: icc.govt.nz/parking