Time’s expired for Nelson’s old parking meters as new Pay-by-Plate machines launch

Nelson’s new Pay-by-Plate meters went live at 8am on Monday 29 June, ending paper waste from tickets, while offering Nelsonians more ways to pay and more convenient ways to extend their parking.

The new meters allow people to pay using coins, payWave and a new app called PayMyPark. 

In the first few days of the meters being available for use, Council’s parking enforcement wardens will play an educational role, ensuring people avoid making mistakes, and take a more lenient approach to payment related infringements.

With no requirement for a paper ticket, there is no longer any need to return to your car once you have paid. Ratepayers will also save more than $100k in paper and maintenance costs per year.
 
App users can extend their parking time, within the signposted maximum time limits, using their mobile phone, or even use the Stop/Start park function, which allows people to only pay for the parking that they use.
 
PayMyPark charges transaction fees when users store credit on the app, and if they use it to pay for parking without registering an account. 

For payments with payWave there is a 2% fee so bank costs are not passed on to ratepayers, this equates to a 4c charge on a $2 park.
 
All the money from transaction charges goes to PayMyPark or the payWave provider, there is no change to the fees collected by Council.
 
For more information about how transaction fees work, please go to: nelson.govt.nz/parking.
 
The free first hour of parking remains, and can now be split into 15 minute increments. 

However, the new system removes the ability for people to claim several free hours in one day simply by moving their vehicle. 

This was an unintended consequence of the previous bylaw and the new system will be fairer to everyone.
 
City centre parking is for people accessing shops, cafes and restaurants, and while businesses recover from Covid-19 it’s really important that people coming to Nelson for those reasons can find somewhere to park.
 
Nelson Mayor Rachel Reese says the new parking system will assist retailers as they recover from the Covid-19 lockdown.
 
“Local businesses have told us that their customers are sometimes unable to find a park when they come to spend time in our City Centre. 

Our Pay-by-Plate meters not only make parking easier and smarter, but will also go some way to managing all day parking in the parking squares that has been a frustration for businesses and customers over recent weeks.”
 
Council encourages commuters to park outside of the time-limited city centre parking, or find alternative methods of transport.
 
“In August, Nelsonians will be able to pay for bus travel with Bee Card, our new electronic ticketing system. While we make that transition, bus travel is free in our region, so this could be a good time to see if taking the bus to work, works for you.
 
“Helping more people to shift from using their car to a bike, the bus or even walking is a great way to reduce carbon emissions and deliver healthy outcomes at the same time.”
 
Nelson’s old electronic parking meters have been taken apart so their parts can be reused in other meters. Instead of being sent to become scrap metal, the old lollipop meters were sold to Nelsonians, raising $1500 for the Fifeshire Foundation.
 
For more information about the new meters, please go to: nelson.govt.nz/parking.