Parking tickets go digital

Paying for parking tickets in Waipā has become much easier thanks to new ticketing technology.

The new digital ticketing system replaces a decades-old process of putting chalk on tyres and handwriting paper tickets that needed to be manually loaded to an online platform.

Since October 30, Waipā District Council parking enforcement officers have been able to scan the vehicle number plate of an infringing vehicle and issue a printed ticket on the spot.

Compliance manager Karl Tutty said vehicle owners now get immediate notification of a ticket being issued, so they should no longer get a surprise when the infringement arrives in the post.

“Time limits, in high demand areas, ensure people use car parks fairly. Central areas should have high turnover of cars, allowing more shoppers access to local businesses, especially in the lead up to Christmas.”

The parking infringement information is loaded into the council system within 18 hours of issue and is readily available for staff to process payments and answer queries.

“This process has helped our enforcement officers issue parking infringements quickly, safely and accurately due to having electronic information available in real time at the roadside. All the data is available online, making payments and addressing parking complaints easier and quicker to action.”

Council’s customer support team is expecting to see a drop in time spent processing paperwork.

“We are encouraging the public to play by the rules and be timely when parking in CBD areas, particularly at this time of the year”, Tutty said.

The new technology may lend itself to other areas of council where infringements are still issued manually, such as animal control.

To view the public parking in Waipā visit waipadc.govt.nz/parking.