Change install for Parking in Oamaru

Councillors will debate the future of parking meters in Oamaru at next Tuesday’s Committee of the Whole meeting. The existing parking meters, installed in 2002, are steadily approaching the end of their useful lives, with parts becoming increasingly difficult to locate, and need replacement. There are two main ways to recover the cost of parking in Oamaru, either by adding the cost to rates and having time restricted parking or by the user paying the cost through parking fees. Advice prepared by Council officers, proposes a continuation of user pays rather than rates to address parking. Under the proposal, parking would be increased to $1.50 per hour on the main street (on street) and $1.20 per hour on side streets or parking areas (off street). All day parking would be increased from the current $2.00 per day to $4.00. A Council spokesperson explained:

Council recently completed a Parking Management Study to understand parking behaviour in Oamaru. This investigation identified a number of choices for Council, of which, the proposed option, represents the best solution with the least impact on rates. While we understand this represents an increase costs for users, charges have not increased since the installation of the existing meters in 2002. We still believe the surplus generated by parking will make an important contribution to local businesses through the part funding of the local Events Development Officer.

The Parking Management Study also noted that Oamaru drivers still have a choice on where they park and how much they pay, with over half of the1700 parking spaces in the town centre having no parking restrictions.