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Parking meter upgrade to save ratepayers $1.2 million and offer more flexibility

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PUBLISHED: 13 FEB 2025
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NPDC is replacing its ageing parking meters in New Plymouth’s city centre with 100 new units offering a wider range of payment options. 

The replacement was approved as part of our recent 10-year Plan (2024-2034), however a decision to lease rather than buy the units has seen the approved $2m budget reduced, saving ratepayers $1.2m.

NPDC’s Acting Infrastructure Manager Helen Gray says the parking meters have reached the end of their operational life and had become increasingly unreliable, causing frustration for users.

“We’ve made a conscious effort to have a mix of units so that people have a range of payment options - some units will take coins and others electronic payments only.”

At the same time NPDC is replacing the pay by bay system with pay by plate, for all our on-street metered carparks meaning people will enter their vehicle’s number plate rather than the parking bay number.

In addition, people will be able to move to another on-street metered car park without having to pay another fee, providing they still have time left on their paid parking session. 

By the numbers:

  • 60 new on-street parking meters, of which 30 will be able to take coin payments as well. All meters will take electronic payments using credit or debit cards and the PayMyPark app.
  • 40 Touch N Go machines where users can touch the screen with their electronic device and follow the prompts to go to the PayStay Guest website to make a payment.
  • The surcharge for those using a credit or debit card to pay at one of the on-street parking meters has been reduced from 50 cents to 10 cents per transaction. Other charges imposed by the service providers may apply.  

The parking meters will start being replaced from 17 February and expected to be complete by the end of the month while the Touch N Go machines will be installed between 3-7 March.

Find out more, including how to use the machines on our website.

Fast Facts

  • NPDC has more than 880 paid parking spaces in the New Plymouth CBD.
  • There is a total of 60 new meters being installed along with 40 Touch N Go machines.
  • Pay by number plate systems are currently installed at New Plymouth Airport and Centre City. And also used by several councils across New Zealand including - Auckland, Tauranga, Wellington, Hastings and Napier.
  • This will not affect parking lease holders, their details will be updated in NPDC’s system per their lease agreement.

 

Caption: Computer generated graphic on parking meter. 

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Page last updated: 12:13pm Fri 14 February 2025

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