Free parking is on offer in Tauranga again.
Free after-school parking is to be offered in Tauranga's downtown parking buildings in a bid to entice parents to shop in town once they have picked up their children.
The free parking from 3pm will be introduced on October 14 - the same day as the council ends its unsuccessful
11.30pm closing of the Spring St parking building.
It was part of a package of changes agreed at a recent meeting of the council. Councillors heard that the first 12 months of the late opening, to June 30 this year, had added $38,000 to costs.
The council opted for an earlier closing of 9pm Monday to Saturday because a maximum of only three cars were using the building between 9-11.30pm.
The new hours will reduce operating costs by about $17,000 a year, but hours would be extended for special events, such as the Arts Festival and Jazz Festival.
