App touted as solution to Whangārei brothers' concerns about plastic parking tickets

Charlie and Quincy Carpenter found 18 plastic parking tickets in Whangārei Harbour in nine weeks earlier this year. Photo / John Stone

Whangārei residents are being encouraged to use a mobile app to pay for their parking in the central city in response to concerns raised about the plastic tickets ending up in the harbour.

Charlie and Quincy Carpenter, who live on Matakohe Limestone Island in Whangārei Harbour, fronted at the public forum of March's full council meeting with 18 parking tickets they had collected from the shores of Matakohe Limestone Island and other locations in the harbour over nine weeks.

The brothers raised concerns about the effects of the tickets - issued from Whangārei District Council parking machines - on the environment and marine life.

"We thought it would be better for the environment if the parking tickets were made of paper rather than plastic," 9-year-old Charlie said at the time.

The council's roading department took the request seriously and carried out an investigation. There are about 60 machines in the district which dispense the tickets.

Senior roading engineer Greg Monteith said the best way for people to reduce the number of plastic-coated tickets issued is to use mPark.

"A person downloads the mPark app on to their phone, puts money into their account and then uses the app to pay for parking spaces."

The machines would still issue the plastic tickets, for now, but using the app would reduce the number issued.

Charlie was happy with the solution.

"I think it's really cool that the council are making a difference, I think a whole lot of people are starting to use it now."

Charlie said mPark was "incredibly easy" to use. He and Quincy are planning to make a step-by-step video on how to use mPark to show others.

"Hopefully more people will find out about mPark so they stop using the plastic tickets."

Charlie and his brother have continued collecting the parking tickets and now have 50.

They have been keeping tally of which carparks the tickets have come from. Eight are from Vine St, five from Laurie Hall carpark, two from Forum North and the Town Basin and one each from Rathbone St, John St, Clyde St and the Canopy Bridge parks.

The other 29 couldn't be read.

One of the tickets was from 2013, while another was from 2015. Charlie said most had been dispensed this year.

Monteith encouraged people to make sure they have enough money loaded and have been registered as parking when using the app. He said if in doubt, be sure and use the coin and ticket system.

"Parking wardens check number plates of cars that don't have physical tickets, to see if they are recorded as having mParked and if they do they move on without issuing an infringement notice."

He said 9786 people have joined mPark so far.

Monteith said the council's parking tickets are a polycoated paper ticket, which were introduced 10 years ago because the paper tickets on dashboards used to fade and could not be read.

The paper also reacted to moisture and jammed in the machines, which was costly for ratepayers and inconvenient for customers.

He said many councils have raised similar concerns with the manufacturers who are currently looking at non-plastic alternatives, but he thinks new systems in years to come will do away with tickets all together.

To register, or find out more, go to mpark.co.nz