Pay and display parking in CBD

New pay and display parking meters will soon be installed on parts of Tutanekai St, and the good news is the price of parking won't be going up.
The Rotorua District Council is replacing its old single-bay parking meters with pay and display machines along Tutanekai St, from the City Focus up to the intersection of Haupapa St. They begin operating next week.
Council's city services manager Dennis Olliver said motorists would need to buy a ticket from the nearest pay machine and display it on their dashboard. Charges in the pay and display area would remain unchanged - $1 per hour for a maximum of two hours.
"They have stayed at $1 an hour for at least the past five years," Mr Olliver said.
Progressively replacing meters in busy central city streets with pay and display units was part of the council's current Ten Year Plan, he said.
"The pay and display machines will help minimise street clutter in high pedestrian areas. They're also easier to manage, with four pay and display parking units able to cover 45 to 50 parking spaces."
He said 44 single meters would be replaced by four pay and display units. Meters cost about $1250 each and pay and display meters about $8500.
"There's a huge saving there in the long term and there is capacity in the future to upgrade them to be able to use smart cards or text services."
Mr Olliver said pay and display machines on Hinemoa St alongside the police station saw a 30 per cent increase in use since the introduction of $5 all-day parking there in October 2009.
Council works manager Peter Dine has previously told The Daily Post Rotorua could have a lot more pay and display machines in the future, eventually eliminating the need for costly meters.
He said free parking in the city would eventually be phased out, but that could take up to 20 years.