Public outrage over parking camera car in Ashburton

Ashburton District Council began testing an automatic number plate recognition system this week to determine if the technology could be used to enforce parking rules in Ashburton.

The announcement has sparked a sharp reaction online, with residents calling it a revenue-generating tactic and expressing concerns that the cars will cause congestion in the CBD.

Some residents also worry that it will be bad for business in the CBD, while others say it could lead to job losses for parking officers.

General Manager of Compliance and Development, Ian Hyde, reiterated that this was just a trial, but "if it is adopted, we would expect a change rather than a reduction in fees."

Hyde said the enforcement wasn’t changing – it was just trying a different method.

“There has been no change to parking limits in the CBD, where customers and visitors can already park free on East Street for an hour.

“We monitor parking and enforce the limits to ensure fair and considerate use of those spaces, so there is a consistent turnover of parks for shoppers visiting businesses in the CBD.”

Hyde said the parking trial would cost $2000 a month, covered by existing budgets.

“Council has hired the equipment for six months, for the duration of the trial.

“The full cost, including staff time to analyse the trial data, will come out of the regulatory and compliance operational budget.

“We’re also looking at whether the equipment can help with other projects, like a survey planned for next year to gather data on parking occupancy and turnover – the results of that will help our next review of the parking management plan, thereby saving money on consultants.”

The cameras could be detached and used on any car in the council's fleet, which could also be used by other staff.

The first phase of the trial will begin on Monday and run until Christmas, patrolling the CBD - Burnett, Cass, Tancred, and East Street.

Hyde said the first phase will compare data collected by the plate recognition system and the council's traffic wardens.

He said that in the first phase, the cars will only collect data, while a live trial with tickets generated by the new technology is planned for next year.

Following the full trial, a report on how and whether to implement this technology will be presented to councillors for consideration.