Parking zones and tariffs in central Blenheim change on 1 October, encouraging commuters to park on the fringes to distribute parking more evenly across the CBD.

Tariffs in the outer carparks will decrease, to incentivise people to use those for all day parking. Meanwhile, car parks in the inner circle will be limited to four hours to encourage faster turnover and support local retail and business activity.

The changes are part of Council’s 2024-2034 Long Term Plan, designed to reduce congestion and help revitalise the inner CBD.

The outer zone carparks, including the Railway Station and Stadium 2000, will see tariffs drop to $1 per hour with a daily cap of $4. The inner zone car parks, including Queen Street, High Street and Wynen Street will increase from $1.80 to $2 an hour with a maximum parking time of four hours.

“These changes will give everyone a fair chance and allow people to choose a parking zone that best suits them,” Councillor Brian Dawson said.

“The aim is to encourage long-term parkers to use carparks just outside the central area, which have consistently low occupancy levels. This means someone wanting to just return a book to the library for example, should be able to find a park.”

Clr Dawson emphasised the need for the elderly or those with reduced mobility to be able to access facilities such as the library or healthcare providers. It was essential they could easily walk to these places so faster turnover of the inner CBD carparks was encouraged.

The first hour free will continue in all parking zones but must be activated by using a parking meter or the PayMyPark app. It is also important for people to ensure they use the correct meter for the zone they are parked in, including starting a new session if they move to a different zone.

Frequent parkers are encouraged to download the PayMyPark app which can be used to activate the first hour free, pay for parking or buy long stay coupons in Picton.

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