Government increases parking fines: disabled spots now $750, footpath $70

Misuse of car parks for disabled people now attract a $750 fine.

New parking penalties introduced by the Government came into force last week, significantly increasing fines for a range of parking violations.

One of the most notable changes is the increased penalty for the misuse of car parks for disabled people - where the fine has risen from $150 to $750.

Other key changes include:

■ Parking on the footpath, which has increased from $40 to $70

■ Parking on broken yellow lines, which has increased from $60 to $100

■ Parking over the time limit, which has increased from $14-$57, to $20-$97, depending on the amount of time overstayed

■ Failing to pay for parking has increased from $40 to $70, although this does not affect drivers in the Western Bay of Plenty District where there are no paid car parks.

The Government announced the updated parking penalties at the end of August, with an implementation date of October 1.

Most parking infringement fees were set in 2004. The Government’s changes apply a Consumer Price Index (CPI) increase to parking infringement fees, resulting in around a 70%.

The three months trial of roving parking cameras in Te Puke and Katikati has come to an end.

“We have completed the trial and are currently analysing the data to determine the next steps,” says Western Bay of Plenty District Council’s compliance and monitoring manager.

The trial used the Licence Plate Recognition (LPR) system to capture licence plates and GPS locations of parked cars, to identify those that had parked for longer than the designated time limit or illegally.

No tickets were issued as a result of the trial.