Next year, the council will return to issuing infringements to all people parking unsafely and breaking the law in all spaces, including on footpaths and cycle lanes.
“We know finding a park can sometimes be hard, and we know that people would never want to put another person’s safety at risk,” Probert says.
“Providing education about why never parking in these locations is important will hopefully ensure people stop doing this in our city. We don’t want to be issuing infringements for these things – we want Palmy to be a place where our roads and our footpaths are safe for everyone to use.”
Before January 1, if people log a complaint that a vehicle has parked on a footpath or cycle lane, wardens will attempt to visit the location if it was a recent complaint. If they find the vehicle the owner will be issued with a warning, plus educational material.
If the vehicle cannot be found, the owner will receive a letter stating their car was spotted parked in an unsafe situation, plus educational information.
“They cannot be issued warnings if our wardens do not see the vehicle parked like that,” Probert says.
Footpaths need to remain clear for people to use. This is especially important for people who have a disability, use mobility scooters, or are young children.
“When footpaths are blocked, people are having to either go onto a person’s property or move onto the road to get around.”
Parking in a cycleway puts people on bikes at risk. Cycleways are for people on bikes - not parked cars. If bike riders must veer around a parked vehicle, it’s more dangerous for them.
As well as parking wardens keeping an eye out for incorrect parking, people can make a complaint about unsafe parking via the Snap Send Solve app or at pncc.govt.nz/parkright.
