Dunedin motorists save on a rainy day

The machines flashed up a message saying no payment was required, and motorists were allowed to stay for the maximum period for the park. Photo / iStock

Persistent rain gave some Dunedin motorists a parking fee reprieve yesterday.

The weather found its way into pay and display machine parking receipt rolls that are better for the environment, but not so good at being weatherproof.

Dunedin City Council Citipark team leader Reece Smith said about 50 pay and display machines in the central city were affected by warm weather over the weekend, high humidity and then persistent rain.

"That's the worst possible situation for the paper and the machines because it makes the insides of them damp and the paper sticks.

"It's just the type of paper we're using. The paper is better for the environment, but this is the down side to it.''

The council changed the paper used after complaints in 2009, when hundreds of plastic-coated parking receipts were picked up from the Otago Harbour, some almost a decade old.

The new rolls have suffered from the damp in the past, causing about 120 machines to fail in extended drizzly weather in February last year.

Mr Smith said technicians had been "working furiously to get the numbers down'' of broken machines yesterday, removing their wet rolls.

The machines flashed up a message saying no payment was required, and motorists were allowed to stay for the maximum period for the park.

There are about 350 pay and display machines in Dunedin.