High tech car will scan plates for illegal Hamilton parking and send owner a ticket in the mail

One of the new Hamilton City Council licence plate scanning, parking compliance vehicles. Photo / Hamilton City Council

Hamilton City Council is moving to high-tech cars that scan licence plates to monitor parking compliance and find vehicles parking illegally.

Also, to avoid staff dealing with upset drivers, tickets will be posted to the registered owner of the car instead of being put on windscreens.

Licence plate scanning and touch-screen paperless payment systems are just some of the ways its is moving to a smarter and more efficient way of managing parking in the CBD, the council says.

Over the next six months, a series of changes will be introduced, starting with the use of hybrid vehicles with licence plate recognition.

"The technology helps us find those parking illegally – such as on footpaths, across cycle lanes, and on 'no stopping' lines," said city transportation manager Gordon Naidoo.
"It will also make it safer for our parking team who often deal with unhappy members of the public. Tickets will be posted out to the registered car owner."

The technology can also be integrated with 'pay by plate' devices. Over the coming months, these devices will replace the single-head parking meters with a paperless system – where you will use your licence plate number to pay for parking, the council said.

Licence plate recognition is already used in other New Zealand cities. Plans to install the technology in Garden Place and in Sonning carpark (in River Road beside Claudelands Bridge) are also under way.

The vehicles will be operating from July, which coincides with the roll out of new all-day paid parking areas within the central city.

The council said the new system will ensure the parking spaces within the all-day paid parking areas, and the nearby two-hour free parking spaces, are actively monitored.

"This supports our local businesses by continuing to have a regular turn-over of nearby parking spaces to assist with their trading," said Naidoo.

New stay-all-day parking areas are being introduced on Knox Street which runs between Victoria St and Anglesea Street) and Nisbet Street (in the Wintec campus), providing an all-day, 8am to 6pm, parking option for those who work or spend longer periods of time in the central city. Parking will be $6 per space per day, with payment made via the PayMyPark app.

"As technology advances, we're always looking at new ways to incorporate smart technology into our facilities to make parking easier and more efficient for Hamiltonians. This also supports future transport improvements planned for our growing city," said Naidoo.