Editorial: Zealous parking wardens aren't the problem

Parking is cheap and easy in Whanganui. Photo/ Bevan Conley

The sense of entitlement New Zealanders seem to have when it comes to parking is a strange phenomenon.

It's probably a mix of our car-centric culture and low density living that we get annoyed if we can't park right outside where we want to go.

We also get annoyed when we have to feed a parking meter, and arriving back to a piece of paper wedged under the wipers enrages some.

It is grating when parking costs seem to be blatant revenue collecting but we don't have that in Whanganui.

Parking is cheap.

It's a dollar per half hour and if you overstay the fine is literally the same cost as an hour in an Auckland CBD parking building.

But some councillors had questions when it came out this week that the Whanganui District Council has collected 13 per cent more in revenue from parking meters in recent months and issued 50 per cent more fines.

Would people be put off shopping in the CBD? Should there be discretion when streets are otherwise empty?

Had there been a change in policy?

The explanation is likely far more simple.

More people are parking and therefore feeding the meters, and people not paying for their time are being fined.

Rules are rules and if councillors don't like them they can change them.

Still, they were fair questions and you'll never lose votes railing against parking control.
But the tone of the discussion was a bit off.

Parking officers have a hard enough job as it with abuse, threats and being viewed as the devil incarnate for enforcing well known rules.

Councillors publicly calling them "zealous meter people" only adds fuel to that sentiment when they are simply doing their job.

A job, by the way, council directs them to do and it was only a few months ago that councillors approved its new parking plan and bylaw.

Parking is really not an issue in Whanganui.

Feed the meter, pay the fine, or drive 100m down the road and park for free.

And be nice to meter people.