Getting around  |  6 Dec 2019

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A parking app could soon allow Christchurch drivers to pay for metered parking from the comfort of their car.

Christchurch City Council is proposing to trial the Pay My Park app for 12 months.

Used by several other Councils around New Zealand, Pay My Park allows people to pay for their parking using their smart phone or mobile device. People using the app can choose to pay per session as a casual user or they can set up an account.

“The app will make paying for parking quick and easy,’’ says Council Smart Cities Manager Michael Healy.

“With the app you only pay for the time you’ve parked and you can receive an alert when your paid parking is about to expire. The app allows you to extend your time remotely.

“We think residents will like the convenience of the app so we are proposing to trial it for a year for our on-street parking  Following the trial, we’ll make a decision about how we can provide people with the convenience of online parking payments on a permanent basis,’’ Mr Healy says.

While people will not be able to use the app to pay for parking in Council parking buildings during this trial, the Council is exploring ways of allowing this in the future.

Next week, Council staff will bring a report to the Urban Development and Transport Committee requesting a change to the accepted payment methods for parking under the Christchurch City Council Traffic and Parking Bylaw 2017.

Payment by parking app needs to be added to the list of payment methods allowed under the bylaw before the trial of the Pay My Park app can get under way.

“We hope to be in a position to begin the trial early in the new year,’’ Mr Healy says.