Committee green lights parking app trial

A parking app trial will go ahead in Christchurch in the new year.

The Urban Development and Transport Committee has agreed to amend the Christchurch City Council Traffic and Parking Bylaw to make paying by parking app an accepted method of payment for metered parking in the city.

That small amendment means the Council can push ahead with a plan to trial the Pay My Park app for 12 months, in the new year.

Used by several other Councils around New Zealand, the Pay My Park app 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.

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