Getting used to the new parking machines

The Tauranga council are making more slight changes to improve the paperless parking machines for customers.

Residents seem to be getting used to the new upgrade to parking machines across Tauranga and Mount Maunganui, says a Tauranga City Council communications advisor.

Last month all parking machines in Tauranga and Mount Maunganui became paperless with an option to pay by credit card as well as cash.

The council have received some complaints, but most users just want to better understand how the new system works.

'There have been a few complaints each day and a lot of questions, but overall most people seem to be getting used to the new system. A common question at the outset was whether the new machines still take cash (they do),” says Marcel Currin.

He says the council are taking all of these comments into consideration and have already set up with clearer signs and instructions on how the machines work.

'The onscreen instructions for the machines are not as intuitive as we anticipated, so we're adding stickers to help guide new customers through the process.

'The supplier is going to program in a concluding message that customers will see at the end of the payment process to reassure them that their parking has been paid.”

The message will say ‘Transaction Completed, No ticket required' in the centre of the screen after paying.

Customers can also choose to pay using the PayMyPark app, free to download from the Google Play Store and the App Store.

The PayMyPark has grown in popularity since it was introduced last year, however, it is too early to tell how many people have signed up to the PayMyPark since the new upgrades says Marcel.

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14 comments

show the fees

Posted on 06-07-2017 08:11 | By hapukafin

Is it legal not to show the hourly rate before you enter the plate number


Aaagh

Posted on 06-07-2017 08:57 | By overit

More cost having to put up clearer instructions.


No receipts...

Posted on 06-07-2017 09:55 | By Daisychains

When first using the pay machines I got very frustrated, cash but no notes, card but only payWave or debit cards? Then no receipt unless I went online... I do not have time to go online to look for my receipt and it's much easier to just have it in hand with me as I'm very dyslexic and have gotten a fine before for mixing up the time I can park for. Trying to remember how much I paid is very hard. Glad you put in a notification to say that your cars actually been paid for at the end though..


Daisy chains

Posted on 06-07-2017 15:00 | By waiknot

You appear confused, these new mashines are designed for the benefit of council not us end users


Xtra cost

Posted on 06-07-2017 16:22 | By wiki

Am I right that you get charged an extra 50cents if you pay by credit card???


No go zone

Posted on 06-07-2017 16:46 | By The umpire

Yes you get charged 50c for using a Credit cardThe cost has also gone up per hr. as well,That's why I no longer go into town, if they wanted to energise the CBD they should get rid of the meters !


Well

Posted on 06-07-2017 17:42 | By Capt_Kaveman

you voted for them


Hope its not raining

Posted on 06-07-2017 18:04 | By Angel74

next time i need to go to town, sounds like quite the ordeal just to pay for parking..........the old system was much quicker and easier.


It does seem odd.....

Posted on 06-07-2017 21:00 | By groutby

...that there is no way of knowing if a council vehicle parked there on and off all day (and we know they are) using this "new paperless" regime actually pay as visitors,shoppers and contractors look for somewhere to park, but I would say this is the excuse (sorry, I mean answer) as to why they are actually there in the first place? Almost anything TCC do leave me with "trust" issues.....must be me....


There will be more parking available.

Posted on 07-07-2017 00:37 | By local yokel

There will soon be more parking available down town as they have introduce this new pay on your number plate recognition system and put the fees up at the same time. This will only make frustrated motorists head to the malls in the suburbs where there is plenty of parking and it is a lot easier shopping as well. Well done Tauranga City Council. Soon the city centre will be half full of empty shops and it will only be the cafes and down town office workers that will be left to keep it alive commercially.


And they wonder why no one wants to shop in the CBD...

Posted on 07-07-2017 05:32 | By cynical

Seriously, with Bayfair, Bethlehem, Fraser Cove, Gate Pa and The Crossing at Tauriko (I name just a few) plus online shopping...why fiddle around with these machines when we can park for free at any of the above places?


Half Blind

Posted on 07-07-2017 09:07 | By Minib

I tried to use these new machines but found it very hard to read due to the sun shining on the face and the instructions being so small and me half blind I gave up and walked away and I bet I'm not alone in this.


Happening everywhere-Not just Tauranga.

Posted on 07-07-2017 21:05 | By Papamoaner

This is basically a vehicle problem, not a parking problem per se. Everywhere we go now there is congestion. Parking congestion, road congestion, refuelling congestion etc etc. The land masses on our planet are becoming covered in cars, and to a lesser extent, people. All increasing atmospheric CO2 and insufficient forrestation to absorb it. I don't point the finger, being part of the problem too.There is a fix, hair brained yes, but coming soon - we are now making computers intuitive. Soon computers will render humans redundant. Next computers will render each other redundant. The sole survivor (a computer) will be proof to the next species that there "really IS a god".


@Minib

Posted on 07-07-2017 21:21 | By Papamoaner

No, you are not alone with that problem. Many manufacturers now are in a mindset of what I call "Plug and Play" using digital electronics connected together to do simple tricks without consideration or knowledge of the physics involved, let alone ergonomics. So we end up with stuff that is so user-unfriendly it infuriates everyone until they get used to it. An astute council purchasing engineer should have spotted the problem you refer to before committing to buy, but unfortunately local body engineers are not known for their astuteness or lack of it, thus a free lunch from some passing vendor can probably sway them at our expense..


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