News Tauranga City Council will look at a plan to provide two hours free parking in the central city is not enough for parking advocate Bill Campbell.

The central city retailer has been calling for free parking for several years, and even organised a petition of customers that returned results overwhelmingly in favour of free parking, results later discounted by council staff.

Fancy That owner Bill Campbell says two hours free parking is not enough.

A new proposal, developed by Mainstreet and Tuskany Agency, for a three month trial of two hours free parking in the downtown area, will be put to councillors next Wednesday.

'It's a step in the right direction and I'm mildly excited,” says Bill.

'But it's not over yet. There's still a long way to go. There are no guarantees.”

He's disappointed it's only two hours of free parking and only a three month trial.

'Three months to me is setting it up to fail,” says Bill.

'It needs to be a trial that covers at least three seasons anyway. Winter is always reasonably quiet. They need to cover winter, spring and summer really. That would give us a good look at how it's all going to pan out.

'We haven't had any consultation from Mainstreet. We knew something was up, but they haven't consulted with the members about it, at all. So I don't know how the rest of the members will feel about a three month trial.

'It's disappointing really. Something as important as this - it should have gone to all the members. It's a big ask for the board to take this on.”

In advertising it takes at least three months to get a message across to the public, says Bill, and he believes it's almost impossible to set up systems to monitor its success in this time.

'People aren't just going to jump in their cars and come to the CBD just because they have got free parking,” says Bill.

'They are going to have to have a reason to come as well.”

The proposal is modelled on the two hour free parking system in Rotorua.

Both Rotorua and Taupo have invested in parking discs - wireless in-ground sensors that monitor the two-hour free spaces and alert parking wardens of overstayers. Rotorua installed about 1500 discs in inner city parking spaces.

The Rotorua parking system is run by Smart Parking, an international company that has already put in parking systems in Taupo, Hamilton and New Plymouth.

Smart parking has offered to trial its discs over 50 Tauranga bays, says NZ sales manager Jake Bizant.

Bill thinks the main obstacle to free parking is Tauranga City Council staff. He thinks free parking will go the same way as free parking on Saturday - a parking venture he says was removed as soon as it was shown to be successful.