The Dunedin City Council announced Friday that it had introduced time limits to carparks along Forbury Rd, the Esplanade and Second Beach Rd at St Clair.
The change aims to increase parking turnover and availability.
Feedback from the public and local businesses suggested the lack of time restrictions on parks made it difficult for visitors to find short-term parking, transport group manager Jeanine Benson said.
"This hasn’t always been a large problem, but some overstayers have caused issues for visitors and locals alike, as well as presented a safety issue," she said.
"This will be especially important as we head into summer and the weather heats up, as St Clair is a popular spot for locals and visitors to the city."
The time restrictions included limits of five minutes, two hours and four hours, but parking would remain free.
Two parks would also be changed to variable zones and could be assigned as bookable mobile trading spaces during peak times.
The change aimed to support local businesses and the community by increasing parking availability and visitor numbers, Ms Benson said.
It would also improve safety in the area and reduce instances of illegal stopping on yellow lines and in the traffic lane.
The time restrictions applied now, but a grace period was in effect for a few weeks to ensure the public got used to the change before it was enforced.
Public feedback was sought on the proposed changes earlier this year.
