The Invercargill City Council has backtracked on some newly installed metered parks in Forth St in the city, changing the parks from paid metered parks to a 120-minute time limit.
Age Concern, whose social welfare centre is in Forth St, said in a submission to a council infrastructural services committee meeting yesterday that paid parking was problematic for its members. Members were unsure if car parks were zoned or metered, limiting access for people with limited mobility.
Age Concern had seen a drop in attendance at daily lunches and an increase in requests for assistance to access its services since parking changed last December.
The new changes would have had all paid parking removed on the north side of Forth St, between Nith and Clyde Sts.
Age Concern said while the council had an over-80s parking exemption policy, which made parking within the city free, the organisation catered for those in the 60-plus age group.
The committee also changed parking zones in Kew Rd and Ness St to 180-minute parks on the south side of Kew Rd and all-day parking on the north side.
The committee thought the change would allow time-limited parking for hospital visitors as well as all-day parking for the area’s residents.
Council staff admitted parking tickets issued to cars in Kew Rd exceeding the 90-minute limit had been refunded after an "overzealous" parking warden had targeted the area contrary to protocols. The problem had now been addressed.
By Toni McDonald
