Green and yellow parking zones are based on occupancy data.
Green has spots that fill quickly, yellow has spots that fill slowly.
If you park in the yellow zone that covers the north end of Victoria Street and around Rostrevor Street and Liverpool Street, the second hour fee is $1.
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If you park in the green areas around the south end of Victoria Street, London Street, Collingwood Street and Hood Street, the second hour fee is $3.
Additional hours will cost $6 per hour.
Hamilton City Council has reduced two hours of free parking to one hour. Prices for the second hour vary by zone. Graphic / Hamilton City Council
Green or yellow stickers on road signs and kiosks let visitors know in which zone they are parking.
If you park in a green zone, you must pay at a green zone car park, and if you park in a yellow zone, you must pay at a yellow kiosk.
Visitors can pay in any zone through the PayMyPark app by entering the street where they parked.
Mobility parks and service provision remain unaffected.
$6 all-day parking on surrounding streets will also remain available. From today, the area of Seddon Rd and Ward St has been added to the all-day parking zone.
The city council made the change because it believed the new parking rules would make it easier for people to find parks in the city centre.
All-day $6 paid parking zones still apply. Graphic / Hamilton City Council
Hamilton City Council operations and maintenance director Tania Harman said parking spaces in the town were limited.
“We are hearing from businesses in the city center that they need higher car park turnover to enable people to move around the city.
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“The new model we are introducing will help improve availability and facilitate a steady flow of short-term visitors for shopping and entertainment.”
Ideally, the council would like to see 85 per cent occupancy in the parking lot, she said.
“Basically, all seven parks should be available.
“Our data shows that downtown parking is over 85% full, with some areas only having one in 10 parks available, and many areas with no parks at all.
“In terms of finding the best park, I liken it to buying concert tickets. If you want the best parking, you pay a premium, but if you're happy with the distance, you pay a little less. It will be.”
Mike Neil, executive director of Hamilton Central Business Association and managing director of NAI Harcourt, said it was important to have free parking in the city centre.
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“It's important to have a free period. I would have liked it to remain two hours (free parking), but I understand the pressure from council. And an hour is better than doing nothing. is good.”
Smart parking meters have replaced the old-fashioned “lollipop” coin meters. Photo/Daniel Zollikhofer
Mr Neal said it would take time for people to get used to the new parking system.
He believed the changes would free up parking in the city center over time, as the council said, but expressed concerns about the practicality of the new concept.
“(The new system) is not as easy to use as I would like. I hope people don't turn away from CBD saying it's too complicated.
“But I think within the next six to 12 months we'll have a better idea[of how people will react to change]. Then we'll be able to see if things need to be fixed. It will be.”
Today is also the day when the central government's increase in parking violation fines comes into effect.
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On average, more than 50,000 people park in the downtown area, which is home to 2,600 businesses and employs 22,000 people.
In the year to March 2023, the central city contributed an estimated $3.2 billion (approximately 25%) to Hamilton's GDP.
For more information about the new parking zones and government parking fines, visit hamilton.govt.nz/parking.
