Fight rising petrol prices – carpool and save on parking!

With increasing petrol prices we thought it was a good time to remind you that Council has a great carpool system that rewards you with free parking in prime city locations.

All you need to do is register your carpool with Nelson City Council. The three parking locations are: Haven Road by ANZAC Park, Harley Street, off Bridge Street and Kerr Street, by Smiths City.

It’s still super easy to sign up for free carpool parking. Go to the Council carpool page to sign up, or just call in to the office to do it. Each person registered gets a permit that must be displayed on the dash board of the car you carpool in that day.

Why carpool?

If you’re not convinced that carpooling is right for you, think about this.

• You’ll save money – you’ll save on petrol, parking fees and wear and tear on your vehicle.
• It’s more sociable – you can make new friends or create stronger bonds with colleagues when you travel together.
• Makes you more mobile – if you don’t have a car or can’t drive, joining a carpool gives you another convenient transport option.
• It’s kinder to the environment - carpooling means less cars on the road, which means less traffic congestion and less damage to the environment.
• Getting your carpool to run smoothly

Council has a pamphlet available with lots of handy hints for getting your carpool up and running efficiently. It lays out some things you need to discuss with your group. For instance:

Decide who will drive (and whether you take turns), drop off and pick up points, if it’s okay to stop along the way, how long you’ll wait for late comers, a back up plan in case of emergency, how to share the costs, whether eating, drinking or music is allowed during your commute.

It’s important to sort out these ground rules ahead of time. Give your carpool a couple of weeks for a good routine to establish.

For more information and to register a carpool go to the carpool page.