New Electronic Car Park Signs Mean Quicker, Easier Parking

New electronic signs designed to help Wellington road users find parking spaces were switched on around the city on Friday 12 October.

The signs will progressively display to drivers the number of available parking spaces in nearby Wilson Parking, Care Park and Tournament car parks as these are connected to the system. Until then the car park will be shown as 'open'.

There are five signs located around the city at Featherston Street, Waterloo Quay, Cable Street, Cambridge Terrace and Vivian Street.

Information is provided electronically to the signs from car parks in real time.

The technology behind the signs is proven and used in Auckland and other main centres around New Zealand.

The signs have cost Wellington City Council around $300,000 to develop, commission and install. Installation has been rolled out over the past month, with foundations, power supplies and communication systems put in place.

Wilson Parking, Care Park and Tournament worked in partnership with the Council to get the new signs up and running. The operators have an ongoing commitment to the system, and will need to calibrate the signs from time to time to ensure the information is accurate.

The Council's Transport Portfolio Leader Councillor Andy Foster, who is responsible for the city's transport systems, says the signage will be a huge boost to drivers in the Capital, making parking much quicker and easier.

"The signs should remove a lot of frustration experienced by drivers in the past. People can see at a glance where there are available spaces and then decide which car park to drive to, instead of driving round the block numerous times and wasting petrol," says Cr Foster.

"With such a level of investment, we wanted to make sure the technology wouldn't become outdated. We've done a lot of research, and made sure that the systems are compatible and flexible enough to cope with technology changes in the future.

"This is a tried and tested system that works really well for drivers in other towns and cities in New Zealand, and now for Wellingtonians too."