Stephen Cropper and his wife had been selling hot food from a converted caravan in Great King St outside the University of Otago’s School of Dentistry for about two weeks earlier this month when Mr Cropper says they were targeted by Dunedin City Council parking officers.
Not long after, the parks were changed to a maximum of two hours, so Mr Cropper started to park three vehicles which he and his wife would switch in and out of parks throughout the day.
It was then parking officers started to target and ticket the vehicles, he said. On top of the $60 a day it was costing in parking, Mr Cropper said he received parking fines worth about $250.
Ultimately, he decided it was not worth the hassle and cost and was now looking for a spot elsewhere in the city.
Council animal and parking services team leader Peter Hanlin said, as members of the public had made official complaints about the caravan and other vehicles, it was obliged to investigate the issue, but the caravan was not targeted.
Parking enforcement officers regularly patrolled the busy area to ensure all vehicle owners followed the rules, Mr Hanlin said.
Park swapping was allowed under the council’s parking bylaw, he said.
Council transport strategy manager Nick Sargent said the change to two-hour parking was discussed as part of a parking plan for the area and was agreed to with neighbouring landowners.
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"Park swapping was allowed under the council’s parking bylaw"
So the question remains? If Mr Cropper didn't allow any one particular vehicle to
overstay in a metered park, why was he ticketed over $250?
And who instigated this 'discussion' over the reduction of time allowance? DCC parking wardens or landowners? Because it sounds EXACTLY like overzealous parking enforcement to me!
This article seems unfinished?
Nowhere does it explain why he was ticketed, or what excuse the council/parking wardens had for ticketing him. Since it says at the bottom that what he was doing is allowed.
Gee, with the amount the council are targeting the people, one would wonder if they have the time to spend on core business.
I agree with the previous posters, why was he ticketed if he was doing nothing wrong under the bylaws?
That aside, I think there is another question which seems to have been overlooked. While it appears that what he was doing appears to be ok under the law, doesn't it strike anyone as a little unfair to people in general that a commercial operation can tie up three public carparks for the whole day. This is an area of the city we are constantly being told is hard to get parking during the day. It is close to the hospital and the dental school where people often need to be able to park for a couple of hours, and yet three parks are unavailable to the general public for the entire day because of this guys business. While he pays for the spaces he occupies, that is not the intention of providing metered carparks. He should take his chances like everyone else or move to a place where he is not denying others their rights to a public carpark.
The rules need to be changed to make park swapping an offense under the bylaw.