Stickers identifying drivers aged over 75 have been withdrawn by the Dunedin City Council, amid concerns they could be ageist and spur safety fears.
The parking exemption stickers were introduced in 2003, offering Dunedin drivers aged 75 and over free parking.
A new sticker was issued recently for rear windscreens, making them easier for parking wardens to see.
However, the council this week announced it was scrapping the stickers, after concerns were raised by senior citizen advocacy groups and older drivers.
Instead, the council would issue laminated notices, to be placed on dashboards, council customer services manager William Robertson said.
Age Concern Otago chief executive Susan Davidson was among those to raise concerns last week, after hearing some older drivers were worried about parking their stickered cars outside their homes.
"They thought it was a safety and security thing. Certainly, the idea of having something outside their house that identified them as 75-plus made them feel vulnerable," Ms Davidson said.
She was also uneasy with the idea the stickers were designed to cater to older motorists, who might forget to display laminated signs.
"Other people don't have their age flashing around on their cars and things. Why should people over the age of 75?
"If the intention was to deal with older people being forgetful, then that's an ageist attitude, really. Not all older people are forgetful."
Mr Robertson said the stickers had been considered easier for parking wardens to read, and for motorists to remember.
However, he was happy to be able to reassure them the "preferred method will be the one we use".
Anyone having difficulty removing their stickers could request assistance from the council's customer services agency, he said.
