The Fix owner-operator Mandy Smart said yesterday businesses planned to pay for the man's legal costs after he was charged on Wednesday with careless use of a vehicle, obstructing police in the course of their duty and refusing to give personal details.
The man at the centre of the drama, who did not want to be named, was keen yesterday to acknowledge that reaction, after a day of handshakes and hugs as he did his round.
A day after the event, he felt his actions were "probably a silly thing to do".
But drivers were just doing their job, and trying to park in a way that did not disrupt traffic.
"We're receiving tickets for that."
Mrs Smart said people she had spoken to were "keen to put in" for the man's legal costs.
"The heart of the matter is decent people are forced to turn bad.
"We've had other drivers this morning saying they feel like doing the same thing."
The Dunedin City Council needed to address the problem "immediately".
The incident has prompted a strong reaction on the Otago Daily Times website.
"I hope the guy who did this protest reads this, and if he does, I say to him `bravo mate!', one person wrote.
Another described the man as "a hero".
The driver's boss, Brendon McPhee, general manager of food service distributor Bidvest Foodservice, said the company had received 20 telephone calls, from as far afield as Oamaru, congratulating the driver and "basically saying good on him".
Others contacted the ODT to highlight their continued concerns, including Leviathan Hotel owner Peter Laing, who organised a public meeting of angry business owners decried the parking changes.
Those concerns had not been allayed, despite the council announcing a review of the issue, he said.
Otago Chamber of Commerce chief executive John Christie said he had also received phone calls after the incident. The council was reviewing the parking strategy but solutions needed to be found quickly.
Fastway Couriers operations manager Ashley Brown said when contacted the problem for couriers was "most definitely" worse than before the changes.
There was a loading dock at the back of the Meridian building, but it took much longer for drivers to deliver goods than when they parked on the street.
The driver who blocked George St agreed the situation for delivery drivers had become much worse.
The public could now park on loading zones, leaving fewer spaces for delivery drivers.
Asked if the council would move more quickly to deal with the situation, Dunedin Mayor Peter Chin said changes had been made, and data would be reviewed after the end of this month.
"That will be the way it happens."
