The Queenstown Lakes District Council has pulled back by one hour on its trial of extended parking restrictions in Queenstown's CBD.
In a report to yesterday's council meeting in Wanaka, infrastructure principal planner Tony Pickard recommended parking restrictions be enforced until 10pm rather than until 6pm as at present.
However, after some debate, the council settled on 9pm for the trial beginning on October 3 and lasting for up to one year.
The purpose of the trial is to see if more parking can be freed up during the evening.
Queenstown town centre manager Steve Wilde told the meeting businesses had different opinions on the trial.
While retailers supported it because it was designed to increase the turnover of vehicles using parks, operators of hospitality businesses were concerned it could have a detrimental effect on them.
He asked the council to defer the trial until next year to enable businesses to be surveyed.
''Let's get more data around this on the effects on businesses before we proceed.''
Mayor Vanessa van Uden suggested the trial run until 8pm to cover the period of the evening when good vehicle ''turnover'' was needed, but not the later period when turnover was less important.
Suggesting the 9pm limit, Cr Scott Stevens said by then the rush hour was over and there would be benefits for those ''parking up'' to dine in restaurants.
Mr Stevens also questioned the need for the council to be enforcing parking restrictions at 8am.
He was thinking, he said, of the ''poor restaurant patrons'' who took taxis home from restaurants and went back to pick up their cars the next morning at 9am to find they had a ticket.
The meeting, however, decided the starting time for enforcement was a separate matter.
In the event the trial did not work, staff were given the authority to change its duration without the need for further council approval.
