In December, Southland District Council implemented parking restrictions on the island in hopes it would fix ongoing issues with people parking for extended periods in the township, sometimes for up to months at a time.
Stewart Island/Rakiura councillor Jon Spraggon said locals had improved their habits despite signage not yet being in place, a detail which meant the new rules were not actually enforceable.
"When you go down to the township, you can actually find a good parking space somewhere close to where you want to go," he said.
While there were still issues with holidaymakers and contractors, people were starting to consider where they pulled up, he said.
At its December meeting, the council approved changes to existing restrictions while adding new ones including time restrictions for popular parking areas.
The council did not enforce parking throughout the district, but police indicated they would undertake that work on the island.
Cr Spraggon did not know when the new signage would be installed but believed it could be in place by the end of the month.
He has previously said there were too many vehicles on the island for the number of people living there.
In addition to parking changes, a temporary one-way trial in Dundee St was also approved in an effort to improve road safety.
The changes were consulted on during October and November.
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
