Live enforcement of Grafton’s parking scheme begins today. If you missed the original deadline, applications have now re-opened, and will remain open as long as there are permits left to issue. You can apply at at.govt.nz if you are in the zone:
Even if you have off street parking and do not require a permit, you are eligible for up to 50 residential 1 day coupons per annum, which can be used by friends, family or contractors to park in the zone for a full day. Currently these are scratch cards that are left on the dashboard. They will eventually be replaced by an electronic scheme.
Feedback from residents so far is mixed – leaning towards the positive. While many people are thrilled that they can now find on-street parking during business hours, evenings and weekends are still a problem as hospital & university staff and visitors fill up the streets. This is particularly true of Seafield View Road, where exclusive 24/7 resident’s only parking has been removed, prompting employees to park there for entire shifts overnight. GRA lobbied hard for the parking scheme to operate later into the evening, and particularly during Domain events, but these requests fell on deaf ears.
Safety concerns for hospital staff working after hours shifts makes street parking close to the hospital popular.