Drivers parking illegally face much steeper fines

Drivers parking illegally will face a much steeper fine from today, as new rates for infringements kick in to keep up with inflation.

But Auckland's mayor wants the government to go further, and says the council should be able to set its own fines.

Parking fines have not changed since 2004, and in many places they barely cover the cost of towing a vehicle.

The fines are set by the government under the Land Transport Act, while parking is policed by local authorities.

A driver parking without paying would have been charged $40 on Monday - that has been hiked to $70 from Tuesday.

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown wants the increases to go further, and told the Minister of Transport in a July letter that adjusting fines to inflation would not stop people parking illegally.

"While increasing the fees by CPI may be technically implementable, the fees will still be completely inadequate to encourage compliance and enable effective enforcement It's my impression that the Ministry of Transport is not capable of helping in this debate by merely tinkering with things.

"Many Aucklanders, including people I know, do not regularly pay for parking because the fines are so low."

He said fines in Auckland had reason to be higher than in the rest of the country.

"As I have said several times, the idea that the maximum fine should still be the same in Auckland and Gore is pathetic."

Brown urged the Minister to "loosen the Ministry of Transport's grip" on fines, and enable his council to control the settings for Auckland.

Higher fines on Auckland streets?

People on the street in Auckland agreed that there was a case for making fines higher in the city.

"Potentially Auckland city's got alternatives to private transport, whereas somewhere like Gore probably doesn't, and doesn't have the congestion I'm guessing," one man said.

"It's probably a supply and demand thing, I imagine so, parts of Auckland's probably more than others as well," said another.

"Probably because of the amount of people that live here, and the amount of traffic, it's probably right that it's distributed a bit higher in Auckland," a woman said.

AA senior policy advisor Sarah Geard said councils would need to make a case for having control of setting fines.

"I don't see a case for it. Having local authorities set fines would be a big shift in approach - it's something that sits at the national level. The fines just need to be set at a rate where they're a deterrent."

She said it made sense for fines to be higher where the price of parking was higher, like in Auckland's city centre.

"Even in Auckland, the new fines are more than the cost of parking. So this factor, along with the likelihood of being caught, should be an incentive for people to do the right thing, but if it's not, it's something that could be revisited."

The biggest increase is the fine for parking in a mobility park - from $150 to $750.

Disability support network chief executive Peter Reynolds said $150 was too low to stop able-bodied people from parking in mobility spots.

"It's been a significant problem, I suppose in certain areas, usually where it's most convenient for people to nab a disability park for their own purposes."

But he wanted businesses with private mobility parks - like supermarkets - to up the ante on enforcement.

"We think that businesses who have an obligation to meet the needs of disabled people should also be encouraged to police their carparks and ensure that the right people are using them."

The Minister of Transport has been asked for a response.