Parking Enforcement Services (PES) have been contracted to conduct a parking enforcement trial at two car parks over the next three months, a University of Otago spokesperson has confirmed to Critic Te Ārohi.
You may recognise PES from major supermarket parking lots in Dunedin, or, if you’re unlucky, from a letter you received after sneaking out of the Centre City New World car park and going into town. PES are owned by Wilson Parking NZ — Aotearoa’s largest parking service provider.
The trial began April 13th and currently covers the Benham Building (next to DropKicks) and Union Place East car parks. It is expected to last until July but there are no confirmed plans to expand the trial to cover more University car parks at this stage.
In a statement provided to Critic, the University explained that parking enforcement is currently “costly and disruptive” for the parking team. The University spokesperson explained that currently “vehicles parked without a valid licence in these spaces are subject to towing at the owner’s expense”. Calling a tow truck every time someone tries to game the parking system was an “administrative burden on the University’s parking team”.
It’s important to note that Parking Enforcement Service will only provide infringement notices during the parked tow-away hours in each parking lot. This is typically around 7:30am-5:30pm, but it varies by car park, so be sure to check. Driving to the library on a dusty Sunday lives on (for now).
If you live far away from campus, you know parking is a hot commodity near the Uni. The University manages over 2300 car parks across their campuses, and these are mostly rented out for staff and student use during working hours. This trial will mean a crack down on the rules for some of the limited car parks that are available to students.
A ticket is still a better option than towing for almost all students though. Timon, a 4th year living in South D, said that “I would rather have to pay a ticket than pick up my car from a tow yard… I also could just try to dispute the ticket, because you usually get off of them if you try.”
The University hopes that this trial, if successful, can bring about “improved compliance and a reduction in the time and resources currently required to manage parking infringements”. So if you’re being cheeky with the parking rules, it may be time to drive off into the sunset (and find another goated spot).
