FAQs - Pay by Plate
What is the difference between Pay by Plate and the PayMyPark app?
Pay by Plate is the new parking system in Blenheim which replaces the old coin meters and the Pay and Display terminals. Pay by Plate requires you to enter your licence number at a payment terminal when you pay. Your parking time and payment are recorded against your Licence Plate so you will not receive a ticket to display on your dashboard.
‘PayMyPark’ is an App that allows you to top up and pay for parking online.. It is not a Council developed App – it is provided by a business which specialises in parking. It is widely used in many towns and cities throughout New Zealand and it is now available in Blenheim.
I have heard it is expensive to pay using the app?
The App is free to download and can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play. There are fees to pay when you use your credit card or internet banking to top up your account, but these are on a sliding scale depending on the method used and amount of your top-up. The fees do not go to Council – they are charged by the App supplier, PayMyPark. A full list of their fees can be found on their website:
Go to PayMyPark App fees (scroll down to the heading 'Finances')
Do I pay the Council a fee as well as the PayMyPark app fee?
No. If you pay using a Pay by Plate meter you are using the Council’s system. The Pay by Plate meters accept coins or credit/debit cards. When you use a debit or credit card you will be charged a 5% fee. For example, $1 of parking will be $1.05 if you use a card to pay.
If you pay using the PayMyPark App you are using the App supplier’s software and they apply their own charges as per the sliding scale referred to above. Council collects the amount you pay for your parking, but does not collect any of the App fees.
In both cases the fees cover bank charges for card payment (Pay by Plate and PayMyPark App) and software charges (PayMyPark App).
Can I get a receipt from the machine?
No, this is a paperless system – see instructions above for obtaining a receipt.
Can I top-up my amount paid for parking?
Yes, you can top up at any terminal in the same zone but you cannot top up beyond the time limit for that zone.
(See Zone information below).
If I move to another space and I have some parking credit left can I park again for no charge?
Yes but you must park in another space in the same zone and the credit is only available until 5.00 pm on the same day. This means if you park in a car park with a four hour limit (Queen Street, High Street and Clubs of Marlborough) you can move between these three parks and retain your credit but you cannot move to a kerbside park and retain your credit because it has a two hour limit. The same goes if you try to move from a Zone 3 all day car park to a park with a four hour or two hour limit.
Why can’t I move freely around all carparks and keep using my credit?
Your parking start time begins when you first pay for parking. The system cannot know you have moved to a two hour car park and as soon as you click over two hours from the time you first paid you will show as having exceeded the time in your new parking space.
For example: I enter the High Street (4 hour limit) car park at 9.00 am and pay for three hours. At 10.30 am after one and a half hours I move to a kerbside park where I should be able to park for two hours. The system tells the Parking Warden I first paid at 9.00 am so at 11.15 am I am showing as having parked for two hours and fifteen minutes and because I am now parked in a kerbside (two hour) zone I am issued with a parking ticket for exceeding the time limit.
Can I check how much time I have left?
Yes you can go to any Terminal in the same zone and key in your plate number to find out how much time you have left.
You can then top-up there and then as long as you have not exceeded the time limit for that zone.
How do I know what the parking tariff is?
The tariff is displayed on the screen at each payment terminal and will differ depending on where you are parking.
What is a parking zone?
A zone is an area which has a specific tariff and time limit.
The zones in Blenheim and Picton are:
| Zone 1 | Kerbside $1.50 per hour - limit of 2 hours |
|---|---|
| Zone 2 | Off-street $1.00 per hour - limit of 4 hours (Queen Street, High Street and Clubs of Marlborough). |
| Zone 3 | Off-street $1 per hour / $4 per day - no time limit (Wynen Street, Railway Station, Scott and Kinross Streets). |
| Zone 4 | Off-street Picton township $1 per hour/$5 per day High Street limit 24 hrs Dublin Street limit 7 days Coathanger Bridge limit 6 weeks |
| Zone 5 | Picton Ferry Terminals $1 per hour/$6 per day Limit 6 weeks |
Will there be any change to disabled parking?
No, those displaying a valid disabled sticker in their windscreen will be allowed the same extended time as applies currently.
Will the Pay by Plate changes apply to the Alfred Street Parking building?
Yes, the parking building converted to PaybyPlate on the 8th of November 2021. The PaymyPark App is available for payments in the parking building and you can also pay by using the Parkeasy QR code which you will find on signs near the lifts on each floor of the building.
Will Pay by Plate changes apply to Picton?
Yes, Picton off-street parks and ferry terminals will convert to Pay by Plate on Monday 23 September 2019.
What is coupon parking?
Coupon parking is used on the PayMyPark app when you want to pay for more than one day's parking which is only permitted in Picton Dublin Street, Picton Coathanger Bridge and the Ferry Terminal carparks. To pay for multiple days select Coupon Parking and a drop down menu will provide the payment options.
Take a look at the website under parking to find out more about the new system including FAQs
