Thinking about driving into the city today? You might want to think again.
On-street parking has just become a whole lot more expensive, with some prices up 162 percent.
One of the hardest-hit areas is Wynyard Quarter, where parking used to cost just $16 for a standard work day of eight hours.
Under the changes, parking in this area will now cost $42, while the inner-city zone one climbs from $56 a day to $63.
The changes come as the Auckland central parking zones reduce from three areas to two under Auckland Transport's parking strategy.
"Raising the price will encourage turnover of on-street parking spaces and encourage the use of cheaper off-street options for all-day parking," according to the parking strategy document.
Jon Reeves from the Public Transport Users Association says the price hikes could be a good thing for public transport.
"Perhaps some people will be moved out of cars and will want to catch a bus or a train or a ferry into work, because they'll realise it's actually going to be far more economical, therefore it's actually a win-win for the whole city."
He says many people have written off the public transport system without even trying it.
"It would actually be good if one day people think 'let's make it a week of catching public transport to work' and seeing how much easier it is."
For the first two hours, parking will cost either $3 or $4.50 per hour. After that, CBD parking will cost either $6 or $9 per hour, depending on the zone.
Most pay-and-display parking operates from 8am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday (excluding public holidays). Evening and weekend rates remain unchanged.
The price change is being rolled out over several weeks, so check the parking machine for the current hourly rate.
Newshub.
