Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi
Auckland drivers should expect more frequent parking fines as the city's transport agency continues to grow its fleet of automatic plate-recognition vehicles.
A fleet of 25 cars equipped with cameras are now patrolling Auckland's streets on a daily basis, hunting for parking infringements.
"We started back in 2019 with two cars and then progressively over the years as our technology has got better we've introduced more cars into the fleet and we now have a fleet of 25 cars operating between [Pukekohe] and Wellsford," parking services manager John Strawbridge told Morning Report.
"We introduced this, really, as a response to increased threats and violence to our officers, which continues today but every day we try to get better to make sure of the wellbeing and safety of our officers out on the street."
The plate-recognition technology was responsible for more than half a million tickets in 2024, double that of the year before.
Strawbridge acknowledged that was a lot of revenue for Auckland Transport, but said it wasn't about the money.
"Revenue is always a consequence of non-compliance... From Auckland Transport's perspective we would rather have compliance than give out tickets any day of the week," he said.
"However, compliance comes from consistency over time so if we're not consistent in applying the rules then the kerbside can become a little bit of carnage, actually."
But he clarified that the tickets were not sent out automatically.
"It's still an officer at the end of the day that makes the decision on the infringement," Strawbridge said.
"The evidence pack is collected by the camera car and that takes a number of sweeps through the different areas that it's looking at... Then back to the office and the sworn officers do the decision making on the infringements."
Despite the futuristic technology, Strawbridge noted that Auckland Transport still mailed tickets the old fashioned way.
"I wish it was as easy as an email, in fact it's all posted out. They get hard copies and it's all posted to the registered owner of the vehicle," he said.
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
