Tauranga City Council is set to pay $60,000 to replace the five city centre parking meters ripped from the ground and robbed.
The five meters at the Cameron Road end of 1st Avenue were targeted in vandalism, sometime between Sunday evening and yesterday morning.
One of the parking meters ripped from the ground on 1st Avenue. Photo: Tracy Hardy
When SunLive visited the scene yesterday the meters were destroyed and pried open, with no trace of money on the roadside.
Tauranga City Council communications adviser Marcel Currin says the replacement value of each of the units is between $9000 and $10,000.
Including installation, the council is looking at a figure closer to $60,000, says Marcel.
It is not known how much money was stolen but it is unlikely to exceed the cost of replacing the machines.
Police are understood to be viewing CCTV footage to continue their investigations and determine when the incident happened.
Marcel reminds motorists that the area is still a designated parking area and they must ensure they paid for parking while the matter was being dealt with.
'People still need to display a ticket when parking in those areas,” he says, 'even though some of the machines are gone.
'We will be looking at the distribution of pay and display machines to make sure there is a machine within reasonable distance of each parking space.”
7 comments
Unbelievable
Posted on 28-04-2015 15:32 | By YOGI BEAR
$60,000? WOW that much, I bet the real costs is more like $15,000 maybe $20,000, TCC costs are always way over the top and some.
Oooooh!!!
Posted on 28-04-2015 16:42 | By Accountable
It looks like one lot of parking thieves out doing the other lot of parking thieves. I wonder if the Mount could accommodate these second hand meters? I think they would fit the scene nicely.
TCC costs
Posted on 28-04-2015 17:03 | By hapukafin
I stand corrected but if my memory serves me right the cost to initially instal these machines were a lot less.When is theTCC ever going to come clean with ratepayers.
Recycle
Posted on 28-04-2015 18:53 | By Savi
The old style meters were much more user friendly, not to mention FAIR, would rather have them back.
@ devon
Posted on 28-04-2015 21:15 | By Captain Sensible
When the Mount was undemocratically forced to merge with Tga, there was a rule "written in stone" that no parking meters would be allowed in the Mount. TCC, against the spirit of the agreement, have installed 'pay & display' instead and think they are smart by that. It is a violation of the agreement and a play on words. So I certainly agree with you that both TCC and the vandals are both thieves.
@ Captain Sensible
Posted on 29-04-2015 11:14 | By Accountable
Can you please show me where I can see the rule that has been written in stone with my own eyes as I have heard this quote before but nobody can show me where I can see it written?
Tcc Logic
Posted on 29-04-2015 11:23 | By Towball
Although the meters have been destroyed you are still expected to locate an intact one where ever that maybe to fuel the local councils revenue collection fund. Why is there such a need for parking meters anyhow ?. I guess without them how else could council afford to do everything twice. Do it once do it wrong then have another go. Thats why they are so expensive to replace , install them then re-locate them again .
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