27 November 2015

Know Your Number Plate – You’ll Need It to Pay at the New Park & Ride

Patients and visitors will need to know their number plate when they go to pay at Christchurch Hospital’s new Park & Ride site on the old Saleyards at Deans Avenue, which opens next Tuesday(December 1).

The private developer of Christchurch Hospital’s new Park & Ride car park at the former Saleyards in Deans Avenue is installing a high-tech number plate recognition system – this means all users of the car park will need to know their vehicle’s number plate.

Mary Gordon, Canterbury DHB Acting chief executive, says it’s a good idea to have your number plate written on a piece of paper tucked away in your purse or wallet or keep it in your contacts in your mobile phone.

“It will save you walking to and from your car to the pay station if you don’t know your number plate,” Mary says.

The Deans Ave car park will open 300 Canterbury DHB allocated parks at 7am on Tuesday 1 December and will remain open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The free Park & Ride shuttles will run seven days a week from 7am – 8:30pm.

“Three shuttles are constantly on the road driving between the car park and hospital,” Ms Gordon says.

“Everyone using the new car park will need to enter their number plate when they pay at one of the pay stations at the new Deans Ave car park.

“There will be people available to help guide car park and shuttle users.”

Ms Gordon says here are 18 mobility parks and 20 parent and child parks located close to the portacom waiting area.

“Drive in and you will see the Canterbury DHB’s parks to the left marked with red flags. Everyone is asked to ‘angle park’.”

A coffee cart, with fresh coffee and food will be on site. There will also be a portaloo, she says.

“The shuttle ride is likely to take 15 minutes and for fit and able-bodied people, the pleasant walk through Hagley Park is about 15-20 minutes," Ms Gordon says.

“We hope we can make the new Park & Location just as successful, if not better, than the one we have had in place on the Metro Sports site since last October.”

What else you need to know:

• Parking rates are a flat fee of $5 for a day or part thereof. A ‘day’ runs up till midnight – for example if you arrive at 7am and leave at 11.30pm, that’s one day. If you arrived at2pm and park until 7am the following day, that would be considered two days parking and cost $10

• The developer is planning to eventually open an additional 500 car parks on the site but note: these additional car parks won’t be available from 1 December

• Barrier arms are expected to be installed around mid-December. In the interim there will be someone checking for payment as you exit. i.e. until the barrier arms are installed, you will need to show your receipt to the person manning the car park exit

• Once the barrier arms are installed, the system will scan your number plate and the barrier arm will open automatically for those who have paid for their parking

How to pay

You can either pay when you first arrive – after you’ve parked your vehicle or when you return from hospital.

• Option 1 – pay when you arrive
•
After you’ve parked your car head to a pay station, pay $5 for your day’s parking (you will need to enter your vehicle’s number plate number) then head off on the shuttle (or walk to hospital). Keep your receipt to show on your way out.

• Option 2 – pay when you return
•
After you’ve returned to the car park from hospital, pay at a pay station, $5 for the day - and you will need to enter your vehicle’s number plate number. Keep your receipt to show on your way out.

Ways to pay

• Coins (notes not accepted)

• Credit card – this will incur a 9 cent additional charge.

• Eftpos

ENDS

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