Tauranga City Council remains confident a new parking system will reduce parking infringements in the CBD.

In July 2013, Council introduced a new parking regime in the central city which separated the city into three separate hourly zones costing $1 for the yellow zone, $2 for the green zone, or $3 for the blue zone.

Tauranga City Council transportation manager Martin Parkes believes the chances of receiving an infringement notice will always be higher in the city centre.

The charges apply between 9am and 4pm Monday to Friday and 9am to 1pm on Saturdays.

The new regime of zoned fees and charges was approved under the City Council's Annual Plan, which gives the transportation manager authority to raise or lower parking fees up to 50 per cent as required. Read more about the changes here.

But figures released by council show between July and December 2012 parking wardens issued 2793 tickets for failing to display a valid parking ticket. They also issued 2823 for displaying an expired ticket.

For the same period in 2013, wardens issued 2780 for no valid parking ticket, a slim decrease of 13, while displaying an expired ticket rose more than 400 to 3208.

Tauranga City Council transportation manager Martin Parkes says the minor change in the number of infringement tickets is down to the high level of demand for parking, particularly in the city centre.

'The chances of receiving an infringement notice will always be higher in the city centre,” says Martin.

'Educating the public about how to avoid receiving an infringement notice is part of our everyday business. Whether this will translate into a reduction in the number of notices being issued, only time will tell.”

The changes to the parking regime follow 18 months of workshops, meetings and focus groups with elected members, city centre retailers and business owners, Tauranga's Mainstreet organisation, and people who regularly visit the city centre.

Martin is pleased parking warden staff are noticing a 'significant” drop in complaints about parking in the CBD, both verbal and written, from members of the public, putting this down to the removal of time restrictions.

This comes after council scrapped the requirement to move out of an area when the time limit is been reached. As long as a valid pay and display ticket is displayed, the meter can be topped up.

The new regime also allows the option to use the same pay and display ticket anywhere within the same coloured parking zone.

A pay and display ticket with time remaining, from the top shelf blue zone can be used in the green and yellow zones, but a $1 an hour yellow zone ticket can't be used in the $2 an hour green zone – or the $3 an hour blue zone.

'I put this down to the fact that time limits have been removed from most of the city centre. People are now in control of how long they stay instead of council imposing this on them,” says Martin.

'People will always be at risk of receiving an infringement notice if they chance not buying a parking ticket or fail to display a parking ticket or fail to display a valid WoF or rego.

'The public should be aware that WoF's and rego's are enforced across the city, not just in the city centre. Having a roadworthy vehicle reduces the risk and severity of a crash.

But he is content with the new regime and also believes the public are happy, even happier since council reduced the $3 zone to $2 in September.

Council are yet to release figures for tickets issued on Saturday's after the re-introduction of pay and display charges for on-street parking in the CBD in July also. Parking buildings and off-street parking remains free on Saturdays.