Will Hobart’s smart meter parking plan be complicated by State Government acquiring Macquarie and Davey streets?

UPDATED: THE council has forecast a $3.14 million increase in parking revenues from the integrated parking system.

A Hobart City Council car parking officer is pictured in Salamanca Place. Picture: MATT THOMPSON

HOBART’S new parking meters are popping up across the city but it’s uncertain when they will be rolled out for use.

Last year, the Hobart City Council announced it would rollout a 2100-strong fleet of in-ground parking sensors across the city as part of its $3.9 million parking revamp.

People will pay for parking through a mobile app that counts down time and sets reminders.

The sensors are part of an integrated parking system where parking officers will be notified when a vehicle exceeds its parking limit.

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The new system includes replacing on-street parking meters and voucher machines with 310 multi-payment option parking meters at Salamanca Place, Dunn Place, Condell Place and Leroy St carparks.

The sensors cost $980,000, while the meters cost a little more than $2.6 million. Software and installation cost $275,000.

The in-ground sensors were supposed to be rolled out in Elizabeth, Liverpool, Davey, Harrington, Collins and Bathurst streets.

But with the State Government planning to acquire Macquarie and Davey streets the future of the parking sensors on those streets was in doubt.

However, a council spokesman said the rollout of the meters was scheduled to start shortly once the new meters were programmed.

“The final batch of meters arrived today [Thursday] from overseas,” he said.

“The takeover of Davey and Macquarie streets has no impact whatsoever on the rollout.”

In this year’s council budget, the council forecast an increases in parking revenues of $3.14 million (14.3 per cent) and parking expenses of $0.58 million due to the rollout of the integrated parking system.