No parking at night on Peel Street blue lines

Look out for the broken bright blue lines painted on the road in Peel Street. They indicate the clearway that is now in place in Peel Street between Gladstone Road and Childers Road. Any vehicle parked in the clearway between 11pm and 5am Monday to Sunday, will get a $60 fine.  Any unoccupied vehicle will be issued a ticket and then towed from the area and placed in storage.  The owner of the vehicle then has to make arrangements with the towage firm to get their car back.  This is over and above the $60 fine. Signs have been erected and police will be reminding drivers about the clearway. After a short trial period, police will be issuing infringement fines from Sunday 18 October.

A joint initiative between Gisborne police, council and Heart of Gisborne, the clearway will help police deal with late night fighting and other disorderly behavior in this area.  "Over the last few months police have been cordoning off both sides of Peel Street at night and this has been effective," said Sergeant Isaac Ngatai. "The rate of disorder offences and breaches of the liquor ban has dropped significantly. Cordoning off the street involves erecting bollards and using police security tape which is time consuming for busy police officers and makes the street look like a crime scene. Restricting cars in the area means people can't hide alcohol, stops loitering long after closing time and restricts the number of "hiding places" for trouble makers." 

"There is strong support for the initiative from Heart of Gisborne, nearby retailers and businesses that are open at night in the area," said council engineering and works manager Peter Higgs. "The clearway system was chosen as it is a low impact, low cost approach that is flexible should the problem behavior move to another area. Council wants to work with the police to ensure the city is safe for residents and visitors at all times of the day and night. The clearway system makes it easier for police to do their job and keeps our city centre looking attractive and welcoming."

The clearway will be in place over the busy summer period and be reviewed in 6 months. 

Read the public notice