Photo: AIMAN AMERUL MUNER / The Timaru Herald
By Rachael Comer, Stuff
Fed up with its customers being unable to find a car park, McDonald's has introduced parking limits at its Timaru restaurant.
The fast food outlet on State Highway 1/Evans St is next to Ashbury Park, a sports ground owned by the Timaru District Council which is busy most weekends with sporting fixtures.
It is also adjacent to KFC and Briscoes, and the area is known to become congested with traffic at times.
But the new parking rules caught some customers off guard after they received fines in the mail for parking at the restaurant for more than 90 minutes.
Timaru McDonald's licensee John Musgrave said the company did not want to upset its customers, and fines would be waived for those who could prove they were at the restaurant at the time.
He knew of customers whose fines had already been waived, he said.
He said the parking limit, which was clearly signposted in the car park, had been introduced about three months ago.
"We were getting a lot of complaints about customers not being able to park in our parks.''
Some motorists took to social media over the weekend to complain about fines they had received in the mail from Smart Compliance Management for breaching the 90-minute limit.
Photo: AIMAN AMERUL MUNER / The Timaru Herald
Smart Compliance Management was the company hired to manage the car park for the landowner.
Those fined said their mail included photos of their vehicle and the time it entered, and exited, the car park. The information sent with the fine explained the breach notice had been issued as the vehicle was parked in violation of the restaurant's policies.
Those fined were given 21 days to pay the $85 fine, with the threat of a $20 administration fee being added should they fail to meet that deadline.
The limits only impacted those using the car parks that were not McDonald's customers, he said.
"We don't want to upset our customers,'' Musgrave said.
"As long as people can show they were in McDonald's at the time shown on the fine, they can contact us and it can be deleted.
"It's no big deal. We look after our customers.''
He said there were 10 signs in the car park warning motorists of the parking limit, as well as some in the store.
"There is plenty of signage.''
The signs said that the car park was private property, and was for McDonald's customers only.
"Please only park here if you are dining at our McDonald's restaurant,'' the signs said.
The time limit of P90 was also clearly visible on the signs.
Musgrave said fewer people who were not McDonald's customers seemed to be using the car park since the limit had been introduced.
- The Timaru Herald