NSW motorists will be given a 10-minute “saving grace” period from January 31, as part of a package of changes designed to introduce a fairer and more common sense approach to parking fines in the state.
Councils across NSW will also for the first time be provided flexibility to lower their most common parking fines from 1 March 2019.
This will reduce a typical level 2 parking fine from $112 to $80.
Treasurer Dominic Perrottet said he will write to every council in NSW to advise them of their ability to reduce their parking fines following recent changes to regulations first flagged in the 2018-19 NSW budget.
“We cut 10 of the most common parking fines issued by the state government on July 1 by 25 per cent and councils and universities will now be able to choose to do the same,” Mr Perrottet said.
“Councils need to stop using parking fines as an excuse to get a sugar hit and look at ways they can save ratepayers’ money rather than hit them in the hip pocket.”
Councils and universities that wish to reduce their fines at the earliest opportunity will need to opt in by January 1.
But at least one NSW council is opposing the move.
Newcastle City Council chief executive officer Jeremy Bath said in June that he has no intention of bowing to state government pressure to cut parking fines.
In June, Mr Perrottet said on a visit to Newcastle he would “name and shame” councils that did not lower their parking fines.
“I call on Newcastle City Council – I call on the Labor Party – to get out of the way and cut the fines and do the right thing by the ratepayers.”
But Mr Bath told the Newcastle Herald that cutting fines would be counterproductive given the disruption caused by building projects in the city.
The government said in recognition of the lead time for councils and potential impact on their budgets, four further opportunities will be provided to councils during 2019 to opt in.
The “60 minutes + paper ticket = 10 minute grace period” will only apply if a motorist has paid for at least one hour of parking, and only where a physical ticket or coupon has been issued.
Meters that do not issue parking tickets or coupons, such as pay-and-go multi-bay or multi-space parking meters (where each car space has a number painted or letter on the ground an arrow pointing to the corresponding meter) are not eligible.
Mr Bath said parking fines were forecast to contribute $3.5 million to council's 2018-19 budget.
“If I reduce the size of a parking fine by 25 per cent, I immediately reduce people's willingness to comply with parking rules. This in turn reduces turnover of car parking spaces in the city.”
He said the CBD had lost almost 1000 car spaces due to light rail construction and other development work.
“While more than 3600 car spaces have been approved for the city in the past two years, almost all are contingent on the construction of associated development,” he said.
Newcastle City Council made $7.6 million in parking revenue in 2016-17, up $772,000 on the previous year, and $3.7 million in parking fines, up from $2.877 million.
