A new parking scheme rolled out in several upmarket Sydney suburbs has come under fire, with drivers claiming the system invades their privacy.
North Sydney City Council has introduced a system that requires motorists to download an app and create an account when they want to park their car.
Executives have criticised the system since it was introduced in July, saying it is too complicated because they have to provide private information.
The required information includes their full name, phone number, email address, zip code, license plate number and credit card information.
An 8.25 percent surcharge will be added to each transaction when drivers pay via the new Touch N Go machines or the PayStay app.
2GB host Ben Fordham slammed the system on Wednesday, saying it had caused confusion as the old parking meters were still in place.
“The old parking meters are still there, with garbage bags over them and covered with masking tape,” he said.
‘There are people who stop, park and think: OK, the parking meters are not working, so I’m not going to bother.
A new parking system rolled out in several upmarket Sydney suburbs has come under fire, with drivers claiming it invades their privacy.
‘Then you get back in the car and you realize that you should actually be aware of this other system. You download the app, give all your details and try to solve the problem.’
Irritated listener Jody wrote to the station calling the payment system a “complete joke.”
She said she had seen an elderly person struggling to adjust to the new system.
“What happened to anonymously throwing a coin into a meter and just going about your day?” she wrote.
‘Since when did it become so complicated and time-consuming just to park the car?
‘Is this going to be the norm? Everywhere I’ve parked in Crows Nest there’s no physical parking meter, just a sign that says ‘pay by phone’ and a sign that takes you to a website.
“When you go to the website, it tells you to download an app. When you download the app, you have to create an account and sign in.”
Jody had to provide her name, phone number, email address, zip code, license plate number and credit card information to use the app.
One resident vented his frustration on social media, claiming parking had become an “absolute nightmare”.
“What happened to throwing a few coins in the meter? The whole system is a joke – and we are the punchline,” he wrote.
Northy Sydney City Council rolled out the new parking system in July – with the
‘North Sydney Council prides itself on being solar powered and environmentally friendly, but you can’t navigate through it. It’s almost impossible.’
Jessica Keen, a candidate for the Liberal North Sydney City Council, said she had also tried to use the new parking system but was “caught out”.
‘I was on the council for four years and I was on the traffic committee,“I know a lot about parking meters and I was like Jody trying to figure it out,” she said.
Other listeners told Fordham they couldn’t use the system because they didn’t have cell phones. Others were concerned about the elderly residents.
A North Sydney City Council spokesperson said the council is actively working with residents to address their frustrations.
He said drivers could pay for parking in three ways: through parking meters, Touch N Go machines and the PayStay app.
The surcharge only applies when using the Touch N Go boxes or the PayStay app.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted North Sydney City Council for comment.