Huge change coming to ticketless parking fines after outrage in one state
Municipalities will soon no longer be allowed to issue controversial fines for parking without a parking card. This step is seen as a victory for ‘common sense’.
New South Wales Finance Minister Courtney Houssos is set to introduce a ban on parking without a ticket this month, after councils collected $155 million in fines last year.
The measure follows years of complaints from drivers who indicated that they could only appeal against the fines after it was too late.
The current fine system, introduced in 2020 under former Premier Gladys Berejiklian, allowed park rangers to issue digital fines that drivers would not be aware of until weeks later.
Due to the time difference, drivers were unable to collect evidence, such as a photo of their parked vehicle, immediately after receiving the fine.
In addition, drivers could no longer remember the details of their parking spot from weeks ago, making them less likely to appeal the violation.
‘There is a lot of frustration among motorists and community members about the ticketless parking system – and rightly so,’ Mrs Houssos told the Daily Telegraph.
‘The system of parking fines without a parking card was introduced by the previous government, without taking into account the consequences for motorists and families.’
New South Wales Finance Minister Courtney Houssos will introduce an effective ban on ticketless parking fines this month (stock image)
Recent data shows that municipalities issued 822,310 fines for parking without a parking ticket last financial year, almost 50 percent more than the year before.
The new laws require parking attendants to leave a physical note informing drivers that they have been issued a ticket.
Proponents of the ticketless system claimed it would reduce confrontation between drivers and park rangers.
In very limited circumstances, park rangers may still issue tickets without physical notice, such as when new warning signs are posted.
NRMA spokesman Peter Khoury described the abolition of no-fines as a way to increase public confidence in councils.
“Paying parking fines without a parking ticket removed transparency and made it virtually impossible for drivers to appeal their fine if they felt they had a legitimate case,” he said.
Phillip Foglin, a concrete worker from Sydney, was an outspoken critic of the system after receiving a fine in the mail three weeks after the law came into effect.
Recent data shows that municipalities issued 822,310 parking violation fines last fiscal year, an increase of almost 50 percent compared to the previous year (stock image)
When he asked the municipality for photographic evidence that his car was parked incorrectly, the fine was withdrawn.
“It’s frustrating because I came and left within the time limit feeling like I had done nothing wrong, and yet they could just issue a fine without any evidence,” Mr Foglin said.