Councils in a major Australian city appear to be forced to make a radical change in the way they issue parking fines after suffering a huge backlash from drivers.
Sydney councils have been ignoring a New South Wales government directive requiring parking officers to stop issuing fines for unpaid parking.
Unsuspecting drivers are finding out they have been ticketed only weeks later, rather than having a ticket placed on their windscreen, it has been reported. The Daily Telegraph.
Under this system, drivers lose the opportunity to challenge the fine by gathering evidence immediately after being fined.
The Minnesota government is now preparing to ban paperless parking tickets altogether.
The radical change will mean council parking officers will have to notify drivers who have been fined by leaving a physical card.
Otherwise, councils are faced with the costly option of changing all parking signs to warn drivers who could unwittingly receive a fine.
Last financial year, suburban councils raised more than $155 million in revenue from ticketless parking fines, thanks to a 47 per cent increase in the number of tickets issued.
In March, NSW Finance Minister Courtney Houssos (pictured) wrote to 128 councils asking them to revert to the old system of paper fines left on car windscreens.
Since Ms Houssos’ request, 30 councils have indicated they would return to traditional paper fines, while other councils are waiting until the state government forces them to do so.
Last year, more than 800,000 drivers were ticketed for parking without a permit, compared to nearly 560,000 who received a ticket on the spot.
Paperless parking tickets were initially introduced on a trial basis in 2020 by then-Premier Gladys Berejiklian, before being expanded to more councils.
By March this year, 48 municipalities had implemented paperless parking tickets.
At Sydney City Council, the number of parking fines rose by almost 10 per cent in 2023-24 compared to the previous year.
Mayor Clover Moore’s council imposed nearly $45 million in fines on drivers.
Liverpool City Council in south-west Sydney racked up more than $4 million in parking fines last financial year, a 20 per cent year-on-year increase.
Paperless parking tickets were initially introduced on a trial basis in 2020 by then-Premier Gladys Berejiklian, before being expanded to more councils.
Following complaints from angry drivers earlier this year, NSW Finance Minister Courtney Houssos has banned new councils from introducing paperless parking fines.
In March, Ms Houssos wrote to 128 local councils, asking them to return to the old system of paper fines left on car windscreens.
‘I am asking your council to improve its parking ticket process so that drivers receive immediate written notification at the time they are issued a parking ticket.
“This is not currently a requirement of the plan.”
Since applying, 30 councils have indicated they would revert to traditional paper fines, while other councils are waiting until the state government forces them to do so.
Ms Houssos said the response from drivers was “overwhelmingly” in support of “on-the-spot notifications for parking fines” rather than paperless tickets.
“While the ticketless system has some benefits, I am aware of community concerns around the issuance of ticketless parking fines, particularly the timeliness of ticket notifications,” he said.
“If councils are unwilling to offer a common sense solution, the NSW Government will step in and use our policy tools to ensure the ticketless parking system meets community expectations.”