Moreton Bay Regional Council launches crack down on illegal CBD parking

A team of parking officers will patrol traffic hot spots seven days a week and fine those who disobey the parking rules. HAVE YOUR SAY

A southeast Queensland council is taking a stand against illegal parking – hiring a dedicated team of parking officers to patrol the CBD and dish out fines seven days a week.

Moreton Bay Regional Council Mayor Peter Flannery said the move was in response to business owners complaining that all-day illegal parkers were taking precious on-street spaces from customers.

Business owners have had issues with the lack of parking officers patrolling CBD hot spots such as Redcliffe, Caboolture and Strathpine for many years.

Parking in streets surrounding the Redcliffe Hospital was a major issue last year when the hospital introduced paid parking.

Last year council rolled out its new smart parking in and around the North Lakes CBD which allows drivers to use an app to find vacant spaces.

Cr Flannery said the new team of parking officers had all been allocated identified hot spots around the Moreton Bay region.

Illegal parking in the streets surrounding Redcliffe hospital has increased since the hospital introduced paid parking. Picture: Renae Droop

While council was not able to provide any figures or data on how many fines had been issued and how this compared to 2020 Cr Flannery said the new measures were proving effective.

“The biggest issue we found in our CBDs was the sheer number of motorists who were blatantly overstaying the permitted parking times,” he said.

“Some people might think we arbitrarily make up the parking times on signs, but they’re actually there to turn over traffic so businesses get a steady flow of customers.

“I have to thank businesses for bringing this issue to our attention.

“My advice to anyone who’s been deliberately overstaying parking times in areas like Caboolture, North Lakes, Redcliffe and Strathpine, is to stop before you get fined.

“We now have dedicated officers on patrol in those areas seven days a week, and penalties will immediately be applied if you don’t comply with the parking laws.”

People caught disobey parking rules in Moreton Bay CBDs will be fined.

RELATED STORY: Councillor says lack of parking spaces to blame for rise in fines

Vietnamese Bistro owner Robert Cramb said he was relieved to see parking officers monitoring the streets of Redcliffe after he called for a change last year.

“The problem we had was that visitors park in Sutton Street, then they go to the beach and leave their car in our parking spots all day,” Mr Cramb said.

“It’s not ideal for business to have all your car parks constantly occupied by people who have no intention of spending money in those businesses.

“I’m glad council has not only listened to our concerns, but they’ve taken action that will help us in the long run.”

Council parking officers will also collect data that will inform decisions on local parking laws specific to each region.

People visiting Redcliffe’s Settlement Cove Lagoon will have to make sure they park in the correct places to avoid a fine. Photo Marty Watson

Redcliffe Peninsula Chamber of Commerce president Brad Flynn said this was a good step in the right direction.

“Overall this is a big thumbs up from the business world,” he said.

“And it’s a big bonus to know that these officers will be collecting parking data so we can be proactive about solutions in the future.

“Council has been a great help to businesses throughout COVID-19 through their stimulus package and it’s good to see them follow up with something that should help longer term.”