John St, Cabramatta nets council more than $1m in parking fines
They are the 60 streets that helped net Sydney councils more than $212 million in parking fine revenue. But it’s one 2.8km stretch of road that’s proving the ultimate surprising cash cow. IS YOUR LOCAL COUNCIL ON THE LIST?
A million dollars in parking fines were issued on one suburban Sydney street in a year, exposing how Sydney’s roads have become “paved in gold for local councils”.
But business owners, the NRMA, and NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet are now demanding local government stops the “blatant cash grab” worth a combined $212 million annually.
The Sunday Telegraph can reveal the 60 Sydney streets where motorists are most likely to get stung — with some surprising results.
The 2.8km long John St in Cabramatta is the third most lucrative street in NSW, taking more than a million dollars in parking fines during the 2017-18 financial year, Revenue NSW figures show.
Fairfield Council in Sydney’s southwest also made $545,296 from Canley Vale Rd in Canley Heights, ranking seventh.
Haldon St in Lakemba pulled in $495,368 for Canterbury-Bankstown Council and landed in 11th place.
All of these streets have seen significant increases on the amount they raised in 2016-17.
30 TONNES OF FERTILISER STOLEN FROM SYDNEY COUNCIL
COUNCIL FORCED TO PAY BACK MILLIONS IN PARKING FINES
“These streets are paved in gold for local councils,” NRMA spokesman Peter Khoury said.
“There needs to be a review of all councils and how they manage their parking infrastructure; $1m on a suburban street in Cabramatta is simply not good enough.”
The fines relate to 229 offences that include ignoring parking directions, parking after a meter has expired and even waiting too long for a soon-to-be-vacated parking spot.
“The system is meant to be there to manage parking infrastructure — not simply raise revenue,” Mr Khoury said.
“Any council that generates more than $1m in parking fines should be putting money directly into new parking areas and local roads.”
Top spot was taken out by Pitt St in the city, which pulled in $2.3m during 2017-18.
This is $285,259 more than what the 2.5km stretch generated in 2016-17, when it also finished first.
City of Sydney had 22 streets in the top 60 and made $40m in fine revenue in 2017-18.
Other strong contenders in the top 60 include Waverley Council (eight streets) and Inner West Council, which has five.
Both Waverley and Inner West Councils have switched off parking meters in the evenings to encourage motorists to visit local shops and restaurants.
Business owners and motorists are split on attitudes to enforcement.
Farid Khan, who runs Variety Video CD’s and Spice on Haldon St, Lakemba, praised authorities for clamping down on motorists parking in bus zones.
“There is a lot of parking in the area — people are just lazy,” Mr Khan, 67, said.
Lakemba man Syed Qasim, 48, agrees, saying “these people who break the law need to be punished”.
But down at Cabramatta, 40km from the Sydney CBD, business owners and their customers believe they are being targeted by an insatiable Fairfield council.
Delivery driver Athi Ganesh, 33, has copped three fines this year — the most recent witnessed by The Sunday Telegraph on Tuesday, May 21.
“I’m just going to have to avoid the area,” he said.
Lisa Nguyen, the co-owner of John St business JL Home and Digital, has been fined at least a dozen times unloading deliveries into her store, over the past three and a half years.
“I have even asked parking rangers if it was OK if I move my car to another spot to finishing unloading; they said ‘yes’, but then fined me anyway,” the 28-year-old said.
“There is no transparency. It is frustrating, especially if you know the parking officer.
“It seems like there is no leniency.”
Ms Nguyen said she has mainly been fined for overstaying the 30 minute parking limit.
However, she has also been stung while in her car because she was waiting too long, with her indicator on, for a parking spot soon to be vacated by a departing car.
“Nothing has changed in 20 years with the parking problem and yet the council just keeps on fining people; it is a money grab,” she said.
“I’ve asked council about changes that would make it better for business owners and shoppers, but they never respond.”
A Fairfield City Council spokeswoman said council officers “act to maintain vehicle safety and parking availability for visitors which ensures the success of these centres”.
“Unlike many other councils, we offer free on-street parking in our town centres to allow people to park and do business, and almost 1,700 off-street parking spaces,” she said.
“Council is committed to, and has an obligation to ensuring all residents shopping in our city centres can share in the thousands of parking spaces available across the city.”
The statistics also offer an insight into the tactics councils employ with some streets.
Many will go soft on streets one year and hard the next and vice versa.
Canley Vale Rd in Canley Heights went from being outside the top 60 in 2016-17 to being 7th on the list the following year.
Carter St in Lidcombe had a similar increase.
Canada Bay Council’s revenue from Shoreline Drive in Rhodes increased by 50 per cent between the two periods, up to $359,382 in 2017-18.
A Canada Bay Council spokeswoman said: “Enforcement of these areas ensures turnover and provides valuable support to local business”.
Just 20 of the state’s 128 councils have taken up a state government request (made mid-last year) to slash non-safety related parking fines from $112 to $80.
NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet said councils “have become parking fine junkies who are just looking for their next quick score”.
“Councils are treating motorists as cash cows and this shows they are out for a blatant cash grab,” he said.
““It is absurd that Waverley Council wasted almost $140,000 of ratepayers money on a frivolous and political motivated legal challenge to stop the rebuild of Allianz Stadium but flatly refuse to reduce parking fines.
“Their neighbours at the City of Sydney seem intent on dominating the top 60 parking fine rich list.”
Councils like City of Sydney argue reducing the fines would increase congestion and that the fines are reinvested via their general revenue fund.
Local Government NSW has opposed the state government’s reduction in parking fines, pointing out the decrease in funding will lead to reductions in road maintenance, increased congestion and reduced council services.
A Waverley Council spokesman said: “Parking spaces are highly sought-after, and illegal and overstay parking has a detrimental effect on businesses and residents alike”.
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