Parking fines back to pre-COVID levels as councils rake in almost $17m

Parking fines have bounced back to pre-COVID levels, with 1.2 million expected to be issued by the end of the financial year. See which councils make most from fines.

Almost 870,000 drivers were fined by councils for overstaying their paid parking time from June to March, with parking fines now back at pre-COVID levels.

New data has revealed that drivers are set to cop 1.2 million fines by July.

Of the almost 1.1 million fines issued in the June to March period, most were issued in the city. City of Sydney handed out 230,773 fines, while drivers in the Inner West Council area copped more than 92,000 tickets.

NSW local governments gave out almost 101,000 parking fines in March, raising $16.89 million, according to NSW revenue data.

A city ranger issues a parking fine in Sydney’s CBD. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Jenny Evans

The data, compiled by the NRMA, bolsters calls for more widespread technological solutions to identify and pay for parking across Sydney.

“Local parking rules are often confusing, constantly changing, and the methods for paying for parking can be archaic,” NRMA spokesman Peter Khoury said.

Mr Khoury welcomed the NSW government’s Park’nPay app, which is currently being trialled. He said the app was a “significant step” similar to how Opal cards “decreased fare evasion because it’s simply more convenient to do the right thing”.

“A similar approach to parking is going to save motorists a lot of grief, and a lot of money,” Mr Khoury said.

NRMA spokesman Peter Khoury says parking needs to be streamlined. Picture: AAP Image/Chris Pavlich

The state government believes it’s Park’nPay app will help people avoid parking fines by allowing users to top up their parking on the go.

A “pay later” feature will also enable users to pay for the exact amount of parking they use by paying as they drive away — akin to public transport users “tapping off” with an Opal card.

However the state government has been criticised by some parking operators for spruiking the Park’nPay app, which involves a contract with a single company. The contract was issued without a competitive tender.

“The government is going into direct competition with commercial parking app providers, in contradiction with the Liberal Party’s values,” said Parking Association chief executive Stuart Norman, who pointed out how private companies were delivering mobile payment solutions in other states.