Unmarked Toyota fining Fairfield City locals under review

The use of an unmarked Toyota Camry that uses cameras on its roof to fine cars is under review.

• Mysterious Toyota with cameras fining drivers in Fairfield City
• The locals running into burning buildings

The use of an unmarked Toyota Camry that uses cameras on its roof to fine cars is under review.

The Advance revealed in September the latest tool being used by Fairfield City’s parking inspectors to enforce signposted times was a silver Toyota Camry augmented with two cameras that could read car registration plates and geo-tag their locations.

The cars that it identified as having overstayed time limits would be issued a $112 fine; one way of dealing with Cabramatta’s well-established parking woes.

Detailed in a quarterly report to Fairfield City Council is “Licence Plate Recognition Trial”. Its intended purpose was to “review and introduce new Licence Plate Recognition technology across Fairfield City to monitor parking enforcement”.

Fairfield City Council carparks display signage warning drivers that "parking compliance electronically monitored".

Accompanying comments state the project is delayed due to a review “as the system is not currently meeting the requirements needed”.

“It is proposed that that the project and associated funds of $80,000 from general funds be carried forward into the 2018-19 operational plan,” the comments state.

The Advance asked Fairfield Council what requirements the project had and how is the system not meeting them. We also asked if it was intended to to roll out more vehicles.

In response the council stated only one vehicle was approved.

“The $80,000 referred to in the report was unspent money allocated for the trial of the system,” a spokesman said.

“These funds have not yet been earmarked by Council for future expenditure.

“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, and to minimise dangerous parking practices.”

Fairfield City Council is not alone in trialling this method of parking enforcement; other councils are too. But locals have expressed a discomfort in the project’s secretive nature, going as far as nicknaming the car “war machine”.