Council rakes in $500,000 in parking fines from one street
Canterbury Bankstown Council raked in almost half a million dollars in parking fine revenue in one year from one street, making it one of the most lucrative for fines in NSW
The Express
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Canterbury Bankstown Council raked in almost half a million dollars in parking fine revenue in one year from one street.
Revenue NSW data obtained exclusively by the Canterbury Bankstown Express reveals Haldon St in Lakemba pulled in $495,368 for the council in the 2017-18 financial year.
In a list of the 60 most lucrative streets in NSW for parking fine revenue, Haldon St finished 11th.
In what NRMA spokesman Peter Khoury described as streets “paved in gold for local councils,” the council made $357,559 off the same street in the 2016-17 financial year, where it was ranked 30th.
“Most people who read this story will be stunned by the number of fines been collected from streets where we would otherwise not expected,” Mr Khoury said.
“A total of 2121 individual fines on Haldon St, Lakemba, clearly shows that there is a problem on Haldon St, Lakemba.
“The council can’t just be putting up their feet and collecting the fines. Perhaps there needs to be a review.”
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.
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The council made $8.7 million in parking fine revenue in 2017-18.
“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.”
A Canterbury Bankstown Council spokesman hit back, saying only 5 per cent of the total fines issued for parking offences in Haldon St related to parking in excess of the timed parking limits.
“The majority involved safety-related matters, where motorists had double parked in this busy street, or parked in loading zones, no stopping zones, no standing zones and bus zones, and we make no apologies for placing the safety of our residents first,” he said.
“Haldon St is just one of the hundreds of roads in our 907 kilometre road network, which are regularly patrolled by our officers.
“There is no particular focus on it or any other street in our city.”
Lakemba business owners and residents said they were quite happy to see the council clamping down on traffic offenders.
Farid Khan, who runs Variety Video CDs and Spice on Haldon St, 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”.
Haldon St, Lakemba parking fines
2017-18
11th in NSW in terms of revenue,
2121 individual fines
$495,368 in revenue for Canterbury Bankstown Council
2016-17
30th in NSW for revenue
1596 individual fines
$357,559 in revenue
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