‘Quicker and easier’ ticketless parking system causes traffic jams at Westfield Doncaster

FRUSTRATED shoppers are being caught in queues and traffic jams after a “quicker and easier” ticketless parking system was introduced at a major shopping centre.

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CARPARKING chaos has hit Westfield Doncaster as the shopping centre gears up for its Christmas rush.

Long queues, frustrated shoppers and overcharging have been reported at the centre which introduced a new ticketless parking system on November 16.

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The new technology keeps track of the time shoppers spend at the centre by capturing their car’s registration plates at entries and exits.

Finding a space has long been an issue when entering the centre, but the new digital-only system has left people waiting in long lines to actually leave the centre.

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The problems emerged on the same weekend Leader readers berated major shopping centres in an online article about the introduction of paid parking in parts of suburban Melbourne.

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At 10.30pm on Friday, November 20 a snaking line of moviegoers formed around the pay station as users struggled to troubleshoot the system.

As the line continued to swell for more than 15 minutes, shoppers became increasingly vocal about their frustration.

“Looks like it’s time to find a new shopping centre,” one moviegoer said.

Yet the issue was not confined to non-peak hours.

The northern outdoor carpark became blocked to departing and entering drivers about 2pm the following day, with cars remaining motionless for a quarter of an hour.

Shoppers caught in a traffic jam to leave Westfield Doncaster.

Angry motorists tooted horns or got out of their cars to investigate what had caused the lengthy hold up.

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One shopper, Abe, told Manningham Leader the system had charged him for time he was not in the car park.

Abe said he spent a little more than three hours at the centre across two trips but was still slugged for the six hour gap in which he was not parked at the centre.

“The charge effectively includes the time your car is not parked there and this is what angers many of us,” he said.

Westfield spokeswoman Julia Clarke confirmed the company had received “some inquiries” about the new system but remained confident it would make parking “quicker and easier”.

“We appreciate people’s patience during this initial changeover period,” she said.

“People are not being overcharged, however a feature of the system is that people can park for three hours free, and return after two hours out of the centre for another three hour free period in a given day.”

The ticketless parking system has been rolled out at three of the retailer’s centres in New South Wales.