Toowoomba council endorses draft parking fine increases ahead of consultation with residents

Parking fines in Toowoomba could nearly double in the CBD, but the council has denied it was about revenue raising. Here’s much it could cost you:

Toowoomba CBD parking in Ruthven St, Tuesday, November 16, 2021. Picture: Kevin Farmer

Residents could be slugged with $100 fines for failing to pay for or overstaying their period in a street parking spot, as part of a series of proposed changes to the Toowoomba’s parking laws.

Councillors unanimously voted at Wednesday’s committee meeting to approve draft amendments to the TRC’s parking subordinate local law, which has not been updated since 2011.

Once endorsed at the ordinary meeting next week, the proposal will go out to residents for feedback.

Under the changes, failing to pay for a paid parking spot would increase from $61 to $100, while overstaying in a time-limited space would rise to the same price from $77.

Parking in a loading zone could nearly double from $77 to $123, while infringements for no-stopping zones would remain at $123.

Illegally parking in a disabled spot would go from $309 to $464, in the biggest increase.

The amendments would bring the Toowoomba region’s fines closer in line with other councils across Queensland, but still cheaper than Brisbane and Ipswich ($116 for failing to pay and overstaying), and Logan and Gold Coast ($103).

The Sunshine Coast ($41) and Cairns ($71) are still lower than Toowoomba in at least or both of those offence categories.

Council’s parking operations principal Tenielle Cooper said the increases were explicitly because weekday workers in the CBD were happy to risk a fine, since that amount was lower than paying for parking every day.

“It’s well known you’ll run the risk, because a $61 fine is better than paying $8 a day,” she said.

“Our compliance levels are sitting at 46 per cent not in compliance because of that mindset.

“We did a little targeted test at one of our busy three-hour parks in Julia Street, where we were receiving revenue at about $600 a day.

“We targeted this one car park and in three days that revenue went up by $400 and in four days it had doubled.”

Report author and council senior projects officer Paul Samios said the aim of the fine increases was to change drivers’ behaviours rather than raise revenue, while conceding this would be a view held by residents.

“It should be noted that parking penalties are a deterrent, and while it is useful to have a justifiable position of benchmarking against other councils to offset revenue raising accusations, it may be more useful to benchmark against what penalty will change the appetite of drivers to park illegally or overstay a paid parking space,” he wrote.

“It may be perceived that council is seeking to revenue raise through the raising of parking penalties.

“This is the case but can be balanced with conversations about how the revenue raised is used to support community outcomes through other programs delivered by council.”

Gardner takes aim at Kearneys Spring parking situation

The discussion was heavily diverted to a discussion about street parking enforcement in Toowoomba’s southern suburbs, particularly the areas around the touch football and softball fields on Ruthven Street in Kearneys Spring.

Newly-elected councillor Gary Gardner cited complaints from parents getting hit with parking fines in the afternoons, arguing there were not places to park.

“That needs to be looked at — there’s nowhere else to park there if you don’t park on the street,” he said.

“The cars being booked last weekend were all down Ruthven Street and there are no houses so I don’t know who complained.”

It led to accusations by fellow new councillor Trevor Manteufel that council officers targeted areas during sporting events, something parking operations principal Tenielle Cooper.

Environment and community general manager Nick Hauser said the council worked with sporting organisations to educate users on parking requirements, while also suggesting locals get up to speed on restrictions.

“We do a lot of education before we get to enforcement — it can be difficult to find a park, having said that it’s incumbent on all of us to understand our obligations to observe all of those rules and regulations,” he said.

“People still plead ignorance (but) with all due respect to everybody who has copped one of those fines, I’m pretty sure it’s a question when you get your driver’s licence to understand where you can and can’t drive.”