The Courier Mail reported on January 4 that Brisbane’s on-street inspectors are working overtime, with over 256,511 parking infringement notices issued last financial year, totaling fine revenues of just over $18 million.
Almost one-third of all parking fines were recorded on the five main streets in Brisbane’s CBD, with Elizabeth Street recording the highest number of fines, with more than 18,700 tickets over the year.
These figures were released shortly after the announcement of additional fine increases for several parking offenses. The City Council defends the additional increases, claiming that they are necessary to stop motorists from clogging city streets, clearways, and key bus pickup areas.
Naturally, the opposition claims that the heavy-handed approach to parking fines is an ‘opportunistic grab for cash’ and ‘blatant revenue rising’.
There are some interesting comments posted on the article, naturally arguing both sides of the debate. However, PCI noted that the system appears to require parkers to input their vehicle registration into the meter, meaning that parking tickets are only valid if used with that specific vehicle. This could mean the end of one of the most common “good Samaritan” actions performed by total strangers: the recycling of unexpired parking tickets.
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