Vicki Megaloudis, a community services leader in Sydney, has spoken out against the continued use of ticketless parking fines by local councils, saying they are preventing elderly residents from accessing vital services.
Despite legislation banning ticketless parking fines being passed last November, councils are continuing to issue them until the law takes effect on July 1. More than 100,000 such fines have been handed out in the Sydney CBD and surrounding suburbs in the past five months.
Among the councils refusing to revert to traditional paper tickets is the City of Sydney, which told The Daily Telegraph: “Motorists should be aware the current system of paperless fines remains in place until the legislation comes into force on July 1.”
Bayside Council is also continuing the practice using drive-by patrol vehicles, which has directly impacted Advance Diversity Services in Rockdale, where Ms Megaloudis works.
The service, which organises community outings for seniors, has struggled to find legal parking due to the fines. Drivers have been fined for stopping for “five minutes or less” in empty bus zones, to help older people into their community bus.
“Many of our clients use walkers or mobility aids,” Ms Megaloudis said. “They just want to be picked up to have a nice day out. It’s part of their connection to the community.”
She added that if rangers were issuing traditional fines on the spot, “drivers would be able to have a conversation and plead for commonsense.”
NSW Finance Minister Courtney Houssos previously said councils could return to paper fines immediately, but many have refused. Bayside Council said it will comply with the new law from July, but blamed state regulations for fines issued to community drivers who stop briefly in bus zones.
Source: The Daily Telegraph
