There’s nothing worse than paying for parking, only to discover you’ve got back to your car 10 minutes late and parking inspectors have already hit you with a fine.
Motorists across New South Wales are counting their lucky stars after the NSW Government launched what they’re calling a “common sense approach” when it comes to parking fines.
As of Thursday, NSW motorists will have 10 minutes from the moment their paid parking ticket expires to get back to their car before they can be fined. For this grace period to apply, the ticket must be valid for over an hour and a coupon or ticket must be clearly displayed. Meters that don’t dispense tickets, and spaces in private car park are not eligible.
To avoid impacts on safety and road congestion, it also doesn’t apply to parking areas in bus lanes, clearways, transit lanes, mail zones or special event parking.
“People shouldn’t have their day ruined or their weekly budget compromised for a slight delay in returning to their car when they’ve shown intent to do the right thing,” NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet said, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.
The grace period was designed in response to community concerns. Meanwhile, drivers who believe they’ve been fined within the 10-minute grace period will be able to dispute their fine with the NSW Government.
The move is the latest in a suite of reforms from the state government aimed at making parker fines fairer. In July, 10 common parking fines were reduced from $112 to $80. That number was extended to a further 42 parking offences on January 1.
Local councils and universities will have the option to apply the same reductions and could opt-in to the regulation changes as early as March 1.
Read more: World-first cameras to nab drivers on mobile phones launch this week
It comes after the state announced it was installing world-first cameras to capture drivers on mobile phones. So far, cameras have been set up on two of Sydney’s busiest roads.
One has been deployed on the M4 and another along Anzac Parade in the Harbour City. The cameras work during the day and night and in all weather conditions and use artificial intelligence to detect offending drivers illegally using their phone behind the wheel.
Drivers caught using their phone behind the wheel will first be sent a warning in the mail. There is a grace period but fines will kick in from April. Anyone caught using a phone will face a fine of $337, as well as five demerit points.
Because it is a pilot trial at this stage, it is not yet known whether the cameras will remain a permanent fixture on Australian roads. It follows a shocking survey earlier this year that revealed the majority of Aussies don’t consider texting behind the wheel to be a dangerous act. The research also revealed that drivers who have held their licences for a higher number of years are less likely to use their phones than novice drivers with less experience.