Circulars

What’s new or changing

• Commencing on 31 January 2019, councils are required to implement a regulated 10-minute grace period for certain paid parking offences of more than one hour.
• These changes relate to all parking fine issuing authorities, including NSW government agencies, councils and universities.
• There is no option to be excluded; this measure is not related to the Government’s ‘opt in’ provisions to reduce the amount of parking fines.

What this will mean for your council

• Councils should ensure enforcement staff are aware of these changes when issuing parking penalty infringement notices from 31 January 2019 onwards.
• Councils are also encouraged to make changes to relevant manuals, procedures and systems to support the new grace period requirements.

Key points

• Amendments to section 123C of the Road Transport (General) Regulation 2013, which were introduced by the Road Transport (General) Amendment (Parking Fine Flexibility and Grace Period) Regulation 2018, provide for a 10 minute grace period for paid parking of more than one hour, commencing on 31 January 2019.
• Councils are required to implement the 10-minute grace period from Thursday 31 January 2019, when all of the following parking conditions are met:
  • A fee has been paid for one hour or more immediately before the grace period commences;
  • A coupon or ticket is displayed; and
  • Parking is not in a shared zone or other excluded area.
• The grace period does not apply if, at the time the vehicle is parked in an area, one of the following restrictions applies to that area:
  • Free parking
  • A shared zone within the meaning of the Road Rules 2014
  • Where a prescribed parking control sign is in place, such as:
    • Bus lane
    • Clearway
    • Special event parking
    • Transit lane
    • Free parking
    • No stopping
    • Clearway
    • Loading zone
    • Bus zone
    • Mail zone
  • Long stay or multi-storey car parking where there are no time limits
  • Metered parking
  • Paid coupon or ticketed parking of less than an hour.

Where to go for further information

• Further information about the Government’s parking grace period, as well as the Government’s fine review process, is available from NSW Treasury online at www.nswfinesreview.com.au or by emailing finesreview@treasury.nsw.gov.au.

Tim Hurst
Chief Executive