People parking in the main streets of Tumut and Tumbarumba could now be issued with a fine if they outstay their welcome.
Snowy Valleys Council has increased patrols of timed parking within the Tumut and Tumbarumba Town Centres and will begin issuing fines for drivers who don’t adhere to the street parking time limits.
The introduction of fines follows three months of courtesy notifications which had been issued for overstayers.
Interim General Manager Steven Pinnuck said the increased patrols and issuing of fines were not about revenue raising but rather to ensure that the town’s limited street parking was fairly distributed.
“We must balance the needs of our entire community and time limits are set to allow as many people as possible to have access to parking in an area,” Mr Pinnuck said.
Community consultation during the development of a Tumut Town Centre Traffic Study identified that the community was seeking increased council surveillance and parking compliance within the CBD areas with similar sentiment coming from the Tumbarumba community.
The feedback led to increased council patrols and the issuing of courtesy notices which provided a soft launch for compliance and an opportunity for community education.
“Over the three-month soft launch an average of 16 courtesy notices were issued over a week which does demonstrate that people have not been abiding by the parking rules,” said Mr Pinnuck.
Time-limited parking is intended to ensure that vehicles leave an area after the initial time has expired. This approach helps businesses by ensuring parking is available for as many potential customers as possible and improves access for all motorists.
Council will begin undertaking the enforcement from next week and patrols will occur on random days and times alternating between Tumbarumba and Tumut.
Staff will be targeting timed parking overstays and disabled parking without a visible permit.
The current infringement for parking continuously longer than permitted is $120.00. The offence of parking in a disabled car space without a valid permit being displayed carries a penalty of $630.00 and one (1) demerit point.
