Fines boost council coffers

Parking warning

SURF Coast Shire Council is crediting a spike in disobedient motorists for an almost $300,000 increase in fines revenue in the past year.

The council’s latest financial report reveals infringements and associated costs in the shire rose by almost 50 per cent between the 2017-18 and 2018-19 financial years, from $572,000 to $846,000.

Council environment and development general manager Ransce Salan said the increase could “largely be attributed to parking infringements” during peak tourist times, including summer and public holidays.

While the council would not reveal how many fines were issued in total in the past financial year, Mr Salan said parking infringements rose by 58 per cent.

“Fines issued under ‘infringements and costs’ include parking, animalrelated, litter and illegal camping,” he said.

“We urge people to obey signs and time limits when parking, and to adhere to parking lines and zones.

“This ensures the safety of pedestrians and fellow motorists.”

Earlier this year motorists criticised the council for dishing out parking fines during Torquay’s popular Nightjar Festival. The council said it had issued an average of 82 parking tickets at each of the Nightjar festivals in the first three weeks of January.

With parking fines as much as $97 each, the council could have issued more than $20,000 in infringements to attendees alone.

Festival-goers said they were struggling to find legal parking spots in the vicinity of the festival so were opting to park illegally.

At the time Mr Salan said there had been an increase in parking infringements compared with the same time last year.

“The most common offences are parking on yellow edge lines and contrary to parking control signs,” he said.

In the year to January the council also issued 201 fines in relation to local laws, animal and litter infringements, including failure to collect animal excrement.

The council had received 286 customer requests relating to animals at large and animal complaints during that period.

Owners face a $250 fine for failure to immediately collect and remove excrement left by an animal on council land, a road or public place.

The fine for failure to have a collection bag is $50.