TWILIGHT ZONE

METERS LIT UP BUT NOBODY’S HOME

THERE are no parking inspectors patrolling Hobart streets after 7pm — despite some city parking meters still operating as late as 8pm.

Hobart City Council documents obtained by the Mercury under a Right to Information request reveal that parking officers knock off as early as 6pm — while meters at the TasPorts-owned Fisherman’s Market carpark are running until 8pm. The council documents show that infringements are rarely issued after 6.30pm and a local business owner says he seldom sees inspectors about that late.

The anomaly has raised questions about why motorists are being charged for parking if nobody can be bothered enforcing the rules.

NO Hobart parking inspectors patrol the city’s streets after 7pm despite a number of parking zones being signposted for motorists to pay until 8pm.

Hobart City Council documents obtained by the Mercury under the Right to Information Act 2009 show that for the 30 days after November 12 the latest knock-off time for street-patrolling parking officers was 6:50pm.

This is despite some parking meters accepting payment for more than an hour afterwards.

Roster documents revealed inspectors patrolling the Fisherman’s Market area on Hobart’s waterfront — which is signposted for parking payment until 8pm — worked no later than 6.45pm, and on most days during November finished before 6pm.

Also obtained under RTI was the number of Fisherman’s Market parking fines issued after 6pm during July, with the latest infringement recorded at 6.24pm.

There were 27 days during July where no parking fines were issued after 6pm in that car park.

Located near the fish punts, the Fisherman’s Market car park is owned by TasPorts but patrolled by HCC officers.

“The hours of operation have been in place since 2008 and hours for parking were set by TasPorts after consultation with businesses in the area,” a TasPorts spokesman said.

But waterfront business owner Jack Cooper of Mako Seafood said it was odd to charge motorists for parking beyond the patrolled hours.

He said he rarely saw inspectors around after 5.30pm.

“Unless parking officers are actually going to monitor the area after 6.45pm, I don’t see why car park users are being charged by the meters until 8pm,” he said.

TasPorts said there should be “no link between paying for parking and inspection hours”.

Tasmanian Independent MP for Clark Andrew Wilkie disagreed.

Mr Wilkie, who referred the HCC to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission late last year for imposing a $3 minimum card charge on parking meters, said parking meters charging motorists after patrolled hours was puzzling.

“Obviously I hope that people would obey parking laws, regardless of whether or not they might get fined,” he said. “However, the situation with some meters requiring payment until 8pm but not being enforced after 7pm is strange.

“Surely two of the key tenets of any law are that it doesn’t encourage law-breaking and is enforceable.

“But in this case neither of those criteria are met after 7pm.”

Mr Wilkie said it was another in a long line of issues with Hobart’s parking meters.

The HCC was contacted for comment.