By Charlene Gatt
MARIBYRNONG City Council has let off more than 8000 first-time offenders snapped by the Footscray parking cameras in the past year.
A Star investigation has revealed a total 8383 warnings have been issued by the council since December 2009, saving drivers as much as $997,577 worth of fines.
The most warnings were issued in January 2010, with the council sending out 896 warning notices.
The council also issued 243 warnings between 1 and 21 December, with parking and local laws manager Tom Gladwin estimating a total 373 warnings were given out for the month.
“The council currently exercises limited discretion in issuing warning letters to first time offenders, additionally the council will now ensure warnings may apply when an infringement is not impacting on immediate safety or creating congestion,” Mr Gladwin said.
“The council has a statutory obligation to enforce the Victorian road rules, it has no powers to set these aside by way of an amnesty.”
The figures come after the council put forward a motion at the December council meeting to acknowledge the current practice of exercising discretion in regard to first-time offenders in parking camera zones and continue this practice until the parking camera review is presented to the council.
The motion was a peace offering to residents after shutting down lone Councillor Catherine Cumming’s bid to shut down the parking cameras until a parking review reached the chamber.
The alternative motion angered traders, who were outraged the council tried to dress up an existing policy as new.
The information comes after an exclusive Star report that revealed the council had given out 68,183 fines from 1 January 2010 to 31 October 2010 – nearly one fine for every resident in the municipality.
From that, 29,025 infringements were detected by the parking cameras, which were installed in April last year.
The infringements – which incur a $72 or $119 fine depending on the offence – means the council raked in between $4.9 million and $8.1 million revenue last year.
The parking cameras have seen a significant jump in the number of parking fines handed out, with 41,316 parking fines issued over the same period in 2008.
A review into the cameras, which will look at their effect on business in Footscray’s CBD and the legislation and discretion in issuing warning and infringement notices, will be presented to the council at the February ordinary council meeting.
