Georges River Council will prioritise written on-the-spot parking fines over drive-by ticketing where it is safe and legal to do so.
The policy was outlined in a Notice of Motion submitted by Councillor Ashvini Ambihaipahar at the April 21 council meeting.
This would offer drivers an opportunity to capture evidence such as photographs and dash cam video footage to be able to recall versions of the event, she said.
As well as issuing vehicle fines on the spot, Georges River Council uses both the Print and Post (PnP) system to issue fines sending the data to Revenue NSW who sends the fine out on Council's behalf.
Since May 2021 approximately 86 per cent of parking fines were posted by Revenue NSW with the remaining 14 per cent issued on the spot.
"This is not removing a Print and Post. This is ensuring we can provide procedural fairness to notify people promptly," Cr Ambihaipahar said in support of her Notice of Motion.
"Drive-by ticketing was aimed to streamline processes. It has inadvertently created significant concerns regarding the timeliness of notifications to drivers and the ability for individuals to seek review of fines. This is not acceptable.
"My Motion seeks to rectify these issues by ensuring that drivers are promptly notified when a parking fine is issued.
"By receiving immediate written notification, drivers can capture evidence, such as photographs, to substantiate their review requests.
"The concerns surrounding the ticketless system are not unfounded. Without timely notifications, drivers may unknowingly accrue multiple fines before being made aware of their infringements."
Cr Ambihaiphahar wanted to make the Motion even stronger, calling for the mandating of written notifications of parking fines where it is safe and legal to do so.
But she was persuaded to accept an amendment put forward by Cr Lou Konjarski to prioritise rather than mandate written on-the-spot parking fines.
Cr Konjarski said he had seen council's parking officers spat at, kicked, punched and threatened.
"I just cannot accept things going back to the bad of days of pen and paper and placing the fine on a windscreen and having our officers abused," he said.
The adoption of PnP system has minimised or eliminated the WHS risks to parking officers including verbal and physical abuse, the council's report stated.
Since August 2017, 13 serious WHS incidents have been reported by officers issuing on the spot fines.
There have been seven incidents of verbal assault including threat of personal harm; three incidents of physical (including spitting) and verbal assault; and three near miss vehicle incident by aggressive driver and verbal assault.
Cr Ambihaipahar said these risks can be managed through improved training and support mechanisms.
"The introduction of written notifications does not necessarily increase risks to officers' health and safety. By ensuring that fines are issued in compliance with safety protocols and guidelines we can protect both the interests of drivers and the well-being of enforcement officers," she said.
"What needs to be highlighted in this Motion is written on the spot fines would only be issued where it is safe and legal to do so.
"It also provides any person issued with a fine the opportunity to collect evidence once they receive a ticket."
