Southern Grampians Shire Council will begin to enforce parking rules in the Hamilton CBD from March 1.
Director Wellbeing, Planning and Regulation, Rory Neeson said following the installation of the new parking meters in January and a grace period for education and testing, Council’s Local Laws Officers would commence monitoring metered parking bays to ensure drivers are adhering to signed parking conditions.
“We thank the community for their cooperation throughout the last month since the installation of the new meters,” said Mr Neeson. “Our local laws and customer service teams have been fielding lots of enquiries about the new technology and overall, most of the feedback from customers has been how easy it is to use the meters and the app once shown how.
“Local businesses as well have reported to us how the increased turnover of parking has had a positive impact on people being able to access their businesses.
“Now that people are getting the hang of how the new meters work, we will commence enforcement of parking fines. We will have our local laws team out and about monitoring meters throughout the CBD and assisting those with using the meters,” he said.
Motorists who exceed the limits signposted may be issued with an infringement notice in the form of a paper ticket left on the vehicle windscreen.
“Council encourages drivers to address any parking fines promptly to avoid additional fees and legal consequences,” said Mr Neeson. “If people believe they have been fined incorrectly and which to have their fine reviewed, they can do so online or by contacting our customer service team.”
Council installed new parking meters in the Hamilton CBD last month to replace ageing technology, improve and streamline the parking payment process for drivers and reduce the effort required by Local Laws Officers to handle cash.
For more information about how to use the new meters, please go to Council’s website or ask the Council Customer Service team on 5573 0444.