Lord Mayor'sPopular Move

New LordMayor Cllr. John Chedid has made a positive move in putting in place an Adjudication Panel to review Councilinfringement notices; including parking fines.

Nobodylikes being on the wrong end of parking fines and often the argument againstparking restrictions, supported by fines, is that they are not good forbusiness. In fact the opposite actually applies; a turn around in short termparking stimulates traffic coming into a precinct. Of course the balance withlong term parking is essential and affordable long term parking will always berequired by a city's workforce.

Thestreets though, remain a problem. Parking meters remain a problem for Councilas well as motorists. Parking meters require constant maintenance to remain inworking order and motorists unable to access meters for ticketing arevulnerable to Community Safety Officers,as the guardians are now called. Without this new Adjudication Panel, redressfor an "unwarranted" booking was difficult and time consuming.

Quite rightly, Parramatta Council has drawn up a new Parking EnforcementPolicy but also quite rightly, the Adjudication Panel will serve to establish "fair, impartial andequitable guidelines, so that greater discretion can be used when dealing withunlawful activities, including parking fines". As Councillor Chedid puts it, "While Council will always take astrong stance when it comes to ensuring the safety of residents and motorists,we're also showing that we're prepared to listen and work with our community."

The Chamber supports this commonsense approach and Councils willingness to consult with the broad community.