Dodgy parking fines on the rise in Adelaide

The number of parking fines withdrawn by Adelaide City Council due to faulty ticket machines and parking inspector errors is rising, latest figures show.

This has prompted a warning from the RAA for drivers to examine any parking tickets – which range from $49 to $349 – to check if they are legitimate.

According to council figures obtained under Freedom of Information laws, $27,673 worth of fines were withdrawn due to faulty machines in 2013-14 – up 25 per cent on the $22,187 withdrawn the previous financial year. And "officer error" accounted for $23,746 worth of fines withdrawn in 2013-14 – up 12 per cent on the $21,103 withdrawn the previous financial year.

The council said parking inspectors "may not be aware there is a fault in a machine in the areas they are patrolling".

"In the case where a vehicle does not have a valid parking ticket displayed, an expiation would be given," a council spokesman said.

The council's 300 ticket machines are inspected every six months and faults include tickets not issued by the machine due to mechanisms becoming jammed or breaking down.

If you are unfortunate enough to get a ticket, check its details to see if they apply to the restrictions where you are parked

The rise in fine withdrawal due to inspector errors and faulty machines is in contrast with a 5 per cent reduction in total fine withdrawals over the same period – from $742,612 to $707,044 – for other reasons such as compassion or a valid ticket or parking permit being produced by the driver.

RAA spokesman Charles Mountain urged motorists to check all parking tickets they receive to avoid paying for a fine they didn't deserve.

"If you are unfortunate enough to get a ticket, check its details to see if they apply to the restrictions where you are parked," he said. "And if a machine is showing an error message and not issuing tickets, you could take a picture with your mobile phone as supporting evidence."

The problems we are seeing are unacceptable

Family First MP Robert Brokenshire also urged drivers to check tickets "and dispute any fines they believe are incorrect".

"The problems we are seeing are unacceptable – speed cameras have to be checked regularly and it should be the same with parking meters," Mr Brokenshire, who obtained the figures, said. "I encourage the Adelaide City Council to lift their game and make sure fines are not issued where machines are not in working order."

Last December, he also obtained figures showing the council raised $443,000 in 2013-14 from fines issued to motorists who were less than 10 minutes late returning to their cars. In the same period, 54,000 parking fines were issued, raising more than $2.4 million.

In April, News Corp Australia revealed that more than a third of motorists who complain in writing to the council have their fines waived.