The NSW government has ended ticketless parking fines mandating councils attach an on-the-spot notification to a vehicle.
Councils will also be required to take photos of offences - even if they use the traditional 'ticketed' method and make them available for Revenue NSW to provide drivers.
The photos must include images of the vehicle, relevant signage and the physical notice left on the vehicle.
Ticketless parking fines exploded between 2023/2024 with NSW councils issuing 822,310 fines, up 49% from 551,441 issued in 2022/23.
NSW Premier Chris Minns said "too many motorists have driven off with no idea they might be liable for a parking fine".
"This system was introduced by the former government without enough protections for drivers. We're fixing that."
NRMA spokesperson Peter Khoury described the ticketless parking fine system as "unpopular" and said it "removed transparency".
"It made it almost impossible for motorists to contest their fine if they felt they had a legitimate case," he said.
Not everyone agreed with the changes.
Speaking to the ABC last month, United Services Union general secretary Graeme Kelly said parking officers had seen "some really violent attacks", including broken bones, femurs and arms when writing out tickets.
Mr Kelly questioned whether the noted rise in infringements indicated rangers no longer had to let motorists off to avoid violent confrontations.
"I think you've noticed an uptick in tickets because they feel more confident now," he said.
The requirement to issue an on-the-spot notification will not apply to a limited number of parking zones, such as enclosed parking areas that use license plate recognition technology, and in national parks with limited mobile phone connectivity.
NSW PARKING FINES IN 2023/24:
- Ticketless parking fines: 822,310 (up 49 per cent on 2022/23), raising $158.0 million (up 54 per cent)
- Traditional parking fines - 558,634 (down 22 per cent), raising $95.6 million (down 14 per cent)
- Total - 1.38 million fines, raising $253.6 million
with AAP
