Move to digital will stop ‘black market’
Northern Beaches Council is hoping a move to digital parking permits will stop ‘illegal’ on-selling and theft from letterboxes.
Council posts its annual beach parking permits to ratepayers in August, which results in opportunistic thieves taking permits from letterboxes. People who do not want to use their permits also ‘sell’ them online. Some are offered directly, but most are advertised on platforms like Gumtree and Facebook as ‘free’ if a pen is purchased.
When Peninsula Living looked at Gumtree in October, one post was offering ‘several’ permits for $180 each. Residents are only issued two free permits per household and can purchase an additional two permits. Other Gumtree posts listed a ‘free sticker with every pen purchase’ for $160 or $130 – delivery available. The permits sell quickly as they provide free parking (including beachfront) in 40 different Northern Beaches locations.
A council spokesperson told Peninsula Living that while there was no legislation which made the sale of permits ‘illegal,’ if council knows the permit number it cancels the permit and informs the resident. Moreover, anyone using the cancelled permit would be issued a fine for ‘non-compliance with parking restrictions’.
The spokesperson added: “When anyone uses a beach parking permit, they must comply with the conditions of use as outlined on the reverse side of the permit sticker.
“Terms include that permits must not be sold and cannot be transferred between vehicles.”
In a move to eliminate the on-sale of permits, Mayor Sue Heins said council was moving towards digital permits linked to car number plates. “A digital scheme will remove the ability for permits to be on-sold as there will no longer be any physical stickers to sell – your parking permit will be linked to your number plate.
“Council is currently reviewing its parking permits policy,” she added, “and will produce a Northern Beaches parking plan, which will assist with the eventual implementation of a digital scheme. We will publicly exhibit any policy changes for community input before any changes are implemented.”
By Pamela Connellan