Aimed at getting people out of cars and on to public transport and footpaths, the strategy will rely on technology to adjust fees and identify vacant parking to avoid people lapping city blocks.

Analysis of MyWay data shows people switched to buses when paid parking was introduced in the parliamentary triangle last year. Since the introduction, ACTION has seen an increase of more than 7000 trips to and from the parliamentary zone a week.

But the cost of a good park is never too high for some Canberrans who assault parking officers, threaten them with firearms and film them for the internet.

Transport Workers Union spokesman Ben Sweaney said parking officers reported 56 cases of verbal abuse and assaults since 2011.

"Last year alone officers reported 17 cases of abuse, intimidation, spitting at inspectors, threats of assault, assault, filming officers and threats to publish the film on the internet, threat with a firearm, throwing an object from a fifth-floor balcony, and an attempted assault with a motor vehicle," Mr Sweaney said.

Officers wanted more training on dealing with aggressive motorists, even though most Canberrans were apologetic and polite when approached over illegal parking, he said.

The ACT government's deputy director-general planning, Ben Ponton, is overseeing a new transport and parking strategy to encourage more people to walk or catch a bus, rather than use their cars.

"Canberra is a growing city in transition, so the days of being able to park out the front of a cafe or particular store you want to go to are essentially gone," Mr Ponton said. "We need to be a bit more clever how we use the limited parking spaces we have available."

He said pricing of parking spaces would encourage churn at short-stay parking close to retail shops and cafes in the inner suburbs. Because land was becoming more expensive, parking spaces had to be used more efficiently. "We are also looking at the relationship to public transport, and need to make sure pricing of buses and light rail work well with parking."

Mr Ponton said developing the strategy, which should be made public later this year, involved consulting other government agencies, the ACT Property Council, CBD Limited and community councils. Discussions with private parking operators canvassed pricing that would entice them to develop more spaces.

Motorists looking for a parking space in busy places generated up to 30 per cent of traffic congestion, he said. "If we can get technology to reduce that, it reduces congestion and impact on emissions."

Director of transport regulation within the Office of Regulatory Services, Access Canberra, David Snowden, said the ACT had 28 officers, who often had a sharper focus on pressure points such as the city and town centres at Phillip and Belconnen.

Mr Snowden said illegally parked motorists did not consider the consequences, and this was selfish because they had not stopped to think their actions might have a broader impact on other members of community.

"Officers are proactive and target areas for more-intense monitoring. That's because we know there are particular issues around safety, or public or business amenity that need to be constantly monitored." Vacant parking spaces were overlooked by illegal parking, notably around school zones and shopping precincts commercial zones. The latter stopped suppliers getting to businesses.

While fines range from a base infringement of $91, to $204 for parking in a disabled space and $305 for parking near a pedestrian crossing, some motorists ignore them so much they lose their licence or car registration.

Changing time limits can overcome problems. At Lyneham shops, commuters had been using unrestricted parking, and limits helped shop owners and traffic flow.