Brisbane City Council will not apologise for slapping residents attending Anzac Day dawn services with parking fines of more than $120.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Morningside resident Alicia Watson parked on Charlotte Street in Brisbane CBD about 4am on Anzac Day, which she has done for the past eight years, before attending the dawn service in Anzac Square.
“We parked up the end near Eagle Street Pier and we didn’t park in a loading zone or a no standing zone, we parked in one of the parks on the side of the road,” she said.
“There was no visible signage saying do not park here, this road is closed or no parking allowed.
“It was dark, but there was certainly no big signs saying do not park here.”
About five minutes before the dawn service started, she received a phone call from the Brisbane Traffic Centre who advised her to move her car before it was towed.
Ms Watson said her partner went back to the car to find a $126 parking fine on the car as well as several others.
“There were tickets on every car and there were at least 10 cars on that street," she said.
“In the end, he couldn’t find anywhere else to park and so we left.”
A council spokesman said the council would not apologise for enforcing clearway zones in the CBD to ensure Anzac Day events could go ahead.
“A number of changes to parking arrangements in the CBD were in place on Anzac Day to facilitate event space for the Anzac Square dawn service and parade,” he said.
“These changes were well signed and advertised in advance, and had been made at the request of event organisers and the Queensland Police.”
Council was unable to provide specific details on the number of fines issued on Wednesday.
Ms Watson said the man who called from the Brisbane Traffic Centre said their car was parked on the parade route.
“If that’s the case, wouldn’t you have put up barricades or blocked the street off or had some very visible signage there at four in the morning which is dark saying to people you can’t park here,” she said.
“If there were visible signs there saying do not park here and we chose to ignore them I would be happy to pay the fine. But there was nothing there.”
Ms Watson described the issuing of the fines as ‘a bit dodgy’.
“This has soured it for me, I don’t know if I will go back into another dawn service.”
Opposition leader Peter Cumming said council’s parking police were ruthless in their pursuit of the revenue targets set for them.
“Booking people who’ve come to town to pay their respects on Anzac Day is particularly harsh,” he said.
“If it’s not just about revenue-raising, the council should donate all Anzac Day fines collected in the CBD to Legacy.
“The council should re-evaluate their advertising because the message clearly didn’t get through.
"They should spend less on self-promotion and more on advertising that’s of genuine use to Brisbane residents."
Perth City Council also were scrutinised for issuing fines on Anzac Day and has since withdrawn the fines.
