It’s about to get riskier to overstay in timed parking hotspots around the city. Photo: Region.
Are you thinking of rolling the dice on a parking violation? Take heed — Wollongong’s busiest parking areas could soon be under closer watch as the council rolls out a trial of new compliance technology next month.
Wollongong City Council is embarking on a 12-month trial of the technology that will allow compliance officers to electronically monitor timed parking zones in parking hotspots around the city, allowing wider, quicker patrolling than the current manual practice of chalking tyres.
Lord Mayor of Wollongong Tania Brown said it was hoped the technology, which captures license plate data via in-vehicle cameras, would help ensure fair public access in high-demand areas.
“We all know parking is a hot-button issue and we’ve seen that again through the Christmas-new year period,” the Lord Mayor said.
“We have various plans and strategies aimed at bringing people into our CBD and town centres, be it for work or leisure. Timed parking zones play a vital role in ensuring efficient and fair access to parking in those high-demand locations like the city centre and around UOW.”
From February 2026, all timed parking zones in Wollongong, Keiraville, Gwynneville, and parts of Fairy Meadow and North Wollongong will be monitored as part of the trial, including high-trafficked areas along the Blue Mile, CBD carparks, and streets surrounding UOW.
It comes after the council received multiple reports from residents and business owners in the community that people overstaying in timed parking zones — particularly in the trial zones — was a “major source of frustration”.
“There are around 7700 parking spaces in our city centre available for public use and convenient, time-restricted parking near retail areas supports high turnover, helping shoppers park, shop and free up space for the next person,” councillor Brown said.
Former Business Illawarra Regional Advisory Council president and board member of the Keira Collective Ryan Aitchison said parking in the CBD and surrounding areas impacted community members in different ways throughout the day and night.
“The good news is, for people who just want to go out for dinner or drinks outside of work hours, there are literally thousands of convenient parking spots, and the majority of them are free after business hours. For them, the idea that there’s no parking in Wollongong’s centre is a misconception,” he said.
“A large contingent of people who occupy these spaces during the day are actually people working in Wollongong, and for them, parking is difficult. Many of these staff need to come out every two to four hours to move their cars or reset the meter.
“So the council’s in the difficult position of trying to make Wollongong a better place to visit, but also, having to slap local workers with fines when they get to their cars a bit late.”
Keira Collective board member Ryan Aitchison said while parking posed a challenge for city workers during business hours, it wasn’t a problem for people enjoying after-hours activities. Photo: Keeli Royle.
Mr Aitchison said for workers in Wollongong, there was less of a parking problem than a driving problem, underpinned by issues with infrastructure and a lack of efficient public transport options.
“We have a major trainline that goes all the way through the Illawarra and yet, only 2 per cent of people working in Wollongong catch it for work,” he said.
“The station is in no-man’s-land, and most people face an uncomfortable walk downhill to the CBD or uphill to the hospital. So do you put in more infinite parking options with road infrastructure that can’t support them or creatively look at connectivity as a sustainable solution?”
Where possible, fines or notifications issued via the electronic management system will continue to be issued in paper form and placed on the offending vehicles. If it’s not possible to place the fine on the vehicle at the time, the fine will be posted.
While the trial will capture valuable data regarding driver behaviour and use of timed parking zones, it does not include or propose changes to the currently signposted time limits.
The monitoring uses face-blurring technology and will not capture any personal identifiers other than vehicle licence plate numbers.
“While it is just a trial at this stage, if it can provide more consistent and efficient monitoring of parking zones, and allow our staff to do their jobs safely and effectively, it’s certainly something we should be looking at,” Cr Brown said.
“The technology is already used by multiple other local councils, and we need to ensure all our systems utilise the best technologies available and are best practice.”
For more information on the trial and its locations, visit Wollongong City Council.
