To the Honourable Members of the New South Wales Parliament,

We, the undersigned residents and motorists of New South Wales, are calling for urgent legislative action to mandate the installation and operation of boom gates in all car parks across NSW that utilise number plate detection as their primary method of payment.

Currently, some car parks, such as the one at Emerald Square in Burwood, NSW, employ number plate recognition to track entry and exit times for parking fees. However, these car parks often lack boom gates, allowing drivers to enter and exit freely without a clear and immediate opportunity to pay. This system leads to a situation where drivers may unknowingly incur parking fees and only become aware of their obligation when they receive a fine in the mail, even if they had no intention of evading payment.

This practice is causing significant frustration, anxiety, and financial burden for many motorists. The lack of a physical barrier and a clear payment point at the time of exit makes it easy for drivers to forget or misunderstand the payment process, resulting in often hefty and unexpected fines.

Requiring boom gates in conjunction with number plate detection systems would provide a clear and unavoidable point of interaction for payment before exiting the car park. This would:

Prevent unexpected fines: Drivers would be prompted to pay before leaving, eliminating the surprise of a later penalty notice.
Increase transparency: The presence of a boom gate clearly indicates that parking fees apply and payment is required.
Improve the user experience: Motorists would have a more straightforward and less stressful parking experience.
Reduce disputes: Clear payment points would minimize misunderstandings and disputes over unpaid fees.
We urge the NSW Parliament to amend the relevant legislation to ensure that all car parks using number plate detection for payment are also required to install and operate boom gates at their entry and exit points. This simple measure will bring fairness, transparency, and clarity to the parking experience for all motorists in New South Wales.

We call on the Parliament to act now to protect consumers and ensure a more equitable parking system in our state.

Sincerely,

Anthony Ngo