"It's just not OK": Parking inspectors under fire for fining innocent drivers
Melbourne drivers are being hit with parking fines despite not doing anything wrong, raising questions about the legitimacy of the infringement notices.
Emma Hodgkinson from Essendon told 9News that she was fined for supposedly overstaying in a two-hour parking zone.
"I was furious, it's just not OK" she told the publication.
Hodkinson had only left her house 40 minutes prior to the time stamp on the fine, and used CCTV footage from her home to prove it.
"When I saw the timecode on the footage and I compared it to the time on the ticket I realised I hadn't done anything wrong and it was their mistake," she said.
Many other drivers have had similar experiences, with one man from Richmond saying he received a $99 penalty earlier this month, despite having almost an hour left on his Pay Stay app.
Another driver was fined by Stonnington Council who said he had parked for more than two hours even though he'd only been there for about 20 minutes.
In most of these examples, many other cars in the same area had also been fined.
"I was able to prove I was innocent but how are [the other drivers] going to be able to prove that?" Hodgkinson said.
Council Watch representative Dean Hurlston said the reason why innocent drivers are being fined could be because council parking inspectors have to hit their quotas.
"We know the job of a parking inspector is well paid for good reason," he told 9News.
"They definitely have quotas. Councils need money, they're cash strapped. This is a way to gouge and raise revenue."
If you've been unfairly fined, it is important to collect as much evidence as possible, including photos and screenshots.
Image: Nine News