This was published 7 months ago
How AI is used to bust illegal parking in Brisbane – and where you’re most likely to be fined
The widespread use of artificial intelligence to ping illegal parking across Brisbane has been revealed in new figures.
Citywide hotspots for fines are also identified, with Margaret Street in the CBD topping the list.
Wickham Street in Fortitude Valley, Alice Street in the city centre and Grey Street in South Brisbane followed.
About 200,000 parking infringements were issued across the city last financial year, a table supplied by Brisbane City Council suggests.
Staying in a spot longer than allowed, parking in a no-stopping area and stopping in a bus zone were among the most common offences.
More than 57,000 fines from that period are yet to be paid. About $17.2 million is owed to council.
About 2.5 per cent of all fines – 5719 – were successfully challenged.
In just over three years, drivers fell foul of vehicle-mounted AI detection systems almost a quarter-of-a-million times.
The technology uses cameras attached to roaming cars to autonomously identify illegal parking and record number plates.
Every detection is manually checked by an inspector, who then decides if a fine should be issued.
Most people pay for their parking through street meters or machines. They brought in $23.9 million during the financial year, compared with $18.3 million from the CellOPark app.
Residents made almost 44,000 complaints about illegal parking over that time.
“A single car stopped in a clearway can cause traffic chaos for thousands of people,” the LNP council’s customer services chair Sarah Hutton said.
The new data was obtained by the Labor opposition through questions on notice.
Leader Jarred Cassidy argued council has not been forthcoming in how it spends the significant funds raised through fines.
“When residents get pinged, they would at least expect that their money is going towards projects to bust congestion and make our streets safer,” he said in a statement.
“What we have learnt today … is that the LNP Council cannot detail where exactly parking infringement revenue is going.
“They also can’t detail how much they’ve collected after spending almost $7 million on AI technology to help them ping people.”
Hutton dismissed the claims.
“Every dollar raised by ensuring people park appropriately and safely is invested straight back into the community to deliver services and build better roads to keep Brisbane moving,” she said.
“This includes projects like our Moggill Road Corridor Upgrade, our turn-up-and-go Brisbane Metro bus rapid transit system, our Clearway Action Plan and smarter corridors.”
Top 10 streets and roads for parking fines in Brisbane:
- Margaret Street, Brisbane City
- Wickham Street, Fortitude Valley
- Alice Street, Brisbane City
- Grey Street, South Brisbane
- McLachlan Street, Fortitude Valley
- Charlotte Street, Brisbane City
- Park Road, Milton
- Albert Street, Brisbane City
- Colchester Street, South Brisbane
- Wickham Terrace, Spring Hill
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William Davis is a reporter at Brisbane Times.Connect via email.