THE owner of Alfio’s Pizzeria Joe Sciuto says he’s cranky that a new parking ranger has broken with tradition by no longer marking tyres with the time he checks the cars, leaving drivers confused about when to move their cars to avoid a fine.
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Mr Sciuto said for the past “40 years or more” parking rangers have used chalk to mark what time they checked vehicles.
He said the markings are always made on tyres on the right side of the vehicle, ensuring drivers know they have 60 minutes from that time to move their car.
However, in the past 12 months a new parking ranger has been leaving two strokes on a tyre on the left side of the vehicle, leaving no giving clues as to what time it was checked.
Mr Sciuto said the change has left some drivers confused, wrongly believing their car was checked at either 11am or 2pm.
“I think it’s misleading just having the two strokes ... nobody knows what time the cars were marked,” he said.
“I’ve been in Orange a long, long, time and everybody checks their car to see what time their tyres were marked.
“If their cars are marked at 12.30 then they know they have till 1.30 to move their car.”
Mr Sciuto said his is not the only business impacted by the change in procedure, other restaurants in the area have similar complaints.
“I don’t think this is fair, but if I get a ticket then I’ll pay for it, but I think this is about raising revenue,” he said.
Mr Sciuto said it wasn’t only businesses impacted by the ranger’s practice. He thinks many of Orange’s older drivers would also be confused by the new system.
Orange City Council spokesman Nick Redmond said a parking ranger’s job was to enforce the rules, which are designed to share parking spaces among all drivers and ensure there is turnover for nearby businesses.
“There is no prescribed way of marking tyres,” Mr Redmond said.
“Rangers use different systems including numbers or other marks to determine how long a car has been parked in that location.
“Using chalk to write on tyres is not a system that’s designed to communicate with drivers or the public.
“It’s up to drivers to make sure they comply with time limits.”
Mr Redmond said council was continuing to investigate the introduction of a number-plate recognition software system during the second half of this year.
“In Bathurst there is anecdotal evidence that this kind of system will lead to a much higher level of compliance with parking time limits,” he said.
tracey.prisk@fairfaxmedia.com.au
