XN000022-1994-02-02 — Page 8

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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 1994

PROPOSED INCREASES IN FIXED PENALTIES

APPROVAL

INCREASE FIXED

INFLATION.

* * *

WILL

BE SOUGHT FROM THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TO PENALTY FINES FOR TRAFFIC OFFENCES, IN LINK

WITH

OF

A GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN SAID TODAY (WEDNESDAY) THE OBJECTIVE THE INCREASE WAS TO RESTORE THE DETERRENT EFFECT OF FIXED PENALTIES WHICH WERE LAST REVISED IN JULY 1989.

THE PRESENT AND PROPOSED FIXED PENALTIES ARE AS FOLLOWS:

PARKING OFFENCES

MOVING OFFENCES

PRESENT PENALTY

PROPOSED PENALTY

$200

$320

$140

$230

$200

$320

$280

$450

THE SPOKESMAN SAID ILLEGAL PARKING HAD BECOME MUCH MORE SERIOUS RECENTLY. THIS WAS REFLECTED IN THE 41 PER CENT INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF PARKING TICKETS ISSUED LAST YEAR COMPARED WITH 1992.

BY

THE DETERRENT EFFECT OF FIXED PENALTY FINES HAS BEEN ERODED INFLATION, RESULTING IN THE POLICE HAVING TO SPEND MUCH MORE RESOURCES TO CONTAIN THE SITUATION.

THE SUGGESTION THAT THE INCREASE IN PARKING ΤΟ A REDUCTION IN THE NUMBER OF

DISPELLED HE

DUE IS

OFFENCES AVAILABLE.

PARKING

SPACES

"SURVEYS UNDERTAKEN BY THE TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT SHOW THAT

LINE NUMBER OF PARKING SPACES HAS INCREASED ROUGHLY IN OVERALL THE RATE OF VEHICLE GROWTH."

THE

WITH

APPROVAL WILL ALSO BE SOUGHT FROM THE LEGISLATIVE INCLUDE AN ADDITIONAL OFFENCE IN THE FIXED PENALTY SCHEDULE.

COUNCIL TO

IN

THE EFFECT WOULD BE TO MAKE A TAXI DRIVER WHO FAILS TO SIT OR STAND BESIDE THE FIRST OR SECOND TAXI AT A TAXI STAND PUNISHABLE BY A FIXED PENALTY OF $320 WHICH IS THE SAME AS FIXED PENALTIES FOR OTHER TAXI-RELATED OFFENCES.

TRANSPORT

THE PROPOSALS TO INCREASE THE FIXED PENALTIES AND TO EXPAND THE PENALTY SCHEDULE HAVE RECEIVED THE SUPPORT OF THE ADVISORY COUNCIL.

FIXED

/B