Fine - 11 second Queenstown CBD taxi rank error punished

A motorist is questioning council ticketing policy after receiving a fine for pulling over in the wrong place on Ballarat Street in the Queenstown CBD, despite quickly moving on after realising his error.

It was a Wednesday, a little after 8.30pm, several months back

"I inadvertently pulled into the loading bay one night, noticed the signage and pulled away, all within 11 seconds," he tells Crux, "But still received a ticket".

The driver calls the situation "absolutely absurd".

He says he has been reading about other cases of people unhappy with the level of CCTV monitoring and enforcement in central Queenstown, and he thinks "this takes it to a whole new level".

In August, Crux reported the Queenstown Lakes District Council had issued close to 25,000 more parking tickets in the year ending June 30 than it did the year previous.

In the 12 months starting July 1, 2023, the council dished out 71,010 infringement notices for problem parking, up from 46,125 in the 2022 to 2023 year.

The figures come from an annual report on parking enforcement presented to the mayor and councillors at a closed door briefing.

The report notes an increase in parking complaints received by the council - 2,467 in total and close to 30 percent more than the year before.

It also notes an increase in "community dislike" to parking rules and receiving infringements, particularly in the Queenstown CBD, where staff suspect motorists are opting to ignore the rules in favour of just getting a ticket and paying it or challenging it.

A council spokesperson earlier told Crux anyone with concerns about a parking infringement can apply to the council for a waiver.

Queenstown parking enforcement u-turns on $60 u-turn ticket

Main images (Supplied): In, then out, all within 11 seconds, on Ballarat Street in the Queenstown CBD (Note parts of the image have been blurred to remove identifying features).