How new parking laws could see you lose your licence

Getting a parking ticket has always meant a hit to the hip pocket, but new laws mean it could now cost you your licence as well.

Parking inspectors across Sydney have been granted the power to hand out demerit points.

The new laws mean that rangers issuing tickets for the most serious parking breaches can also issue up to two demerit points.

In just five months, 675 drivers have been fined for parking too close to crossings, 4745 for leaving cars too close to intersections, and 3812 for taking up disabled spots.

Now the penalties received for those offences will incorporate demerit points.

For parking too close to an intersection, drivers will receive a $337 fine and two demerit points.

If a driver blocks any sort of crossing, whether for pedestrians or bikes, they will be hit with a $337 fine as well as two points.

For those caught parking in a disabled bay without a valid permit, they will cop a $561 fine and one demerit point.

Motorists have had their say on the new punishments, with many less than impressed.

“Well, I do think that’s a bit over the top,” one driver said.

NSW Centre for Road Safety’s Bernard Carlon said offending drivers will only have themselves to blame.

“We know that it’s a high risk when you park illegally and block the line of sight for the traffic,” he said.

For the past few months, parking rangers have had the option to offer drivers a grace period, meaning it was at their discretion whether to add the demerit points to the fine.

However, demerit points for parking offences are now very much a reality.