First they hid round corners now traffic wardens are using the latest in detection technology to nick people who overstay in a parking bay. And guess what? Local councils who lost millions in the recent Wall Street melt down are groveling to get their hands on the new money generator sensors

Called PODS, the Parking Overstay Detection System, uses sensors in the road to detect when a car pulls into a parking spot and if one overstays a message is instantly flashed to a traffic warden who will instantly issue a fine.

Click to enlarge

Already in use in Melbourne PODS is set to be a big revenue earner for cash strapped councils. However the chance of the money being spent on improving roads or providing additional parking stations is very slim if current expenditure in NSW is anything to go by.

According to the Age newspaper in Melbourne Maribyrnong Council parking breach notices issued for time-limit breaches jumped from 3734 to 7830 following the installation of the system.

Another bonus for the councils is they don’t have to pay for the installation. Instead, the North Sydney-based company selling the devices, Vehicle Monitoring Systems, receives a proportion of the revenue from the fines.
Ku-ring-gai Council may become the first in NSW to use the technology.