Shopping Centre Car Parks with Numberplate Recognition System

tooblue on 06/04/2017 - 21:24

I noticed more and more shopping centres now have car parks with number plate recognition system, where you can enter the car park freely but with boomgates at the exit. The boomgates don't open until you pay the parking fee or within free hours. Here come my questions:

  • If one is stopped at the boomgate for not paying enough, what happens to the queue behind this car? Wouldn't it block the whole exit?
  • Some shopping centres offer free parking after 18:00. Do I need to pay if I enter before 18:00 and exit after 18:00?
  • Since the entrance is open, what if exiting the car park from the entrance? Recorded entering twice but no exit?
General Discussion

Comments

  • toristo on 06/04/2017 - 21:51
    +14

    1. It would block the exit for as long as the driver chose not to pay the extra. In Sydney, this wouldn't be very long as the car behind you is likely to already be beeping at you. Shortly after that, they'll be yelling at you, followed shortly by physical violence as you make them late for yoga.

    2. Yes. You'd need to pay for the time before 18:00

    3. Bikies.

    • Blackbetty on 27/07/2019 - 09:24

      I arrived Chermside car park 5:31pm (free after 5:30pm) and left about midnight after watching endgame…long movie! I was charged $36 but the receipt says I entered at 12:20 that afternoon. I have a Fitbit which shows I was swimming at that time and a receipt from a toystore 15km away so I hope that’s proof enough I wasn’t there then. I’m assuming they will have recorded images of the car entering or security cameras so they can check but if I can’t get my money back I’m going to take it further. Only $36 but it’s probably happened to plenty of others. Shouldn’t have to take a photo of your car entering the car park for proof but from now on I will be!

      • kronicmacstigator on 28/07/2019 - 12:15

        Chargeback that shit through your bank. Will cost them $30-35 if they refuse to refund

  • stralya on 06/04/2017 - 21:59
    +1
    1. Yes, and everyone behind you gets upset and honks. Usually, you can pay at the exit using paypass or credit card, so it is relatively painless. You can also (in some carparks) register a credit card, so it automatically charges the card.
    2. You will be charged for the portion of time upto 6pm. Eg, if it is 1 hour fee parking, and you parked at 4pm and left at 7pm, you would be charged the 2 hour rate.
    3. Exiting through an entry point is dangerous and will trigger alarms. Even if there are no boomgates, they have a photo of your licence plates and can report you to the police or council. However, I doubt they would do it. However, you may end up getting honked at (similar to going up the wrong way on a one way street)
    • ExtraSalt on 07/04/2017 - 06:50

      oh i didnt know you could register a credit card…..this would save a tonne of time and hassle! thanks for the heads up!

      • tomsco on 07/04/2017 - 08:54

        And I know at Doncaster Westfield, by registering a credit card, they allow an extra hour free (or at least that was the promotion when we registered).

      • Mad Max on 07/04/2017 - 08:59

        this would save a tonne of time and hassle!

        Except you may have to spend hours on the phone when they overcharge you or wrongly charge you for times you were not there…

        • tomsco on 07/04/2017 - 09:25
          +1

          Can you cite any times this has happened?

        • Mad Max on 07/04/2017 - 09:34

          @tomsco:
          Not to me because I would not register a credit card, but they had it a few months ago on A Current Affair someone that got overcharged by a Westfield shopping centre on their registered credit card. Then once they have your money it is your problem to prove that they are wrong.

        • Baysew on 07/04/2017 - 09:37
          +3

          @maxi: Was Ben McCormack the reporter?

        • tomsco on 07/04/2017 - 09:46

          @maxi: oh… ACA. OK than.

        • Mad Max on 07/04/2017 - 12:23
          +1

          @Baysew:

          Was Ben McCormack the reporter?

          Yes…he said that he should not be charged because he was not in the carpark. He was somewhere else and he had a witness but he could not name the witness because he is a child…

    • adam on 08/04/2017 - 22:25

      Neither police nor Council could do anything. You may have breached a contract by using their service and not paying for it (the contract, they would argue, that you agreed to when reading the signs on entering the carpark) - but you haven't breached any law or legislation that the police or Council have jurisdiction over. The most they could do is obtain your details from Dpt Transport and send you a bill in the mail which you could chose to pay or ignore & perhaps they'll take you to court. IANAL

      • retiredfeline on 08/04/2017 - 22:53

        Actually many shopping centre car parks are "road related areas" so rangers do have the authority to enforce regulations.

        • [Deactivated] on 09/04/2017 - 12:11

          Enforce regulations, yes (police can issue an infringement notice for failing to wear a seat belt or if the driver is holding a mobile phone) but police/council rangers can't enforce a parking operator's contract.

        • retiredfeline on 09/04/2017 - 12:26

          @Thrift: Not true, some shopping centre car parks are designated council car parks also. The one in my suburb is. It would be foolish to assume that just because the shopping centre is private, the car park time limits are not enforced by council. There may be various arrangements so pay attention to the notices.

        • [Deactivated] on 09/04/2017 - 19:52

          @greenpossum: But this isn't about exceeding a time limit - people are allowed to park as long as they want, and get charged a fee if they exceed the initial free period. As adam said, they haven't breached a regulation that police or council rangers are empowered to enforce.

        • retiredfeline on 09/04/2017 - 20:16

          @Thrift: Sometimes councils do impose absolute time limits to ensure spaces are available. But time limit is just one aspect, I was only using that as an example. The point I'm making is council enforces the car park regulations: charges, limits, parking in appropriate spaces (e.g. some spaces are reserved for seniors) so even if you can drive away you may still be subject to penalties. They are in fact a council spaces, and just as enforceable as those metered parking spaces on the street.

          What adam was thinking of are those private car parks where they slap dire looking tickets on your windscreen and threaten debt collection, even though you can drive out without paying.

  • Diji1 on 07/04/2017 - 01:18
    +1

    "Man kills 5 attempting to avoid payment for parking".

    I'm going to be sexist and say it's a he.

  • jjjaar on 07/04/2017 - 08:24
    +2

    1. They're usually designed with two boom gates at exit to allow vehicles behind the culprit to reverse and use the other. New centres are rarely are allowed to be designed with just one exit.

    2. Yes

    3. If they don't have those things that cut your tyres if you go the wrong way, they'll catch your rego on exit.

  • Mad Max on 07/04/2017 - 09:09

    This number plate recognition system is a pain because you can no longer drive out and back in and start fresh with another 3 hours.
    In a way it is good though because limiting your time in the shopping centre to 3 hours reduce your expenditure ;-)

    • B2 on 07/04/2017 - 10:25

      Shameful to say, I have parked in a carpark with these and moved my car out and then went back in before 3 hours. It didnt recognise that we had just been in there.

      • Archi on 07/04/2017 - 10:31

        collectively did you stay under or more than 3 hours?

        • B2 on 07/04/2017 - 10:33

          more :) was shopping then we went to the movies. So probably around 5 hours all up.

      • John Kimble on 07/04/2017 - 10:39
        +3

        Yeah, there is nothing wrong with that. Pretty sure they would have some sort of program or algorithm that would count how many times you did this over a week or a month and then start charging you if you hit a certain threshold.

        i.e., they are not after people who spend a bit more time shopping or watching a movie once in a while; they are after people who work nearby that would be doing it day in an day out, abusing the free parking.

        • retiredfeline on 07/04/2017 - 11:41

          Or the recognition system didn't trigger on that plate that day.

  • John Kimble on 07/04/2017 - 09:57

    OP are you seriously considering exiting through the entrance to avoid paying???

  • John Kimble on 07/04/2017 - 10:02
    +2

    In regards to point 1, I did once refuse to pay because I was a few minutes over the 3 hours (only because of the queues of cars leaving; and I know it is my responsibility to ensure I leave within the 3 hours), but on this day I was feeling exceptionally dickish, pressed the speaker and said I wasn't paying (holding up the queue); I think the guy on the other end could tell it would be a Mexican standoff and couldn't be bothered calling my bluff, so opened the gate.

    My wife was not impressed.

    Handy tip; When you validate your ticket in the machine it should give you an extra 10 to 20 minutes (not exactly sure how long, but maybe someone else can confirm at least at Westfield's), so technically you can get 3 hours and 10 to 20 minutes.

    EDIT: Just realised above is not relevant as OP is talking about the camera recognition car parks…

    • Archi on 07/04/2017 - 11:53
      +2

      works the same when you have the plate recognition… just have to go the machine put in your license plate number and hit exit now. and that in turn gives you the same grace period as a normal ticketed parking station.

      from the time it takes to validate your parking. haul 2 kids to the car unload the shopping secure both kids in the car safely leave your parking spot and navigate your way to the exit gate taking into account traffic queues and other variables like pedestrians, that could sometimes take up to 30 minutes,

  • Archi on 07/04/2017 - 10:11

    car park works the same as a regular ticketed parking station.

    1. it's the same in a regular car park if some $%^# wit doesn't pay their parking and arrive at the gate, no difference

    2. yes. free parking is only applicable entering after 18:00

    3. I'd like to see you try driving through and entrance to avoid paying a parking fare,

    how did you even think of, or consider this as a means of fare evasion. hope your not setting an example to other young people. I wonder what else you do to 'get away with things'

  • lainey13 on 07/04/2017 - 22:24
    +1

    Which centers in Melbourne uses this? I refuse to shop at Doncaster because I don't want to pay for parking to spend money.

  • LyndonBBear on 08/04/2017 - 14:10
    +1

    Chermside Westfield has just introduced number plate recognition. I too used to leave and drive around up and through to get back to my park if I wanted to stay more than 3 hours. Went through a few gates and collected tickets on the way. Now the new rules are that you can't return for 45 minutes. There goes the Christmas shopping.

  • chav on 09/04/2017 - 04:14

    I'm wondering what happens if "for some reason" when you enter, the system is unable to read your plate properly.

    When you arrive at the exit your plate would not be found, how would it work out what to charge?

    Would it…

    Default to the max for the car park.
    Somehow request you call for assistance.
    Open without charging.

    Easy to find out if someone is feeling investigative.

    Fortunately I don't live near this kind of car park.

    • stralya on 09/04/2017 - 14:36

      The default option in most carparks is that it would open without charging.

  • Voldox on 11/04/2017 - 14:21

    I got held up at Doncaster because the driver in front had not paid. I had paid. I left with plenty of time to pick up my daughter from a party but the boom gate operator refused to let the driver in front out. I was stuck for 15 to 20 mins during which this time I blew my horn many times and eventually got out of my car and abused the boom gate operator and threatened to call the police. This seemed to help as not long after he let us all out but I must say I was extremely angry and wondered what I could actually do. My car was effectively held to ransom, If I did call the police what could they do other than fob me off.

    I now avoid Doncaster as much as possible.

    • tomsco on 12/04/2017 - 12:42

      Not to say that they weren't part of the problem, but why was all your anger directed at the boom gate operator.

      Your car was not effectively held to ransom - you were simply blocked in because the driver in front was refusing to pay.

      In instances such as these, perhaps they need a sign to come on to say dispute in process, please use another exit.

      • Voldox on 12/04/2017 - 13:48

        I could not use another exit and it was close to closing time (so many cars banked up behind me also angry) and there was no other way. So what would you suggest I do in that case? The resolution of this issue is that the boom gate operator opens the gate - at this point the other driver cannot do much other than leave their car walk 10 mins back to the nearest pay place and then return.

        • tomsco on 12/04/2017 - 15:31

          I could not use another exit and it was close to closing time (so many cars banked up behind me also angry) and there was no other way.

          Fair enough. I know a lot of the exits these days have two exit points, as well as allowing payment at the exit barrier via card.

          As I said, the boom operator is not innocent - they need to use a bit of discretion and realise it's causing a large queue - they failed seriously here. But at the same time, the car in front either decided to tried to avoid paying, or thought they could squeeze in the free window, but were mistaken. For that reason (and knowing that no pay stations are a 10 minute walk away unless you're handicapped in some way), I would have been directing my frustration at the car in front.

    • retiredfeline on 12/04/2017 - 14:38
      +1

      It's lack of foresight in design. They should have a return lane where the car can go back and pay or fix it up somehow. Then other drivers can continue. But car park designers are too optimistic and want to cut this corner.

  • Of Aquitaine on 28/07/2019 - 19:37
    +1

    If you own a 2003 Daihatsu Charade sized car, you can squeeze between the boom gate and the raised kerb at Warringah Mall Brookvale to exit without paying. :-)

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