Vehicles are parked at a cargo terminal at Piraeus port, near Athens
Vehicles are parked at a cargo terminal at Piraeus port, near Athens, October 17, 2014. European car sales rose 6.1 percent year on year in September, benefiting from an extra selling day compared with 2013 and with brands like Volkswagen and Ford enjoying stronger sales in Germany, France and Italy. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis

Brisbane motorists are going to enjoy a 15-minute parking facility for free. The free service is going to be applicable to some parts of the city as a part of the council recommendations.

The free parking facility for 15 minutes will be applicable to 7,715 on-street metered spaces and also to 1,110 off-street spots in King George Square and Wickham Terrace car parks, ABC News reported. According to a research, a significant number of car drivers require only 15 minutes or less. This means that the free service for parking spots will ensure a bigger turnover. The council is apparently going to spend nearly $2 million every year to provide the free parking service to Brisbane commuters. There are inner city areas where the free parking facility will be available/ Such areas include South Brisbane, Wooloongabba, Kangaroo Point, Teneriffe, Newstead, Bowen Hills, Fortitude Valley, Spring Hill, Herston, Kelvin Grove, Auchenflower and Milton.

There has been a six-month investigation by Brisbane City Council on how to simplify the parking system in the city. Post the investigation, the council came up with 55 recommendations for the simplification process. The major points among the recommendations include having in-car cameras and parking sensors to catch out illegal parking. Park censors will alert inspectors when a car overstays the limit of free parking. The censors will be used in high demand areas. Parking censors will also be used for the detection of infringement. Thereafter, the fine will be posted by mail.

There is also going to be a crackdown on residential parking permits while there will be special cycle-ways for bikers during peak hours. There may be strict limits of one visitor permit and one residential permit to be allowed in new permit zones. Residential parking permits may also be rolled out in many other areas across Brisbane, Courier Mail reported. Deputy Mayor Adrian Schrinner headed the taskforce which had been formed in June, 2014. It is expected that Lord Mayor Graham Quirk will endorse the recommendations on December 2. While the free parking facilities will only be available if the recommendation is endorsed, the service will be introduced within three months if it gets the due endorsement.

Contact the writer: s.mukhopadhyay@ibtimes.com.au