A new parking system rolled out across several ritzy Sydney suburbs has come under fire with drivers claiming it invades their privacy.
North Sydney Council has introduced a cashless system that requires drivers to download an app and create an account if they want to park their car.
Drivers have lashed out at the system since it was introduced in July claiming it is overcomplicated as they must submit private information.
Their full name, phone number, email, postcode, car registration, and credit card details are among the information required.
An 8.25 per cent surcharge is added on top of every transaction when drivers pay through the new Touch N Go boxes or PayStay app.
2GB host Ben Fordham ripped into the system on Wednesday saying it had caused a flurry of confusion as the old parking meters were still around.
‘The old parking meters are still there with garbage bags over the top of them and masking tape going around them,’ he said.
‘There are some people pulling up and parking and thinking, alright well, the parking meters aren’t working so I won’t bother.
‘Then you’ll get back to the car and discover, no, you’re supposed to know about this other system where you download the app and give all of your details across and try and work the thing out.’
Annoyed listener Jody wrote in to the station and labelled the payment system a ‘complete joke’.
She said she had watched an older person struggle to adapt to the new system.
‘What happened to anonymously chucking a coin in a meter and getting on with your day?’ she wrote.
‘When did it become so complicated and time consuming just to park the car?
‘Will this become the norm? Everywhere I’ve parked in Crows Nest there’s no physical meter, just a sign saying pay by phone and directing you to a website.
‘When you get to the website, it tells you to download an app. When you download the app, you need to then create an account and sign up.’
Jody was required to share her name, phone number, email, postcode, car registration and credit card to use the app.
One local vented their frustration on social media claiming the parking had become an ‘absolute nightmare’.
‘Whatever happened to just dropping a few coins in the meter? The whole system is a joke – and we’re the punchline,’ he wrote.
‘North Sydney Council is happy to crow about them being solar-powered and environmentally friendly, but you can’t navigate them – it’s almost impossible.’
Liberal candidate for North Sydney Council Jessica Keen said she also tried to use the new parking system but ‘couldn’t work it out’.
‘I was on council for four years and I sat on traffic committee, so I’m very across parking meters and I was also like Jody trying to work it out,’ she said.
Other listeners told Fordham they wouldn’t be able to use the system as they don’t carry mobile phones while others raised concerns for elderly residents.
A North Sydney Council spokesman said the council was actively working with residents to address their frustrations.
He said drivers could pay for parking through three options: meters, Touch N Go boxes, and the PayStay App.
The surcharge is only applied when using the Touch N Go boxes or PayStay app.
Daily Mail has contacted North Sydney Council for comment.