Parking Infringements
JCU's traffic and parking regulations are defined and regulated under the James Cook University Act 1997, the State Penalties Enforcement Act 1999, and the State Penalties Enforcement Regulation 2014.
JCU Security Officers and other authorised persons regularly patrol University campuses and issue infringement notices to vehicles found to be in breach of traffic regulations.
Infringement notices are issued via a handheld device and are generally placed under a windscreen wiper of the vehicle. The jurisdiction of JCU Security Officers or other authorised persons extends to all University sites. Photographs of vehicles will be taken at the time an infringement notice is issued.
When an infringement notice will be issued
Infringement notices will be issued when a vehicle is parked in contravention of the current regulations identified above. Some of the more common offences are listed below.
Infringement amounts are linked to Penalty Units, which are defined by the Queensland State Government and varied from time to time. One penalty unit in Queensland is currently $143.75 (with effect from 1 July 2022).
Common offences and penalties
| Offence | Penalty |
|---|---|
| Failure to hold or display a required permit whilst parking | ½ penalty unit |
| Contravention of a notice containing the words No Parking or No Standing | 1 penalty unit |
| Parking or standing on a place where the parking or standing of a vehicle is prohibited or restricted by notice | ½ penalty unit |
| Exceeding the (signposted) time restriction | ½ penalty unit |
| Vehicle not parked in a marked bay | ½ penalty unit |
| Contravention of a notice prohibiting or restricting any other parking or standing – parked outside a designated car park as indicated by the Campus Parking and Transit maps | ½ penalty unit |
Parking or standing on a site, parking place or space restricted by notice to vehicles of a particular class or subset of which the vehicle is not one:
| ½ penalty unit |
| Driving on a road in the direction contrary to that permitted by notice – driving the wrong way on a road | 1 penalty unit |
Respond to an Infringement Notice
If you are in receipt of an Infringement Notice, on the notice you will see a QR code (if able to use your phone), scan the code. This will take you to the Infringement Payment Portal where you can:
- make a payment by credit card only; or,
- appeal an Infringement Notice (parking ticket).
If you are not able to scan the QR Code with your phone or you may wish to go online at:
https://finepayments.com.au/jcu
At the Infringement Payment Portal, you will need to enter:
- Infringement Notice number;
- vehicle licence plate and state of registration; and,
- your details, including email address.
Then click on “Enter”. This will take you to a page where you can review:
- vehicle details;
- Infringement Notice details; and,.
- Any images taken at the time of the offence.
This information will help you decide to either pay the Infringement Notice or to submit an appeal.
To make a payment, you will need your credit card details. All transactions are secured over HTTPS. Your credit card details are not stored by vCompliance during fine payments.
From 2023, payments are no longer accepted at the JCU Cashier, by mail or via BPay. All payments accepted via the vCompliance on-line Infringement Payment Portal only.
You have 28 days to pay the fine before further action is taken. A reminder letter may be sent as a matter of courtesy after this time.
Lost or destroyed Infringement Notice
If you have misplaced your Infringement Notice – email parking@jcu.edu.au with your vehicle licence plate details and a reply email will advise you of the ticket number.
Appeals
The Appeal process is on-line through the vCompliance portal. You will be required all details in the required box showing a red asterisk.
The Reason for Appeal box is restricted to 250 characters however you may attach three separate files limited to 2.00MB. The following file types are allowed: .doc, .docx, .txt, .jpg, .jpeg, .png and .pdf.
Unacceptable reasons for illegal parking
The following reasons are not considered grounds for appeal:
- "I was running late for class and could not find a park."
- "There is not enough car parking spaces available on campus."
- "Vehicles parked next to mine did not have an infringement notice on them."
- "There were other vehicles parked there, so I thought I was allowed to park there."
- "I pay my student fees, so I should be allowed to park near where I study."
- "My vehicle was not parked in a dangerous manner."
- "I only left the car for a few minutes."
- "I was on official JCU business."
- "I did not know I had to pay for parking."
- "All of the car parks were full."
Statutory Declarations
You have the opportunity to provide a Statutory Declaration to JCU if you believe you are not liable for the offence due to the following reasons:
- The vehicle was being used illegally
- The vehicle was being used by another person (nominated by you)
- The vehicle was being used by another person (but unable to be identified)
- The vehicle had been sold or otherwise disposed of
If the Statutory Declaration is received within 28 days of the offence and the actual offender cam be identified, a prosecution against them may be commenced instead of enforcement of the notice. The Statutory Declaration must be signed in the presence of a Commissioner of Declarations or a Justice of the Peace and forwarded as a PDF attachment by email to parking@jcu.edu.au or in hard copy to The Appeals Officer, JCU Parking, Estate Directorate, James Cook University, Douglas, QLD 4811.
Once a decision has been reached, a letter advising the outcome will be sent to the appellant. In the meantime, no further referral action will occur until you have been advised of the decision. The documents will be reviewed, taking into account:
- Information provided in the appeal document or Statutory Declaration
- Information on the infringement notice being correct (offence, location)
- Photographs
- Any other mitigating circumstances, including notes recorded by the JCU Security Officer or other authorised person at the time of the offence.
Appeal outcome
The reviewing office will recommend if the infringement notice should be upheld or withdrawn by the JCU Delegated Administering Authority appointed under Section 28 of the State Penalty Enforcement Act 1999. A letter will be forwarded to advise if the infringement notice has been upheld or withdrawn. This may take a number of weeks.
If you are advised that the Infringement Notice has been withdrawn, no further action will be taken by the University.
If you are advised the Notice has been upheld, you will have a further period of time to pay the outstanding amount. Failure to pay within this period will result in the infringement being referred to the Qld Revenue Office or "SPER". Additional costs will be incurred by you should this occur.
If you are not satisfied with the decision of the Delegated Administering Authority, you must advise the University that you wish to have the matter dealt with in a Court of Law.
If the University decides to take the matter to Court, you will be liable for obtaining your own legal advice. If you lose the case in Court you may also be liable for any costs incurred by the University.
Common explanations offered for illegal parking
"All the car parks were full."
It is every driver’s responsibility to park legally. Whilst the University acknowledges it is difficult to find a park during peak periods, a permit is only a ‘licence to look’ and parking is not guaranteed.
Many car parks on campus never fill up - if you are arriving during peak times you may need to walk a short distance from your vehicle. Not everyone will be able to park immediately adjacent to your destination.
Staff and students are also encouraged to seek alternate travel to campus in peak times. Carpooling, public transport and cycling to the University are options.
"I was not obstructing other vehicles or parked in a dangerous manner."
You are not allowed to park on lawns, median strips or unsigned areas. Such activity damages University assets (such as sprinklers, underground infrastructure, etc.) and creates a hazard or risk to other people or the environment.
"I did not see the sign" or "I didn’t understand the sign."
Licensed drivers are deemed to understand signage as set out in the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices which sets the community standard for parking and traffic signage.
"I was on official University business."
No matter what the purpose of the trip, you are required to park legally.
"Nobody else got a ticket."
Officers patrol a large campus and may only attend an area for a short time before being called away. The fact remains the infringement occurred and the notice is therefore valid.
"I did not receive a reminder notice because I changed my address."
It is an individual’s responsibility to change addresses with relevant Government Departments. The University is not required to send reminder notices, however does this in good faith. Failure to receive a reminder notice does not change the validity of the Notice.
"I pay my student fees – I should not have to pay parking fines."
How people choose to travel to campus is their choice. If you wish to park at the University then parking rules have to be followed. If you do not wish to park at the University, other options are available to you.