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It might feel like getting a parking ticket is more likely than ever, as many council areas introduce in-ground sensors and even surveillance cars to monitor rule-breaking behaviour.
However, according to Tim, a former Melbourne-based parking inspector with 10 years of experience, old-fashioned methods are still at play.
"Some councils do still use the original method – chalk on tyre – largely due to the cost of the infrastructure associated with sensors," Tim tells Drive.
The tyre-chalking method sees patrolling inspectors mark the tyres of vehicles parked in time-restricted zones, allowing them to easily identify if the vehicle has failed to move within the time limit when they later revisit the area.
"[A council might have] a large fleet of sensors, but there is always going to be the traditional marking chalk on tyre for when sensors go down, or if there’s a belief that people are trying to trick the system," Tim explains.
The latter is not uncommon, with some motorists attempting to remove chalk marks to escape a ticket, seek some form of vigilante justice, or cause havoc as part of an internet prank.
"Last year, someone was filming a YouTube video and they went around rubbing chalk off tyres just because. We also get the opposite in residential streets, where if someone is annoyed at people parking in their street, they will go out and get some chalk and mark their tyres."
Where do parking inspectors mark tyres?
While Tim says there's no over-arching method for chalking tyres, there are a few tricks that can be used to make it harder for drivers to spot when their vehicle has been earmarked.
Often, parking inspectors will mark the tyre at the point where it touches the ground so it's less obvious to passers-by.
"If there are reports of people rubbing the marks off, then they're going to be placed in subtle locations, or we would use a different type or colour [of chalk]," he says.
"Traditionally the chalk has always been white, but there are also pinks and oranges, reds and greens and purples, which are very difficult to see unless you know what you’re looking for.
"It depends on the weather as well – chalk still works on wet tyres but the application technique has to be clear. Some colours work better in the rain than others."
Don't assume the marks will be uniform in shape or size either.
"Most councils will train their officers to put the mark across the full tread, but there’s no legal requirement for that to be the case, so some will do a short mark across half the tyre," Tim explains.
"I used different symbols, so I'll do one side of a road with one stroke, and the other with two strokes.
"At the end of the day it is the individual officer's evidence, so as long as they’re satisfied, that's what matters."
While Tim admits that removing or hiding the mark might get you out of a ticket on occasion, it puts a target on your back for future indiscretions.
"People just roll forward to hide the mark and nine times out of 10 you’ll get away with it, but you also risk making yourself very visible and you can only get away with it for so long," he explains.
"There’s no written record, but when you patrol a street long enough, you get to know the cars and the players."
Susannah Guthrie has been in print, online and on television for over a decade, covering everything from world news to fashion, travel, entertainment, health and now cars. Having previously held senior titles across titles like The New Daily, ELLE, Harper's BAZAAR, People Magazine and Cosmopolitan, she enjoys writing, communicating and reaching as many people as possible. These days, Susannah relishes testing cars with the help of her husband and two children, bringing automotive news to a broad audience and helping consumers make sense of the car-buying process.
