Parking in Brisbane can be tricky if you don't know the regulations.
Parking regulations
The Brisbane City Council regulates on-street parking in the Central Business District and inner city suburbs. Parking in the city isn’t always easy but pay attention to the signs because the fines are even more expensive than the cost of the meter. Find out all you need to know about parking regulations.
Off-street parking
Brisbane has many paid off-street carparks, most of them in the CBD but with some in busy areas near hospitals. Carparks can be identified by a big white 'P' on a blue sign.
Wilson Carparks
Find paid parking stations at http://www.wilsonparking.com.au and get details on costs, early bird deals and maximum heights.
Secure parking
- Brisbane CBD
- Spring Hill
- Milton
- Fortitude Valley
For further details visit: http://www.secureparking.com.au
Brisbane City Council carparks
Do you drive a hybrid car? It's half price to park here plus there are cheap car pooling rates (3 or more people) and free bicycle racks.
South Bank
South Bank is a short stroll over the bridge from the CBD, with paid parking options that are cheaper on weekends.
You can find good value parking at the Cultural Centre car parks (near QPAC, the Museum and Art Gallery) with flat rate entry ($14). It is more expensive ($20 as at January 2010) to park here before 9am.
Or park at the Brisbane Convention Centre car parks. They offer cheaper early bird rates for all day parking.
Parking meters
Many streets in Brisbane have metered parking. If you park at a coin-operated meter always check its operating times. Some inner city meters cannot be used during certain hours because the roadway becomes a clearway or a bus zone.
The hours of operation, parking time limit, acceptable coins and operating instructions are written on the meter. A multi-bay meter covers four parking bays, so take note of your bay number (marked on the street curb) and follow the instructions on the meter. You are not allowed to exceed the parking time limit by 'feeding' the meter.
Brisbane City Council has further information on parking meters and their varying rates.
Residential parking permits
Residential parking permits are for people who live within specified traffic areas and who need to park on the street. Brisbane City Council administer the permits and you need to apply.
Parking Control Areas
There are restrictions on parking in streets, on event days, near large sporting venues including:
- the Gabba
- Suncorp Stadium (Milton)
- Ballymore (Herston)
- Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre (Robertson)
- Tennyson Tennis Centre (Tennyson)
During an event, on unsigned streets, parking can be limited to only 15 minutes. Times vary so check the maps and time restrictions in parking control areas. Remember, if you are attending a major event, you may be entitled to free public transport with your ticket.
There are also 2 hour limits to parking in St Lucia from February to November, near the PA Hospital at Dutton Park and in the Brisbane Central Traffic Area.
Motorcycle parking
Motorbikes generally have the same parking options and regulations as cars.
Most car parks offer discount rates for motor bikes. Some free off-street parking is available for motorcycles at a few locations around the city.
Refer to the PDF map (201kb) for Brisbane city motorcycle parking spots. There are footpath and on-street spaces.
Disability parking
Special parking privileges are available for holders of disability parking permits including free parking in metered and regulated areas where the time limit is more than 30 minutes and the use of on and off street disability parking bays at locations including hospitals and shopping centres.
Queensland Transport has detailed information about disability parking permits and Brisbane City Council has maps and locations of regulated parking areas.
Parking trucks or trailers in Brisbane
Vehicles that are 7.5 metres or longer, or weigh more than 4.5 tonnes, cannot park for longer than one hour within 100 metres of residential land. This regulation applies to trucks, trailers, large caravans, buses and vehicle/trailer combinations. The only exceptions are trucks that have broken down, or vehicles carrying out emergency repairs or making deliveries.
Fines and towing
If you return to your car and find it gone, call Council on 07 3403 8888. If parked illegally, the car may have been towed away.
If you've been fined (amounts range from $50 to $500) read how to pay the fine.
Good Afternoon
Recently a disabled friend had to come into the city for some legal appointments . It proved a very expensive exercise as it cost $60 for parking for a couple of hours. This person can not walk very far at all (100m is too far) thus cannot catch a bus or train so had to drive in. Taxi fare from home & return would have been approx $140 (resides in the bay suburbs). The closest parking was in a 'pay' parking service only (in Post Office Sqaure).
Even if there was 1 or 2 disabled parks in the city - how would someone be abel to locate them? I doubt that a spot would have been close enough anyway.
The information in thsi website is valuable, however I didn't notice anything about disabled parking. This is especially important for the older people in our community too are unable to use public transport and the cost of taxi's is prohibitive.
It would be good if you could take this into consideration & have some informaiton on this informative website.
Yours Sincerely
Claire