Drivers who park illegally on Kunanyi/Mount Wellington this winter will be slapped with fines, as the Hobart City Council brings parking inspectors back to the mountain for the first time in three years.
The council says it is cracking down because badly parked cars are blocking the road for ambulances and rescue crews on busy snow days.
About 2,000 car trips are made up the mountain on a snow day, but there are only 100 to 200 parking spots.
Councillor Ryan Posselt, who chairs the council’s transport committee, said parking issues were “increasing in frequency” as more people flocked to the mountain.
More than 500,000 people visit the mountain each year, making it Tasmania’s most visited natural attraction.
“If you park illegally, you will be booked this snow season and it’s because of safety reasons,” he said.
“On these peak days where snow’s around or the water’s in [the] Disappearing Tarn, it really is a very busy time on the mountain and difficult to find a park.”
Posselt said people should consider alternative ways to access the mountain.
“Can you take the snow bus? Can you park at Fern Tree and walk from there? There’s lots of different options, but do you need to drive all the way to The Springs on a snow day?” he said.
He said the council could not tow away large numbers of cars on a snow day, so it was up to drivers to do the right thing.
Wellington Park Management Trust general manager Amy Russell said illegally parked cars could block off whole sections of road.
She warned the weather could turn dangerous within minutes.
“You can be in deathly peril in view of your hotel back in the city of Hobart,” she said.
Russell said many tourists went up the mountain underprepared and underestimated the conditions.
Ambulance Tasmania operations supervisor Tessa Campin said blocked roads could delay crews trying to reach patients.
“When there are things like hypothermia and exposure considered, then this can have a big impact,” she said.
Campin said paramedics had been called to the mountain 19 times in the past year.
Tasmania Police Search and Rescue senior constable Callum Herbert said parked cars had got in the way of rescues before.
He said it was “frustrating” to be “arguing with someone about their parking” while trying to organise a rescue for someone who was hypothermic on the mountain.
Herbert urged visitors to plan their route, pack warm clothes, a map, a torch and a charged phone and turn back if the weather changed.
The council says it will step up patrols on the busiest days throughout winter.
