There are few government policies that people of all stripes can agree to embrace, but reducing parking ticket fines – or mandating leniency among ticket inspectors? Well, who would be willing to argue with that?

As of Thursday, NSW motorists will have 10 minutes from the moment their paid parking ticket expires to get back to their car before they can be fined.

From January 31, parking inspectors in NSW will have to give motorists 10 minutes grace before issuing a fine. Credit:Marina Neil

The ticket must be at least one hour in length for the grace period to kick in, and it doesn’t apply to private car parks or meters that don't issue tickets. It also doesn't apply to parking fines in bus lanes, clearways, transit lanes, mail zones or special event parking.

The move is the latest in a package of reforms from the NSW government aimed at making parking fines fairer and less burdensome on motorists.