Sydney's shopping centres are switching to ticketless parking systems, hoping to catch out drivers exploiting free parking periods.
From July 6, a camera will capture the number plate of each car entering the Macquarie Centre car park in North Ryde.
Macquarie Centre senior marketing manager Emma Giammarco said people from the nearby university and surrounding businesses were taking advantage of the three-hour free parking period.
"We know these individuals often park in our car park and simply exit the car park to re-enter and park every three hours, to keep within the free parking limit," she said.
"The introduction of licence plate recognition technology will eliminate this from occurring as it records and logs the entry time of each car. Visitors will no longer be able to exit and then re-enter the car park to claim an additional three hours free parking."
The Rhodes Waterside car park in Sydney's north-west can choose whether to charge shoppers the full day rate if they enter the car park more than once a day, warning shoppers on their website that the "all-day rate may apply for multiple entries on the same day".
However, parking charges at the Macquarie Centre will only apply when a car exits and then re-enters the car park within one hour, sparing additional charges for people who return for a double dose of shopping later in the day.
Ticketless parking at Westfield Miranda was implemented last year. Shoppers are charged $3 in the first half hour after the three-hour free period ends. Westfield Bondi Junction is switching to ticketless parking and will charge up to $10 an hour after an initial two-hour free parking period.
