But the days of using a soft touch on drivers are likely coming to an end.

"In response to the local impact of the COVID pandemic, Orange City Council parking officers have been taking a lenient approach to parking offences at the minor end of the scale, such as overstaying time limits," said council communications officer Allan Reeder.

"Instead of infringement notices, warnings have been issued.

"There are indications we might be getting to end of this period."

Mr Reeder said that where safety was involved, such as parking in a dangerous location, fines were still being given.

He said that some drivers "had not responded and changed their behaviour after receiving multiple warnings".

This had led to businesses, which rely on a regular turnover of vehicles, to complain to council staff about customers not being able to park.

"Our city's system of timed parking limits is all about sharing the available spaces fairly between the drivers who want to use them," Mr Reeder said.

"There are also indications that some staff who work in local businesses are using the in-demand parking spaces, rather than parking in all-day parking areas and walking to where they work."

Council staff are considering a scheme whereby businesses may be allocated parking tokens to use in a car park so as to keep those vehicles away from high-demand spots.

"We're talking with the Orange Business Chamber about how to move forward on parking," Mr Reeder said.

"Up until the recent Sydney outbreaks, staff were moving towards returning to normal, but this will be reviewed in the coming weeks.

"Once the Christmas-New Year rush is over it's likely parking officers will be beginning to return to their normal approach during January."

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