Wollongong City Council would need to double the number of spaces in its paid car parks across the city to eliminate waiting lists for a car space.
Figures provided to the Mercury show there are 610 people on the council's car park waiting lists, while all 633 car spaces in the car parks are already leased. A further 20 motorbike spaces are being advertised.
In the two most sought after car parks - in Belmore and Victoria streets - more than twice as many drivers are on the waiting list as there are spaces.
McCrackdown: Maccas puts price on parking The Belmore St car park has 168 people on its waiting list, while its 66 spaces are all leased. The council's smallest car park, in Victoria St, has 41 occupied spaces and a further 84 people waiting for a space.
The pressure on waiting lists is likely to increase further when 840 parking meters are installed in the city next year.
A shortage of all-day parking in the city has prompted a crackdown by businesses frustrated at city workers taking up parking spots.
Wollongong McDonald's has resorted to installing ticket machines to charge motorists who stay longer than 45 minutes, while a private company will fine drivers overstaying the two-hour limit.
Other businesses, including Woolworths and Aldi, already have boom gates to regulate parking.
The council's director of works and infrastructure, Peter Kofod, said the council had spent $350,000 on improving its Thomas St car park. A $340,000 upgrade to the Rawson St car park is also underway to provide 204 car spaces.
"This will provide an extra 50 car parking spaces," he said.
But creating more city parking doesn't come cheaply. When the investment on the Rawson St car park is added to the $6.1 million the council spent last year to buy it back from a failed developer, each parking space has cost the council more than $31,500.
Another $270,000 will be spent on an 85-space car park at the corner of Ellen and Keira streets, expected to open next year. That car park works out to be only one-tenth of the price at $3176 per space.
Despite a 13 per cent price hike this year pushing the monthly fee for a permanent space up to $65.95, the council's prices are still lower than other private car parks.
"Council provides 653 parking spaces at six paid off-street car parks in the city centre," Mr Kofod said. "These car parks are at capacity.
"A parking inventory carried out in 2008 showed 27 per cent (641 spaces) of paid off-street parking in the city centre is still available."
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