On the one hand, the council inspectors are now issuing $86 fines for parking offenders.

On the other, the council still hasn’t explained how it will avoid a parking nightmare when the Volt Lane car park closes next year and some of the Kiewa Street spaces probably close temporarily.

It’s all very well for the council’s engineering staff to prepare a long-term parking strategy but traders worry about the next two years.

All they have been told is “we’ll let you know”.

Once regular shoppers perceive that it’s easier to park in Wodonga or Lavington, they will go there.

A free shuttle bus was tried and failed in 2007 after costing about $5000 a week.

It’s unlikely that will be revived, but what are the alternatives?

With parking fines, Albury Council has no choice in amounts imposed as they are set by the state government.

That means, of course, that the minimum $86 fine is really designed for Sydney’s choked-up city centre.

It doesn’t work well in the harbour city but at least it’s a big dollar-raiser for the hard-pressed state government.