CROYDON traders say Maroondah Council's parking officers are driving customers away from their stores because of excessive parking fines.

Australian Cinemas site manager Gerald Shaddock said he was "fed up" with seeing the officers scour the Croydon shopping centre car park at least twice a day.

"I'm just sick of it, it's just pure revenue raising," he said. Our cinemas are very cheap, that's why people come to us.

"A lot of the people who do come are low-income earners, but if they go out to their cars and find a parking fine on their window, they won't want to come back."

Mr Shaddock said time limits on parking needed to be increased to allow enough time for movie-goers to enjoy a film without worrying about getting a ticket.

"It's getting ridiculous. We're a family cinema, we're not surrounded by major shopping centres. They're not making it a friendly, welcoming place to come.

"I'm sick of people coming in and giving me grief because they've been booked."

Council director of corporate services Marianne Di Giallonardo said the council did not focus on the Croydon shopping precinct and that parking officers only patrolled the area two to three times a week.

"Parking officers are not offered commissions and do not have quotas outlining a minimum number of fines to be issued in a particular time frame or area.

"People who are found to have exceeded the maximum time limit allocated for a particular parking space are subject to a $58 fine.

"Unlike some of its metropolitan neighbours, Maroondah City Council does not rely on, nor does it generate, significant revenue from parking fines.

"In September, $4491 of parking infringements were issued in the entire Croydon area."