Brisbane residents slapped with fines for parking in own driveways

In a bureaucratic bungle, residents of Fitzgibbon in Brisbane's north are being slapped with hefty parking fines for parking their vehicles in their own driveways and they are not impressed.

Residents are saying Brisbane City Council's strict enforcement of state laws are unfair and unclear.

One by one, residents of Caribou Crescent are receiving fines in their front yards.

Resident Peter Pedwell told 7 News, “You don't want to break the law but sometimes they force you to.”

With driveways under three metres, longer vehicles can cross over into public land, which is illegal to park on.

Another disgruntled resident, Connor Ferguson, told 7 News, “I know that my step-Dad's ute has come out and he's got fined for that”.

Another offences was a tyre on the grassy verge or curbway, making parking for residents and their guest exceptionally challenging.

Mary Siaosi, another resident of the street, said she was fined for parking right outside her property.

“We were parked on our grass area just outside, front of our house," she told 7 News.

Brisbane City Council says it responded to complaints from other residents about the illegal parking and was also concerned about safety, access, and potential damage to underground infrastructure.

Residents and visitors said they have tried to park on the road but find it difficult to fit in the narrow street.

“The garbage man complains that he can't get through and sometimes bins have not been emptied because of it,” Mr Ferguson told 7 News.

In yet another blow to residents on the street and adding additional insult to injury, council also rostered on infringement officers to patrol the neighbourhood while residents were sleeping.

Fines were then issued in the early hours of the morning.

“He's woken up to a ticket and you can't do anything because they don't even give you a chance to move your car,” Mr Ferguson said.

Ms Siaosi said she was fined at 2.51am while she was sleeping, the $117 penalty leaving her “quite angry".

She said the lack of council communication about the parking rules is infuriating and confusing to residents.

“We had no warning, no nothing, there's no signs in our streets either to say that we can't park anywhere in particular,” she said.

Council told 7 News it's enforcing state road use rules.

News break – June 27