'Waiting for a mate': Dispute over Sydney parking spot sparks debate
While the laws of the road are black and white, there is one grey area — what is the protocol when it comes to saving parking bays for a friend?
A parking spat in Sydney's northern beaches has been caught on camera, sparked by a man trying to save a parking bay for a friend by physically not moving from it, despite others clambering for the park.
The argument was posted to TikTok triggering a furious debate over whether or not it's fair to 'save' a bay for a friend.
First in, best dressed?
In the video, filmed by user Lucien Briggs at Freshwater Beach, the man is seen standing in an empty car spot in a crowded car park as Mr Briggs argues he should be able to take it.
"I'm allowed to park here, this man is minding his own spot," he says, showing the man leaning against the poster's ute, which is positioned to reverse park into the space.
"Now he's blocking my car," he continues, as the man shouts "I was here first".
"He's waiting for his mate and he's f**king sitting down," Mr Briggs says in disbelief.
"You're literally sitting down behind a ute," he continues. "Do you want to get run over?"
"There's no car, I'm allowed to f**king park here," he says furiously.
"Welcome to the beaches of Sydney. Male Karens flocking ready for the summer," the video was captioned.
The majority of the users argued the law of calling dibs has no jurisdiction in a busy car park, agreeing that Mr Briggs should be allowed to have the park in this situation.
"What an absolute child," one user wrote.
"Hasn't even got a car!" another person commented. "Person with the car wins."
'We learned fast': The obscure road rule catching out visitors to Australia
Woman slapped with fine after parking outside home – but was she in the wrong?
However, some argued it would have been easier to let the man wait for this friend to take the park.
Mr Briggs later commented on the post saying they ended up securing the bay, adding the man's wife stepped in and "put him in his place".
Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.
You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play.