Driver cops $115 parking fine while 'unlocking car'

The woman believes it would have been quicker to move her car than wait for the parking infringement to be processed.

A driver has copped a $115 parking fine despite the parking inspector including photographic proof she was metres away from returning and "unlocking" her car on the busy street.

Issy* was shopping for an item she "needed for work" in Melbourne on March 14 and returned to her parked car on Chapel Street to find the inspector issuing her a fine. She pleaded with him to stop processing the infringement and to allow her to drive off, but he allegedly said she was simply "too late" and issued it regardless.

"I just got very frustrated knowing that I could've moved the car faster than he gave me the ticket and opened up the space again," she told Yahoo News.

The photographic evidence included with the parking infringement shows the orange car parked on the street as the woman approaches it.
The image attached to the $115 parking infringement shows the driver (left) walking towards the parking inspector and her car in Chapel Street, Melbourne. Source: Supplied

Driver wants parking inspectors to be more 'forgiving'

The driver had unknowingly parked in a 'mail zone' for 10 minutes on the busy road, an area where stopping is prohibited unless the driver is an Australia Post employee or a contractor in a vehicle with clear signage.

The driver admits she was in the wrong and confirmed she paid the fine, however she believes the parking inspector could have been more lenient and let her off with a warning, given she was right there.

"I obviously know I shouldn’t have parked there and have already paid the fine... it is what it is, I’ve learnt my lesson, but sometimes I feel like they should be a bit more forgiving," she said.

Online some drivers claimed parking inspectors are unable to remove infringements from the handheld system if they have already logged it.

*A different name was used to protect the woman's identity.

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