Driver fined $640 for common parking act while mowing grass outside home: 'I'm dirty'

Despite seeking permission from his neighbour, council fined the resident who was just trying to tidy up his garden.

Courtney Greatrex
·News Editor
Updated ·4-min read
Two cars parked on a nature strip (main) with a fine from NSW government (inset).
The driver copped the parking fine while mowing his lawns. Source: Supplied

A driver has accused his local council of using "dirty" tactics to issue fines to residents parking outside their homes — despite doing the same thing for "years".

Craig, who lives in Blue Haven on the NSW Central Coast, said he was doing nothing out of the ordinary when he moved his and his visiting mother-in-law's cars to the nature strip outside the neighbour's house across the road.

The cars were only there for "a couple of hours" while he mowed his lawns and even sought permission from the neighbour before doing so. In the meantime, both cars were snapped by a passing council ranger and days later, Craig and his mother-in-law both received $320 fines for parking on the nature strip.

While he's aware the cars were technically on council land, Craig reckons he was doing the right thing by his neighbours by getting the cars out of the way of oncoming traffic — and now he has no choice but to cough up for both fines.

"I understand it is council land, but the way I see it if the neighbour's mowing the lawn then it's his land," he told Yahoo News Australia. "If he doesn’t have an issue, I don’t know why they've given out a fine. I’m dirty about the whole thing."

The Central Coast nature strip where Craig was parked.
Craig was parked across the road on the grass to keep the road clear for his neighbours. Source: Supplied

The resident appealed the fine, hoping that by explaining the situation it would be revoked, but sadly his application was rejected. He points out there are no signs prohibiting residents from parking on the grass on the quiet residential street and argues it's "dirty revenue raising".

While he has considered taking the matter to court, it's a costly endeavour that may not end in his favour. Craig has since vowed that he "won't be parking there now" despite not seeing a problem with it.

"If I had parked on the road I’d be obstructing traffic more than parking it on the strip. There's no footpath, it doesn’t get used for anything. I can’t for the life of me figure out what the issue is."

Posting about the situation online, residents were divided over the offence.

"It's stupid because the council expects you to maintain said piece of property out the front of your place but you can't park there," echoed one local.

Others disagreed, calling it a "common" fine.

"You weren't parked in your own yard, you were parked on the council strip and it's not an imaginary footpath, it's the safest place for people to walk off the road whether there is a footpath there or not," said another. "You will get the same fine for parking in your driveway but outside the fence line."

"Yes, strictly no cars parked on council strip. It sucks but it’s what happened in my street, rangers came along and fined about four people," shared another.

Parking on driveways and across footpaths is a growing issue across Australian neighbourhoods with reports on the rise across every Aussie state and territory in the last 12 months.

"Aussie residents are becoming increasingly frustrated with this issue and are encouraged to report hazards," Danny Gorog, CEO & Founder of reporting app Snap Send Solve, told Yahoo News Australia.

"Over the past 12 months, our Snap Send Solve platform has seen a significant surge in reports of illegal parking across Australia, with sharp increases recorded across January to August this year.

"Parking on driveways and across footpaths endangers pedestrians, significantly impacts the safety of people using wheelchairs or prams, and obstructs essential foot traffic pathways."

  • New South Wales: 37% increase

  • Australian Capital Territory: 56% increase

  • Queensland: 53% increase

  • Tasmania: 42% increase

  • Victoria: 33% increase

  • South Australia: 34% increase

  • Western Australia: 41% increase

  • Northern Territory: 17% increase

A Central Coast Council spokesperson told Yahoo: "Parking officers and rangers use discretion when determining what action is to be taken in response to an alleged parking offence. However in this particular matter, it was determined that a fine was appropriate.

"Parking on roadside verges, particularly on a bend or corner as depicted in this instance, is potentially dangerous as it can impact the line of sight for other motorists, as well as force pedestrians to use the road instead of the verge.

"Public land can also be damaged by vehicles being parked on grassy verges. The recipient of the parking fine is able to challenge the fine via Revenue NSW."

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