Driver fined $640 for common parking mistake outside home: 'Wasn't aware'
The frustrated motorist said she had no idea it was an offence to park on the grass, and questioned 'why do we have to mow it then?'
A frustrated Aussie woman who parked on the grass outside her home "because there weren't any spots left on the road" was appalled to discover she'd been fined twice, totalling a whopping $640.
The motorist said she "wasn't aware" it was an offence to park on the grass, and questioned "why do we have to mow it then?". But, experts say the act is in fact a major issue nationally, with "a sharp increase in reports" of people parking on median strips across the last 12 months.
Doing so, they say "endangers pedestrians and significantly impacts the safety of people using wheelchairs or prams". Nonetheless, the NSW woman pondered challenging the fines in court. "I have parked on the grass because there are no car spots left on the road, and no spots in the driveway and my car gets bogged on the front lawn inside the brick fence," she wrote online on Thursday.
"Would you take this to court? Two fines totalling $640 for parking on the front lawn of my house. If the government owns this area, why do we have to mow it? I wasn’t aware you weren’t allowed to park on the grass there."
Speaking to Yahoo News Australia, CEO and Founder of council reporting app Snap Send Solve, Danny Gorog, said it's unlikely the woman had much of a defence. "Aussie residents are becoming increasingly frustrated with this issue and are encouraged to report hazards. The Snap Send Solve platform has recorded a sharp increase in reports over the past 12 months," he told Yahoo.
He said across Australia, reports related to illegal parking on nature strips or blocking footpaths surged by 25 per cent in July compared to last year. "Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland are among the states with the highest number of concerns around illegal parking across our walkways," he said.
"We encourage residents to download our app and snap any issues of illegally parked cars to notify the relevant local authorities to resolve the issue quickly and efficiently."
Drivers across Australia confused over council boundary lines
Gorog's warning comes months after an ACT driver was fined when parking in his own driveway in June. The Canberra man was slapped with a $132 infringement because the back of his ute hung over the boundary line of the driveway, ultimately "blocking the footpath". This part of the driveway is public property and does not belong to the residents, therefore making the park illegal, he discovered.
Seemingly unaware of the parking rule the man, who lives in Conder, criticised the ACT Government after copping the fine detailing his offence which was "stopping on a path/strip in a built-up area".
"Is the ACT Government really that hard up for money that they are trying to fine people $132 for parking in their own driveway for 'blocking the path'?" he asked on social media.
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