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Driver cops parking fine 32 minutes before ticket expires – but there's an explanation

A furious motorist has condemned a parking officer for fining him despite having a valid parking ticket for another 32 minutes.

The driver had parked in Wakefield Street in Hawthorn in Melbourne’s east on Monday when he returned to his car to find a fine on the windscreen.

He posted a picture to Reddit showing the $83 fine, which was issued at 12.35pm, next to his paid ticket which says it’s due to expire at 1.07pm.

The paid ticket shows he had purchased it at 12.07pm and it was valid for an hour.

“Read the ticket, I was there from 12.07 with a one hour ticket in a one hour space, and I was fined at 12.35 for overstaying the time period. I wasn’t hopping around trying to cheat the system or anything,” the driver wrote on Reddit.

An angry motorist claims he was fined despite having a valid parking ticket. Source: Reddit/GarthVaderX
An angry motorist claims he was fined despite having a valid parking ticket. Source: Reddit/GarthVaderX

However, not all felt sorry for the driver, with some on Reddit suggesting the motorist had been parked there before buying the ticket.

The Boroondara Council said the entrances to the car park had permanent signage highlighting the two-hour paid parking limit.

“Motorists must comply with this two-hour limit and purchase a valid ticket for the period of parking,” a council spokesperson told Yahoo News Australia.

“Where a motorist who has parked their vehicle fails to comply with both requirements, they are in breach of the parking conditions and exposed to receiving a parking infringement.

“Purchasing a ticket to park beyond the two-hour limit for that day, does not entitle motorists to stay for a longer time period in this car park. In such circumstances, a parked motorist will breach parking conditions for the car park and therefore runs the risk of receiving a parking infringement.”

The council said parking was a limited resource and parking rules and restrictions made it a fair and level playing field for people to access parking.

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