Parents erupt over woman's dodgy act in busy car park

Bystanders gathered and traffic backed up as the woman stood her ground in the vacant parking spot.

Sophie Coghill
·News Reporter
Updated ·2-min read
A woman standing in a vacant parking spot at a football field in Nelson while two men question her.
The woman stood her ground while bystanders and traffic gathered near footy pitches in Nelson, New Zealand. Source: Stuff

Trying to find a parking bay in a jam-packed car park is an all too familiar and frustrating experience for many Aussie families, especially when it's the weekend and community sports games are on.

However, the frustration was dialled to new levels last Saturday when a mum spotted exactly what she was looking for, but there was a catch. A woman was standing in the parking bay, seemingly trying to reserve the space for another driver. The simple action caused quite a stir, pulling into question whether her actions were fair game or not.

In the footage captured near footy pitches in Nelson, New Zealand, the woman in the vacant parking bay is approached by two men who ask her, "What are you standing here for?", before one later swears at her.

Cars were backed up in the car park as a driver at the front of the queue yelled out her window, telling the woman to move while instructing the mum to park in the spot.

The mum had reportedly been circling the car park for 10 minutes when the spot was found, and despite the woman standing her ground, the mum eventually started to drive into the parking bay, at which point the woman finally moved.

In New Zealand, as is the case in Australia too, pedestrians are not allowed to stand in an area reserved for vehicles, meaning this approach to reserving a parking bay is illegal due to the safety concerns it poses.

This behaviour can cost New Zealanders a A$32 fine while in Australia, Aussies can face a $78 fine. According to road rule 236 in the Australian Road Rules, pedestrians "must not cause a traffic hazard by moving into the path of a driver" or "unreasonably obstruct the path of any driver".

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