Simple road rule lands driver fine for parking outside his house: 'I had no idea'
The Canberra man argues people should be cautioned first before receiving a fine for what was deemed an 'unsafe' road act.
An Aussie driver has vented his "outrage" after being fined for parking out the front of his house, an act he thought should've attracted only a warning rather than an on-the-spot penalty.
The Canberra-based man, who said he recently moved back to the city from Melbourne, copped the penalty for parking in the opposite direction of traffic. He argued the fine was "an abuse of resources" and questioned its legality.
"[It's] revenue raising, as this street is very quiet, not near a school or town centre, not in a built-up high pedestrian area," he wrote in frustration this week.
"I had no idea I had a fine. I received a text message from Access Canberra saying I had to pay it in two days — I thought it was a scam so I looked into it. Turns out, I actually did get one, and I was very confused as to why. Fast forward a bit and I receive an email saying they won't withdraw the fine as I 'reverse parallel parked unsafely in the opposite direction of traffic'."
He claimed that "a licence plate recognition van got me in this predicament", which he said he thought were only meant to be used near schools, in built-up high pedestrian areas and near town centres — "none of which is the case here".
Posting an image of the park that attracted the fine, which was later sent to him by Access Canberra, the man announced he was considering taking the matter to court, and asked for advice from locals.
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Quickly, many pointed out that despite stopping outside his own home, the park was clearly in breach of the law. Though some empathised with the situation. "Society is pretty sad when they have to fine you like this. Feeling nothing but empathy for you," a woman said.
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"Bottom line is that you were parked illegally, got nabbed and basically don’t have a leg to stand on in court. Learn from it, pay the fine and move on," somebody else said.
"You can't fight this, no jurisdictions in Australia allow parking the wrong way on the street like they do in England, so you can't claim ignorance from moving from Melbourne," wrote a third.
"It's always been the law here, your reflectors won't work at night facing the wrong way and people could clip your car in poor lighting. Going to court will cost more money and you'll definitely lose."
Legislation clear in ACT when it comes to parking offences
When it comes to the legislation, Access Canberra states that drivers on ACT roads "have a responsibility to make sure they follow all the road rules".
"Some examples of where it is illegal to stop or park your car are: across any passage, thoroughfare, entrance, driveway or foot crossing, anywhere other than in a marked bay in a car park marked into bays, on footpaths or nature strips and on the wrong side of the road, and not in the direction of traffic," it said.
Speaking to Yahoo News Australia, an ACT Government spokesperson condemned the park.
"When parallel parking, a motorist must park a vehicle in the direction in which traffic could legally travel on the side of the road the vehicle is parked," they told Yahoo. "This rule seeks to prevent motorists from positioning their vehicles in dangerous places on the road or driving on the wrong side of the road. The infringement associated with parking in the opposite direction of traffic is $137."
In the territory, as of July 1, 2023, parking fines ranged from between $128 and $640.
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