A woman was fined $117 for stopping in a ‘no parking zone’ – but she encountered an UNEXPECTED twist
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One driver was left with a daunting fine of $117 for stopping in a ‘no parking zone’ but things unexpectedly ended on a positive note.
Her car was parked on a quiet street in the inner Sydney suburb of Newtown earlier in May and the woman made sure to leave a note taped to the inside of the windscreen to explain her circumstance.
“The battery died when I got home at 3am. I’m getting a jump today. I am so sorry!” the note read.
Despite this, she stumbled on a $117 parking ticket tucked beneath a wiper blade, positioned directly over the note.
The area where the car was parked prohibits vehicles from taking up the space (from 5am to 10am on Mondays) to make way for garbage collection. But upon further investigation, the Inner West Council decided to waive the ticket stating that the woman's situation was exceptional.
Image Credit: Daily Mail
“The vehicle was in a No Parking Zone in a narrow laneway, affecting neighbourhood amenity and impacting on services such as bin collection,” a spokesperson for the council said.
“But upon reviewing the offence, it is apparent there was a note on the windscreen. Council is withdrawing the penalty and apologises for any inconvenience.”
According to the consumer advice website Choice, parking fines are often wrongly issued and may be waived if you make a strong, valid argument.
Some of the many reasons that can warrant a fine to be revoked include faulty parking metres, damaged signposts or ones that are difficult to read, and if the council parking officer simply makes an error in issuing a ticket.
So, if you ever find yourself on the receiving end of a parking fine and you insist that your case is a mere misunderstanding, it’s best to gather as much evidence as possible by snapping photos of the obstructed sign or broken parking metre.
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“Building up evidence increases your chance of winning your appeal so you may not need to take your case to court.” the website stated.
Fines issued by the council can be contested by simply giving them a heads up about your plan to fight the fine. This will either result in an immediate revoking of the fine (if your case is strong enough) or a magistrate hearing both cases and making a ruling.
Beware of fines issued by private parking companies as they are often dodgy, Choice said before advising readers to contact the Office of Fair Trading (or similar department in your area) to have your case looked into further.
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Learn how you can spot fake parking fines by watching the video below:
Video Credit: 9 News Australia
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