Parking can be a tricky business, especially in bustling urban areas where space is at a premium.

However, did you know that a simple parking mistake could cost you a hefty fine?

This was a lesson learned the hard way by residents in various parts of Australia, including one family whose special day was nearly ruined by an inconsiderate driver.

Amber Cunningham was all set to celebrate her 20th birthday with a family breakfast when she discovered a car parked right across their driveway. The vehicle was blocking their exit, putting a damper on the morning festivities.

‘I first noticed the car at about 7:30 AM this morning…I was extremely frustrated and a little upset,’ Amber recounted.

‘We have a lot of people parking in front of our house and getting really close to our driveway, but never smack bang in the middle of our driveway.’

In Australia, blocking driveways or footpaths can lead to fines—a problem that disrupted a Newcastle woman's birthday plans. Credit: Shutterstock

Fortunately, the Cunninghams had access to another family member's car and managed to salvage their birthday plans.

They reported the obstructive car to a towing company, and by the time they returned from breakfast, the car had mysteriously disappeared. The family suspected it was a neighbour's car that had been quickly taken away.

‘We suspected it was the neighbour's car. We have seen the car around, but it has never parked directly out in front of our house,’ Amber speculated.

Now, let's talk about the legalities. Parking across a driveway is not just rude; it's illegal across Australia, and it comes with a significant fine.

In New South Wales, for example, drivers who block access to a driveway, even if it's their own, can be slapped with a $320 fine. This also applies to vehicles parked over a footpath.

Amber admitted she ‘didn't know you could be fined’ for such an offence, and she's likely not alone in her lack of awareness.

The fines for this parking offence are consistent across the country. In Brisbane, the penalty can reach up to $322.60, while in Canberra, one man faced a $132 fine for partially blocking the pavement with his vehicle.

Perth has seen a surge in complaints about neighbours parking on footpaths, indicating that this issue is widespread and often contentious.

Just this week, a couple was left feeling ‘screwed over’ after receiving a $362 fine for parking across their own driveway, a practice they had been following for 12 years without issue.

While the recent issues with driveway access and a lesser-known parking offence highlight the struggles residents face with local parking regulations, it’s clear that the frustration extends beyond just one type of violation.

Many people are also grappling with hefty fines for street parking, prompting a broader conversation about the fairness of council rules.

In response to these challenges, residents are taking a stand against what they perceive as unjust fines and seeking ways to push back against these policies.

Key Takeaways

• Drivers in Australia, including NSW, can be fined for blocking driveways or footpaths with their cars, an issue that disrupted a Newcastle woman's birthday plans.
• Although it is a little-known offence, parking over a driveway or footpath can lead to substantial fines, varying by council areas.
• One Newcastle family reported a car parked across their driveway, and although the car was eventually moved, they suspect it was their neighbour who parked incorrectly.
• In Australia, parking offences like this can be costly, with fines reaching over $300 in some places for disrupting pedestrian access or blocking driveways.

What are your thoughts on this ‘little-known’ road rule? Have you experienced something similar to what the Cunninghams did? Let us know your insights and stories in the comments below.

 

[Wandiwa]

Regularly see tradespersons vehicles parked on footpaths at home construction sites. Annoying for pedestrians, worse for wheelchair bound people and parents with prams etc.

 

[Joanne Dickson]

I have experienced this, and the outcome was not pleasant. How can people claim to not know about this rule. Besides the fact it is an obvious (do not do. How would you like it moment.) It is just plain common sense. The outcome of my experience was. I was assaulted and the bloke not only got a $380.00 fine for the parking but $10,000 fine payable to me for the assault. He also coped a 12 Probation and lost his job because of the conviction.

 

[Benny's Light]

Parking has become a real problem in most places. Our next door neighbours have five cars plus a boat that sits out on the roadway outside their home taking up two parking spaces. They do not use their garage and have taken over the front of our home. Their rubbish bins sit outside our place each week while we have to put ours in front of our driveway and even their council pick up was placed on our front lawn so council could get easy access. They always have a car or two parked there. It makes it so hard to cut the lawn and garden. We are penalised because we use our garage and only have two cars. A few weeks ago we had tradesman in our home to do some repairs. We were charged an extra access fee of $150 as they could not park their truck out the front of our home and could not get the truck in our driveway as the cars parked there were partially over our drive way and they could not get past, so they had to park down the street. Thus, we were hit with extra costs. We have spoken to our neighbours who have said they will move cars when we need, however they are not always home to do so. They explained to us we use our garage so do not need the space and they do. We do not want to cause issues and are stuck between a rock and a hard place. It is a problem in most suburbs today as the roads are narrower and people have more big cars for each home.

 

[Rosi Gordon]

I don't see the issue, follow the rules and you don't get fined. It is every individual who has a licence to know the rules once they

Parking has become a real problem in most places. Our next door neighbours have five cars plus a boat that sits out on the roadway outside their home taking up two parking spaces. They do not use their garage and have taken over the front of our home. Their rubbish bins sit outside our place each week while we have to put ours in front of our driveway and even their council pick up was placed on our front lawn so council could get easy access. They always have a car or two parked there. It makes it so hard to cut the lawn and garden. We are penalised because we use our garage and only have two cars. A few weeks ago we had tradesman in our home to do some repairs. We were charged an extra access fee of $150 as they could not park their truck out the front of our home and could not get the truck in our driveway as the cars parked there were partially over our drive way and they could not get past, so they had to park down the street. Thus, we were hit with extra costs. We have spoken to our neighbours who have said they will move cars when we need, however they are not always home to do so. They explained to us we use our garage so do not need the space and they do. We do not want to cause issues and are stuck between a rock and a hard place. It is a problem in most suburbs today as the roads are narrower and people have more big cars for each home.

Unfortunately there is nothing you can do about it. I had a similar problem and contacted the council and they said that it's a public road so they can park there. As for the trade workers I told the neighbour that work trucks will be coming and a chance their cars would be damaged and they moved them quick smart. Sorry this is happening to you as it's so bloody annoying.

 

[Be-a- woof]

this act gets up my nose too. It has happened many times, even causing me to miss appointments. It's not the locals who do it, but travellers. The driveways are clearly marked by yellow lines, so there is no excuse.

 

[DLHM]

Parking has become a real problem in most places. Our next door neighbours have five cars plus a boat that sits out on the roadway outside their home taking up two parking spaces. They do not use their garage and have taken over the front of our home. Their rubbish bins sit outside our place each week while we have to put ours in front of our driveway and even their council pick up was placed on our front lawn so council could get easy access. They always have a car or two parked there. It makes it so hard to cut the lawn and garden. We are penalised because we use our garage and only have two cars. A few weeks ago we had tradesman in our home to do some repairs. We were charged an extra access fee of $150 as they could not park their truck out the front of our home and could not get the truck in our driveway as the cars parked there were partially over our drive way and they could not get past, so they had to park down the street. Thus, we were hit with extra costs. We have spoken to our neighbours who have said they will move cars when we need, however they are not always home to do so. They explained to us we use our garage so do not need the space and they do. We do not want to cause issues and are stuck between a rock and a hard place. It is a problem in most suburbs today as the roads are narrower and people have more big cars for each home.

So sad to have such rude, thoughtless neighbours. I can understand that you don’t want to “cause issues”, but people like that need to be told.

It’s none of their business whether you choose to use your garage or not. And you shouldn’t have to tell them each time to move their vehicles.

I don’t know who you could contact since your requests to the neighbours have failed to make any difference. Perhaps other SDC readers could have some suggestions who you could contact?

 

[Aussie all the Way]

WHO does not know this is against the Law, once again NOT really a little known Law. You would have to be brain dead to do that. And again anyone with a license should know this.

 

[Joanne Dickson]

I don't see the issue, follow the rules and you don't get fined. It is every individual who has a licence to know the rules once they

Unfortunately there is nothing you can do about it. I had a similar problem and contacted the council and they said that it's a public road so they can park there. As for the trade workers I told the neighbour that work trucks will be coming and a chance their cars would be damaged and they moved them quick smart. Sorry this is happening to you as it's so bloody annoying.

Council is wrong in saying this. They have the people to police this and do not use them. They say they use too much fuel. Why are we paying rates to the COUNCIL HA HA!! Not to mention their wages. And they do nothing. Time for a change in attitude People. THEY WORK FOR US. NOT US FOR THEM.

 

[mylittletibbies]

Parking has become a real problem in most places. Our next door neighbours have five cars plus a boat that sits out on the roadway outside their home taking up two parking spaces. They do not use their garage and have taken over the front of our home. Their rubbish bins sit outside our place each week while we have to put ours in front of our driveway and even their council pick up was placed on our front lawn so council could get easy access. They always have a car or two parked there. It makes it so hard to cut the lawn and garden. We are penalised because we use our garage and only have two cars. A few weeks ago we had tradesman in our home to do some repairs. We were charged an extra access fee of $150 as they could not park their truck out the front of our home and could not get the truck in our driveway as the cars parked there were partially over our drive way and they could not get past, so they had to park down the street. Thus, we were hit with extra costs. We have spoken to our neighbours who have said they will move cars when we need, however they are not always home to do so. They explained to us we use our garage so do not need the space and they do. We do not want to cause issues and are stuck between a rock and a hard place. It is a problem in most suburbs today as the roads are narrower and people have more big cars for each home.

They should, at the very least, be made to make alternative arrangements for their boat.
If they can afford a boat then they should also be able to pay for parking for the boat.
I would be querying this with the Council.

 

[BeautifulMousey]

I didn't know it was a little known rule. I have never driven but I have known for years that it was and is illegal to park across a driveway. You can prevent people from leaving or accessing their own property or maybe people who are at a Dr that have parking at the back

 

[Wandiwa]

Anyone complaining on here ... report the issue to your local council.
They cant action the problem unless they know about it.

 

[Veggiepatch]

One hour with a plasma cutter works wonders....

 

[Macarj]

I don't see how that is a little known road rule

 

[Macarj]

Parking has become a real problem in most places. Our next door neighbours have five cars plus a boat that sits out on the roadway outside their home taking up two parking spaces. They do not use their garage and have taken over the front of our home. Their rubbish bins sit outside our place each week while we have to put ours in front of our driveway and even their council pick up was placed on our front lawn so council could get easy access. They always have a car or two parked there. It makes it so hard to cut the lawn and garden. We are penalised because we use our garage and only have two cars. A few weeks ago we had tradesman in our home to do some repairs. We were charged an extra access fee of $150 as they could not park their truck out the front of our home and could not get the truck in our driveway as the cars parked there were partially over our drive way and they could not get past, so they had to park down the street. Thus, we were hit with extra costs. We have spoken to our neighbours who have said they will move cars when we need, however they are not always home to do so. They explained to us we use our garage so do not need the space and they do. We do not want to cause issues and are stuck between a rock and a hard place. It is a problem in most suburbs today as the roads are narrower and people have more big cars for each home.

I'm glad I live up a dead end street and all the homes are on several acre properties

 

[Sue0408]

Decades ago, I lived in Moorabbin, Melbourne, and during the footy season, particularly when St Kilda had a home ground game, there were cars everywhere. Because in those days, games were only on Saturdays, there were no parking officers on duty, if there had been the whole area of Moorabbin could have financed the shire just by parking fees during the footy season. I was fortunate enough, not to own a car, because my driveway was often blocked, other neighbours had it more difficult. An AFL player, lived in my street and he called a towing company after a motorist blocked his driveway. That driver would have had to pay the towing fees to get his car back.

 

[Jennylolo]

we don't have yellow lines to stop people parking over the drive. But emergency vehicles also need to be able to get out. I went out to leave one morning for work at 7:45 and had to go next door to a tradesperson and ask him to move his vehicles/truck from my drive. So he sat in it revving his vehicle expecting me to move out right then so he could park back there. I told him I will go when I'm ready and it's illegal for you to be here. At the drive to that neighbour on my side is a fire hydrant and many regular trades park in front of it preventing access- also illegal. Yet they don't park in from of his place. It annoys me when they park slap bang in the middle of my frontage preventing a 2nd vehicle from parking there. I got home one day unable to get in as they encringed on the drive. I said was going to ring council/police to have their vehicle removed, as I have done other times when asking them to move things and they don't want to.

 

[Fozz]

They should, at the very least, be made to make alternative arrangements for their boat.
If they can afford a boat then they should also be able to pay for parking for the boat.
I would be querying this with the Council.

Parking of boats, caravans and trailers on the roadside is becoming a problem all over Sydney. Perhaps the law needs changing so that vehicles that cannot move under their own power have to be attached to a registered and insured motorised vehicle to be able to park on the roadside for more than one hour.

 

[mylittletibbies]

Parking of boats, caravans and trailers on the roadside is becoming a problem all over Sydney. Perhaps the law needs changing so that vehicles that cannot move under their own power have to be attached to a registered and insured motorised vehicle to be able to park on the roadside for more than one hour.

Yes, and they shouldn't be allowed to park there permanently, whether attached or not. That's what marinas are for and if you can't afford a marina ,park it on your own property or don't have a boat that causes a problem to other people.
Entitled idiots.

 

[Ezzy]

They should, at the very least, be made to make alternative arrangements for their boat.
If they can afford a boat then they should also be able to pay for parking for the boat.
I would be querying this with the Council.

There are 2 houses in our street with boats & both owners keep these on their own front lawns & not the verge.