We here at the SDC have heard a lot of nightmare stories about hefty fines levied on people for different driving offences, but we never imagined something as simple and innocent as parking could draw such a steep penalty.

It's a lesser-known offence that unfortunately, one driver in Melbourne found out the hard way this week, as they were handed a rather steep $110 fine.

The driver was parking his car on the street when he got into trouble, seemingly without cause… Or so he thought.

He had parked his vehicle no further than 20 centimetres from the side of the road and when compared to other cars parked on the same street, there was no noticeable difference in the parked vehicles.

A photo taken at the scene showed the car was parked slightly crooked, but it was still nowhere near obstructing the safe passage of other vehicles.

The driver was fined for this parking job. Credit: Reddit.

'Never seen this infringement before,' he wrote in a Reddit post.

'Seems a bit harsh when looking at how others park on this street. I can accept I could move over further but space has never been a particular issue on our road. I would have appreciated a warning or something.'

The post has captured the attention of more than 400 people, who shared their thoughts on the matter.

Many users said that the fine was unjustified, with one person writing: 'Challenge that. The admin time and expense it would take them, they’ll most likely write it off.'

Another agreed and added: 'I wonder how this got reported? Maybe a garbage truck or some other wide-set council vehicle went past and struggled to squeeze through?'

The driver confirmed that no one had actually reported their car. So, who exactly was issuing the fines around the area? Apparently, an automatic enforcement system was responsible.

It should be noted that the rules for parallel parking on Victorian roads without a dividing line or strip stipulate that the motorist must simply place their car so that there are at least three metres of road clear for others to pass.

Additionally, Queensland, WA, Tasmania, and SA follow the same rules as Victoria, however, drivers in NSW, the ACT, and the Northern Territory must park as near to the kerb as possible and in the same direction as traffic, unless the road is one-way.

Key Takeaways

• A driver in Melbourne was recently issued a $110 fine for not parking close enough to the kerb, even though their car was only 20 centimetres away from the side of the road.
• The rule for parallel parking on roads without a dividing line in Victoria stipulates that the driver must position their vehicle so there are at least three metres of road clear for others to pass.
• It is unclear who reported the driver for failing to park close enough to the kerb.
• Other Australian states also have similar rules for parallel parking, but the exact requirements vary.

What are your thoughts on this? Were the authorities right in penalising the driver or should they have been given a warning? Share your opinions with us in the comments below!

 

[kiwidi29]

This seems unjustified!
I was given a $413 fine notice for forgetting to put up my disabled parking ticket in a disabled spot. It took 2 letters from me and one from my Dr to have it reversed.
Our little seaside town of Victor Harbor has very aggressive parking enforcers.

 

[Mikeyboy2012]

We here at the SDC have heard a lot of nightmare stories about hefty fines levied on people for different driving offences, but we never imagined something as simple and innocent as parking could draw such a steep penalty.

It's a lesser-known offence that unfortunately, one driver in Melbourne found out the hard way this week, as they were handed a rather steep $110 fine.

The driver was parking his car on the street when he got into trouble, seemingly without cause… Or so he thought.

He had parked his vehicle no further than 20 centimetres from the side of the road and when compared to other cars parked on the same street, there was no noticeable difference in the parked vehicles.

A photo taken at the scene showed the car was parked slightly crooked, but it was still nowhere near obstructing the safe passage of other vehicles.

The driver was fined for this parking job. Credit: Reddit.

'Never seen this infringement before,' he wrote in a Reddit post.

'Seems a bit harsh when looking at how others park on this street. I can accept I could move over further but space has never been a particular issue on our road. I would have appreciated a warning or something.'

The post has captured the attention of more than 400 people, who shared their thoughts on the matter.

Many users said that the fine was unjustified, with one person writing: 'Challenge that. The admin time and expense it would take them, they’ll most likely write it off.'

Another agreed and added: 'I wonder how this got reported? Maybe a garbage truck or some other wide-set council vehicle went past and struggled to squeeze through?'

The driver confirmed that no one had actually reported their car. So, who exactly was issuing the fines around the area? Apparently, an automatic enforcement system was responsible.

It should be noted that the rules for parallel parking on Victorian roads without a dividing line or strip stipulate that the motorist must simply place their car so that there are at least three metres of road clear for others to pass.

Additionally, Queensland, WA, Tasmania, and SA follow the same rules as Victoria, however, drivers in NSW, the ACT, and the Northern Territory must park as near to the kerb as possible and in the same direction as traffic, unless the road is one-way.

Key Takeaways

• A driver in Melbourne was recently issued a $110 fine for not parking close enough to the kerb, even though their car was only 20 centimetres away from the side of the road.
• The rule for parallel parking on roads without a dividing line in Victoria stipulates that the driver must position their vehicle so there are at least three metres of road clear for others to pass.
• It is unclear who reported the driver for failing to park close enough to the kerb.
• Other Australian states also have similar rules for parallel parking, but the exact requirements vary.

What are your thoughts on this? Were the authorities right in penalising the driver or should they have been given a warning? Share your opinions with us in the comments below!

I'd like to see wider photos of the street, so that we can see the car's proximity to the centre of the road, other cars, the passing traffic, the width of the road etc. to get overall context of the supposed parking offence.

 

[Lynjw]

We here at the SDC have heard a lot of nightmare stories about hefty fines levied on people for different driving offences, but we never imagined something as simple and innocent as parking could draw such a steep penalty.

It's a lesser-known offence that unfortunately, one driver in Melbourne found out the hard way this week, as they were handed a rather steep $110 fine.

The driver was parking his car on the street when he got into trouble, seemingly without cause… Or so he thought.

He had parked his vehicle no further than 20 centimetres from the side of the road and when compared to other cars parked on the same street, there was no noticeable difference in the parked vehicles.

A photo taken at the scene showed the car was parked slightly crooked, but it was still nowhere near obstructing the safe passage of other vehicles.

The driver was fined for this parking job. Credit: Reddit.

'Never seen this infringement before,' he wrote in a Reddit post.

'Seems a bit harsh when looking at how others park on this street. I can accept I could move over further but space has never been a particular issue on our road. I would have appreciated a warning or something.'

The post has captured the attention of more than 400 people, who shared their thoughts on the matter.

Many users said that the fine was unjustified, with one person writing: 'Challenge that. The admin time and expense it would take them, they’ll most likely write it off.'

Another agreed and added: 'I wonder how this got reported? Maybe a garbage truck or some other wide-set council vehicle went past and struggled to squeeze through?'

The driver confirmed that no one had actually reported their car. So, who exactly was issuing the fines around the area? Apparently, an automatic enforcement system was responsible.

It should be noted that the rules for parallel parking on Victorian roads without a dividing line or strip stipulate that the motorist must simply place their car so that there are at least three metres of road clear for others to pass.

Additionally, Queensland, WA, Tasmania, and SA follow the same rules as Victoria, however, drivers in NSW, the ACT, and the Northern Territory must park as near to the kerb as possible and in the same direction as traffic, unless the road is one-way.

Key Takeaways

• A driver in Melbourne was recently issued a $110 fine for not parking close enough to the kerb, even though their car was only 20 centimetres away from the side of the road.
• The rule for parallel parking on roads without a dividing line in Victoria stipulates that the driver must position their vehicle so there are at least three metres of road clear for others to pass.
• It is unclear who reported the driver for failing to park close enough to the kerb.
• Other Australian states also have similar rules for parallel parking, but the exact requirements vary.

What are your thoughts on this? Were the authorities right in penalising the driver or should they have been given a warning? Share your opinions with us in the comments below!

Ridiculous. Just revenue gathering.