A sunshine Coast resident is outraged to have copped a $94 fine for parking on his own driveway. Birtinya’s Reese Gerhard arrived home on Sunday to the unwelcome notice, the Sunshine Coast Daily reports.
His car was parked on his driveway, with the back of his vehicle extending over the boundary.
“Our whole street got done, if you were parked on the nature strip or exceeding the mailbox, you got hit,” Mr Gerhard said.
“I know four people who were hit but there were at least half a dozen.
“I’ve heard it is happening in all the new estates from Caloundra all the way to Peregian Beach. I’m just ropeable that it is happening.
“I wasn’t home but my neighbours were. They asked the parking officer if they would knock on our door to get us to move it, and they apparently replied that ‘it isn’t part of their job’.”
After calling the Sunshine Coast Regional Council multiple times, he was given a simple ultimatum; pay the fine or take it to court.
“They say I have 28 days to dispute it,” he said.
“It is just wrong. I’ve parked my car as close to my garage door as possible and it still goes past my letterbox.
“And what is worse, council say that they will continue to hand out fines unless we change where we park.
But a statement from the council provided to ABC says the photo “does not show the true position of the motor vehicle when the infringement was issued”.
“(The) vehicle in question was parked at the lower end of the driveway and was compromising the nature strip and safe pedestrian passage,” the spokeswoman said.
“This regulation is in place to ensure safe passage for pedestrians and to maintain infrastructure, and access to the infrastructure, located within the verge.”