The photo of a car parked on a driveway in one major Aussie city highlights a little-known parking offence that drivers can be fined hundreds of dollars for. Over the weekend, a black car stood idle on a driveway in Sydney and a passerby called the driver out for being “arrogant” as the vehicle had blocked the footpath.
“It wasn’t until I started pushing my own kids around in a pram that I realised how arrogant it was,” the parent wrote online. “F*** these guys for prioritising their own convenience about the risk associated with forcing people out in the road.”
The passerby was under the impression the driver was parked on their own driveway but had given little regard to their park blocking the public footpath — a behaviour that drivers can cop a hefty fine for.
“I was running when I came across this… [I] am always tempted to try to run over bonnets when I see this,” they said.
Drivers parking over own driveway can cop hefty fines
If a driver is blocking a public footpath, regardless of whether they are on their own driveway or not, they risk a fine. Those who commit the parking offence cop a $362 fine in NSW, with one couple learning this the hard way after they were slapped with a fine after parking in the driveway of their Lake Macquarie home.
Drivers across Australia have been fined for parking on their own driveway. Source: Facebook/Supplied
In Canberra, a driver was fined $132 after the back of his ute was sticking out from his driveway and blocking a public footpath, while a Gold Coast resident copped a $201 fine from the council after she parked on the street but her car was blocking entry to her own driveway.
Illegal parking ‘significantly impacts the safety’ on Aussie streets
There has been a surge in illegal parking and Aussie residents are becoming “increasingly frustrated” with the trend, according to Danny Gorog, CEO & Founder of council reporting app Snap Send Solve.
“Parking on driveways and across footpaths endangers pedestrians, significantly impacts the safety of people using wheelchairs or prams and obstructs essential foot traffic pathways,” he told Yahoo News previously. “Aussie residents are becoming increasingly frustrated with this issue and are encouraged to report hazards.”
There have been over 4,000 reports of illegal parking, marking a 37.9 per cent increase in NSW over the last 12 months alone. Nationwide, there were over 40,061 reports between January and April this year.
“We encourage residents to download our app and snap any issues of illegally parked cars to notify the relevant local authorities to resolve the issue quickly and efficiently,” he said.
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