Parking Fine
Hello all.
So today I received a parking fine in a 4P meter spot near Melbourne Uni.
What happened was I paid for the initial 4 hours, and came back after 4 hours elapsed. I then drove around the area to look for another spot, and there weren’t any, so I returned to the original spot and topped up another 4 hours.
When I returned, there was a ticket. I’ve called up to ask but was put on hold for almost 30mins before I gave up. I checked my tyre and the marking they put there was visible, so I’m assuming that the inspector assumed that I was there the whole time without moving.
How do I prove that I actually moved my car and came back?
I actually saw another inspector after moving my car to another spot, and he said the chalk they use ‘usually’ rubs off if the car is driven. However, the mark on my car is still visible now, even after I’ve driven it to a new spot.
Has anyone had an experience challenging such a fine in these circumstances? Any advice would be much appreciated!
Posted Mar 15, 2018, 6:10 AM UTC
My dad copped a similar fine years ago and complained to the council, apparently it doesnt actually matter which spot you come back to. the 4P or 2P or whatever is for the region not a particular spot.
^ This
You are permitted to park in that parking "area" for the maximum amount of time per day
I once did something similar, parked for 4 hours, drove out and looked elsewhere, gave up and went back to parking lot and same spot was available so I reverse parked in, saw Parking Inspector as I was walking away and she shook her head and informed me of the rule
Do you have a reference for this "maximum amount of time per day" thing other than what some person told you? The only thing I could find in the road rules relating to parking time limits is rule 205, which says
but says nothing about maximum amount of time per day.
Given said person was a Parking Inspector, I'll take their word for it
Well in that case I’m fucked. Might take it to court and say that the rule isn’t made clear enough to drivers. Would you guys agree it’s quite obscure?
It is very obscure, although that doesn’t mean you’ll win. Good luck if you do try it though.
What the do you want them to do, spend million on an education campaign? Introduce a course at schools?
Or just realise you fucked up and stop blaming anyone else.
Or you know, a simple solution like a small sign with two lines on the ticket/meter machine?
If a council is going to fine people for something then yeah, I’d expect them to make the rules clear.
To be fair, the laws already say that you have to move the car out of the area controlled by the parking sign. That pretty clearly rules out putting your car back in the spot you just vacated.
It is like this everywhere in the world, to stop pricks from hogging spaces for the entire day.
http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/parking-and-transport/parking/parking-rules/Pages/parking-rules.aspx#roadrule205
Not really that obscure.
Pay the fine.
Its not even about the fine at this point. I dont mind paying the money, and now intend to given what people have told me.
But don’t you think it’s slightly unfair for someone who might be in a rush to do laps looking for a spot, and not be allowed to park back in the same spot if it’s still free after all that time?
No. It's not intended to cater for all-day parking.
Ignorance of the law isn’t an excuse. The council prosecutor will simply tell the Magistrate that the laws and regulations are publicly available and the the onus is on you to know the law.
If you did go to court you would still be found guilty however the fine might be reduced if you got the right Magistrate or Judicial Registrar. You may find that the fine isn’t reduced and you may have to pay court costs. It will also cost you a day off work if you work business hours which you might want to factor in.