Parking Fine Advice - Stopped Not Facing Direction of Travel

LAngryman123 on 01/04/2021 - 14:08

Hi OzBargins,

Today I recieved a parking fine for "Stopped not facing direction of travel"

I live off a small side street that has cars parked on both sides of the road and is wide enough so only 1 car at a time can travel down the middle of the road. The road has no centre line as well, so it acts as a 1 lane give way street.

Last night I parked on the right side of the road as it was where the avaliable carpark was. Instead of doing a three point turn (lazy yes i know) I parked my car in the opposite direction to the other cars.

This morning to my bewiderment I woke up with a fresh $99 fine on my windscreen citing "Stopped not facing direction of travel" (Road saftey road rules 2017 section 208 (1))

I did not even know this was a rule as my car was parked and not blocking anything.

I'm just wondering if you guys think there's any merit in contesting it (or asking for a warning/reduced fine)?

Automotive

Comments

  • GG57 on 01/04/2021 - 14:12
    +155

    No

    • This Guy on 01/04/2021 - 19:15
      -4

      You can speak for himself, thank you.

        • Thrift on 02/04/2021 - 13:20

          Did you read the link you posted?

          In the UK, it is legal to park against the flow of traffic during the day time. As the sun goes down, it then becomes an offence

          Leicester Mercury: If you park your car the wrong way round at night you could face a £1,000 fine

          Drivers who park facing the wrong way around on streets are being targeted by traffic wardens as part of a national crack down.
          …The Highway Code states you must park the same way as the direction of traffic at night if you're not in a marked bay.
          …You could see yourself land a whopping £1000 fine if you are caught parking the wrong way - and it can even raise to £2,500 for goods vehicles or passenger vehicles over eight seats.

        • This Guy on 03/04/2021 - 11:12
          -5

          You is not a writer and has never worked for Yahoo.

      • berry580 on 03/04/2021 - 21:16

        And another 136 people by the looks of the "likes"

    • SF3 on 01/04/2021 - 19:17
      +2

      Came here late.

      Can see OP’s username checks out from the 🔥 comments.

      • pegaxs on 01/04/2021 - 20:32
        +5

        Top kek..

        How I see these posts…

        • SF3 on 01/04/2021 - 20:54

          Same reasoning as those OPs with school zone fines. Using “common sense” as the counter argument…

    • SF3 on 01/04/2021 - 20:55

      Yes, 100% agree.

      • capslock janitor on 04/04/2021 - 13:26

        Do the rangers go on such patrol? or OP was just very unlucky and was spotted?

  • hentabara on 01/04/2021 - 14:12
    +34

    Nope. Just pay the fine

      • Quantumcat on 01/04/2021 - 14:30
        +41

        Ignorance isn't a valid excuse. It is up to you to know the road rules.

        • Kangal on 01/04/2021 - 19:21
          -1

          The same can be said for the government, but at the end of the day, they're the ones with the guns/army/force. So no recourse. And worse comes to worst, they'll pay any fine, but it will be paid by the taxpayers \o/

        • SF3 on 01/04/2021 - 22:17
          -4

          Yeah, but it’s “CoMmOn SeNsE” and “NoT lIkE tHaT iN oThEr CoUnTrIeS”.

      • Leanne59 on 01/04/2021 - 14:38
        +41

        To get to the position that you parked your car, you would have had to drive on the wrong side of the road to park it facing the wrong way.

        • Crow K on 01/04/2021 - 14:48
          +13

          As well as other issues [e.g. imagine starting your parked car at night and shining your headlights into oncoming traffic].

          • jorf on 01/04/2021 - 14:55
            +24

            @Crow K: Also your tail light reflectors are facing away from oncoming traffic.

        • gummibear on 02/04/2021 - 00:51
          +2

          You also need to drive on the wrong side to get out.

        • trongy on 02/04/2021 - 10:18
          +1

          You've identified the practical basis of this rule - i.e. the spirit of the law.

          The OP already said that the street was so narrow that all drivers had to drive (partially) on the wrong side of the road so it made no practical difference. I live on a street that narrow - both sides are equally distant from your driving line.

          He's upset because he's being punished for violating the letter of the law when he feels he didn't violate the spirit of the law. His post and all simmilar posts are just venting, because it's always the letter of the law which is enforced.

          • SlickMick on 05/04/2021 - 20:27

            @trongy: I'd prefer to think that we still have a sufficient level of civilisation to know that a car giving way to me will move to thier left, rather have to guess which side I'll have to pass on, or who's giving way to who. (…The answer to this mystery is: whoever has to cross to the wrong side has to give way.)

            I can't believe such basic principles are questioned here.

            • trongy on 05/04/2021 - 22:19

              @SlickMick: The street is 7.5m wide. There are cars park on both sides occupying about 2m of the width on either side.

              Do you think it is possible to drive a car down that street without crossing the centre line?

              • SlickMick on 06/04/2021 - 07:44

                @trongy: No, but I think whoever crosses that line gives way to the car coming the other way

                • trongy on 06/04/2021 - 09:10

                  @SlickMick: Do you think that it is possible for the car coming the other way to drive down that street without also crossing the centre line ?

                  • SlickMick on 06/04/2021 - 18:16

                    @trongy: Sorry, I didn't pay attention to your maths. Okay, if both sides have cars parked and there is still room for a single car only, one is going to back the entire length of the street or into a driveway to let the other pass. My bad. In any case, we're way off topic.

                    But back on the topic, we still need to stay on the left for same reasons we've segued from.

      • trex on 01/04/2021 - 15:09
        +10

        This is different to a speeding fine where it has the potential to cause serious injury.

        That's why it is a $99 fine versus:-

        Penalties for speeding offences (as at 1 July 2020, except heavy vehicles)
        Exceeding the speed limit
        By less than 10 km/h $207
        10 km/h–24 km/h $330
        25 km/h–29 km/h $454
        30 km/h–34 km/h $537

      • brad1-8tsi on 01/04/2021 - 15:30
        +3

        Angryman. The danger is in the pulling out into oncoming traffic.

        It's an Australian law. If you don't like it then move to the UK as I believe it's legal there.

        • Kangal on 01/04/2021 - 19:37
          -5

          Doubt it, they're a bigger nanny state…
          I think it goes Scandinavians, British, Germanics, then Americans roughly. So we're up there, but UK is much stricter society (especially when it comes to Freedom of Speech).

          • darkchoc on 01/04/2021 - 22:58
            +4

            @Kangal: UK does not fine you for parking with your car facing the other way. There is no Jay walking. You can ride a bike without a helmet. You can do you own electrical, plumbing work in your own home. People are allowed to take a bit more risk without it being against the law.

            Australia is definitely a bigger nanny state. Much more compliant society here as well.

            But God the bureaucracy in UK!!!!

            Both have their pros and cons.

          • neyo on 02/04/2021 - 01:45
            +1

            @Kangal: Noob

      • Caped Baldy on 01/04/2021 - 15:57
        +2

        $99 is not high priced…

        I haven't read the law book to know that murder is not okay.

        • Jimb000 on 02/04/2021 - 08:07

          Why isn’t murder ok? The law of nature / Survival of the fittest dictates it should be acceptable.

      • Windows98 on 01/04/2021 - 22:48
        +1

        It can cause serious injury.

        The rear of cars have reflectors. By parking on the wrong side of the road, you're putting drivers at risk by not having the high visibility reflectors to warn them that a parked car is ahead.

      • suzley on 02/04/2021 - 09:30

        "kerb".

      • smartazz104 on 02/04/2021 - 09:36

        Yes this is what people who get caught always say.

      • blitz on 02/04/2021 - 10:37

        The car is stationary. Its not blocking anyone, its not on the curb.

        But when you leave, you will need to pull the car out into oncoming traffic. Then it has the potential to cause serious injury.

      • conan2000 on 02/04/2021 - 14:09

        It's not dangerous when it's parked, but it is when you pull out as your visibility is worse because your driver's seat is next to the pavement, and if anything is parked around you, you will not be able to see down the street. So yes, you could cause serious injury.

      • pogichinoy on 03/04/2021 - 23:00

        The high price works in a way as a deterrent.

        In the US, parking fines are as cheap as $30. The US has problems where since the fine isn’t that much, there are more people willing to break the law which ruins it for everyone else.

      • cookie2 on 03/04/2021 - 23:36

        I think I get what you're trying to say, maybe different delivery would help but hey.. you're angry 😁. Anyway, we do regulate pretty much everything in this country.
        Very rigid in regard to regulations/policy/fines and maybe we need to start thinking about where to stop. Just a thought.
        P.s i got done for this same fine on Christmas Eve years ago. 5pm in the arvo, ran inside to go to the bathroom…5 minutes later (literally) get outside to a fine on my car. It was so deflating for many reasons.

      • tee123 on 04/04/2021 - 11:32

        You know we are already in a distopian libing condition when these sheeple protect their own opressors. This is the most blatantly dumb thing to revenue raise on yet everyone is all for it. We live amongst zombies angryman, we also are conditioned in certain ways to adhere to the system unbeknownst to us. Dispute the fine, fight all the fines because they actually have no ground and just are expecting everyone to pay as they do. Google 'know your rights group australia' for some insight on fighting the fine.

      • sunnyc on 07/04/2021 - 23:51
        -1

        Don't feel bad with all these negs. 1 in 10 australians work directly for the government. Who's gonna pay their salaries. They're here looking for a deal because their paper pushing job doesn't pay them more money but produce more paper pushing public servants.

      • Porker on 01/04/2021 - 15:03
        +48

        Your perceived lack of impact does not mean there is no impact.

      • trex on 01/04/2021 - 15:13
        +4

        When a vehicle is parked facing the wrong direction, the driver's view would be obstructed by vehicles parked in front and behind. It's an accident waiting to happen.

        • Angryman123 on 01/04/2021 - 16:39
          -6

          Its a 1 lane street. Where is the obstruction?

          • trex on 01/04/2021 - 17:04
            +10

            @Angryman123: There may be other vehicles parked (facing the right direction) infront and behind you that will obstruct your view. When your car is facing the wrong way, your view of traffic will be nearly completely blocked since the driver is on the curb side instead of on the traffic side. You would have to pull your vehicle out of the space and into the traffic lane before being able to see oncoming traffic. That is the danger to other road users (including bicycles) and pedestrians.

            • Angryman123 on 01/04/2021 - 17:11
              -3

              @trex: i guess, but you could say the same thing if you parallel parked a car behind a truck

              Ive also seen left hand sided cars (most likely american imports with club permits) driving on victoria roads. Im not sure of the rules behind driving those cars, but if they also parallel parked on any street they would face the same issues.

              • trex on 01/04/2021 - 17:52
                +2

                @Angryman123: It's not the same. If you park facing the right way and parked behind a truck, from the driver's seat, you can take a peak without pulling out too much.

                Yes, left hand drive cars have the same issue that is why import of such vehicle is tightly controlled.

          • PopCounty on 02/04/2021 - 01:03

            @Angryman123: It’s not one lane st. If it is, it must be one way traffic for ur ticket to be valid.

            Did u park at Laverton beach (some st.)?

      • fenikkusu on 02/04/2021 - 10:06

        Given your street is narrow with single file driving space, whichever way you face, you’ll be still be facing oncoming vehicle when pulling out, you’re not actually affecting anybody in this regard. You are affecting drivers when stationary, it’s be confusing going down your street.

        Pay the fine. I’ve friends who’ve been booked and couldn’t get out of parking more than 30cm from the kerb. Can’t remember what the legal reason was. In your case, you’d have parked well over 2 meters from the kerb since you’re facing the wrong way. You’re at fault. If they let you off, won’t it set a precedent for people parking on the wrong side of the road on a street with sufficient space too?

    • emblurr on 01/04/2021 - 14:43
      +16

      Have gotten out of plenty of fines before. If I had this fine, I wouldn't even bother contesting it. It's a straight up rule.

  • mbck on 01/04/2021 - 14:13

    Plenty of posts in the past if you use search function.

    But no, nothing you can do about it.

    • GG57 on 01/04/2021 - 14:14
      +10

      OP could study up on how to park:
      https://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/safety-and-road-rules/road-r…

        • GG57 on 01/04/2021 - 14:48
          +31

          Having knowledge of the road rules is common sense.

        • brad1-8tsi on 01/04/2021 - 15:32
          +9

          I dont remember going through this to get my licence. Was this a requirement?

          I'm fairly sure knowing the rules was a requirement. Crazy stuff!

        • Frank Murphy on 01/04/2021 - 17:26

          So if you weren't tested on it, you think you don't need to know it?

        • trongy on 02/04/2021 - 09:58

          Any road rule may be part of the licence test, but no-one will be tested on all the rules because that's impractical.

          The actual requirement for driving is to follow all current rules. If you keep your license for enough years, you will find that the some of the rules are different from when you got your license.

        • buckethat on 02/04/2021 - 13:20
          +2

          Don't think I ever had to be explicitly told growing up, that killing another person is illegal. Yet.. somehow I managed to figure it out.

          Is not remembering or not being told ever a valid excuse for breaking the rule/law?

  • knasty on 01/04/2021 - 14:15
    +9

    OP is out of luck but it is interesting that in many countries parking against the flow of traffic is very common. When I first went to the UK I thought people were just dicing with a fine until I realised it was commonplace…

    • dasher86 on 01/04/2021 - 14:39
      +2

      I had to get used to people driving towards me to park like this.

      • AustriaBargain on 02/04/2021 - 07:41
        +1

        Also have to get used to two way roads only being one lane wide. When two cars meet on such a road one of them has to decide to pull to the side and let the other one pass.

    • onetwothreefour on 01/04/2021 - 15:30
      +2

      Yep my uncle came to stay last year from the UK and he parked his rental car on the wrong side of the road and couldn't understand why I told him to move it. "Saves me turning the car round in the morning" haha

  • Hithere on 01/04/2021 - 14:28
    +11

    I dont remember going through this to get my licence

    Ignorance of the law is no excuse.

    You are expected to keep up to date with current road rules, not only for your safety but other road users safety.

    Do the crime pay the fine.

    • D6C1 on 01/04/2021 - 15:31

      Hi there

      • Crow K on 01/04/2021 - 17:26
        +26

        You've convinced me. Go to court and pay some court costs and say that to them and let us know how that goes. Maybe start off with "How could I get a penalty for breaking the law, I reckon I didn't bother anyone, and that's really what the law is, who's to say what the actual rules are.." and just spin on from there until the judge agrees that it's basically subjective anyway and no one actually knows or enforces these so called "laws".

        You know it's them you've got to convince right, not us?

        • htc on 02/04/2021 - 15:07
          +1

          you are right about trying to convince the ozbargain community, but if the ozbargain community share the same perception as op, it will give op the confidence to pursue the matter further.

      • Hithere on 01/04/2021 - 17:52
        +4

        Whats the crime?

        Obviously your lack of Australian road rules knowledge is a major concern.

        My second concern is your entitled attitude where you can't admit you are wrong, pay the fine you deserved to be given, and move on having learned something from your error.

      • Domingo on 01/04/2021 - 22:43
        -1

        Red lights/reflectors on the left. White lights/reflectors on the right.

        You parked on the right with your red reflectors, which breaks that pattern and creates an unexpected road condition that could lead to an accident.

      • Snoozer on 02/04/2021 - 11:45
        +1

        I believe cars have reflectors built into their rear lights so that they are more visible to traffic/cyclists in low light/poor visibility conditions. If you park the wrong way around the reflectors are not visible.

      • cheeseburger on 03/04/2021 - 15:08

        If you were caught by a red light camera running through a red light at an intersection that was completely empty, would you contest the fine and apply the same argument? - “what’s the crime, who is being affected here?”

  • orangetrain on 01/04/2021 - 14:33
    +12

    Didn't know this was illegal, thank you OP. Sorry to hear

    • Quantumcat on 01/04/2021 - 17:49
      +7

      The truly wise learn from others' mistakes

  • jellykingdom on 01/04/2021 - 14:40

    No chance, just pay it

    I've been caught by this as well, i didn't even know it was a thing at the time

  • scrambledeggs on 01/04/2021 - 14:41
    +6

    Of course this is illegal. You might need a refresher on the other road rules too…

      • scrambledeggs on 01/04/2021 - 17:02
        +5

        People also drive on the right hand side of the road in other countries… but we are in Australia, so you follow the Australian road rules. It's of course because it's clearly included in the handbook they give you when you get your license.

        The road only being narrow enough to fit 1 car between 2 parked cars does not make it a 1 lane road. It is still a 2 lane road.

        • Angryman123 on 01/04/2021 - 17:05
          -4

          how can it be a 2 lane road? there is no white line down the middle, the road is only functional with 1 car.

          You cant drive on either the right or left hand side down this road….

          • Frank Murphy on 01/04/2021 - 17:42
            +9

            @Angryman123: It's neither. It's just a road. I live on one similar. Many residential streets are just like this. If there were no cars parked, 2 cars travelling in opposite directions could easily pass each other. Correct? You're being ignorant to everyone's explanations to the point of denial. Your view is obstructed from the drivers position when there's a car parked in front and behind you. How do you not get this?
            Look - fight the fine and see how you go - was your argument going to be that everyone on OzBargain agrees with you?
            Let us know how you make out.

      • Hithere on 01/04/2021 - 17:56
        +3

        @ Angryman123

        It is legal in other countries

        We live in Australia, we are governed by Australian road rules, not other countries road rules.

        Chopping off the hand of a convicted thief may be legal in 'other countries' but not Australia.

      • smartazz104 on 02/04/2021 - 15:22
        +3

        You know the rules in other countries but not here?

      • coffeeinmyveins on 03/04/2021 - 11:37

        It's also legal in other countries for young people to drink beer or have sex at different ages.
        You're not in those countries, you're in australia, obey the rules, is it that hard?

  • Okayy on 01/04/2021 - 14:47
    +5

    Good fine! Pls park like everyone do in Australia.

      • Okayy on 01/04/2021 - 14:54

        😆

      • Crow K on 01/04/2021 - 14:56
        +4

        I guess if you don't personally agree with a rule or understand it it means that the rule is dumb and everyone else of a different opinion are sheep, sure.

        • Eeples on 03/04/2021 - 18:32
          +1

          It isn't just me that doesn't personally disagree with that rule.

          It is not a rule in many countries.

          • Crow K on 03/04/2021 - 19:30

            @Eeples: I never said it was just you, did I?

            I guess given there's 190 or so of them, there's probably a bunch of countries that wouldn't have any particular rule that you picked out of our legislation, sure. Not sure if that's meant to be a compelling argument - "hey, I've found thirty countries that don't have this road rule that we have, I guess our country should change its rules to match theirs or our rules don't count anymore or … ?".

            I'm not sure what you're fumbling with here - even after reading the explanations of the benefits of the rule [reflectors facing the wrong way, safety issue moving into traffic again, wrong side of the road] - are you still of the opinion that it's dumb and everyone who negged you is a sheep? That we aren't the 'proud rebel Australians standing up to authority' that you clearly are?

            • Blitzfx on 04/04/2021 - 11:40
              -1

              @Crow K:

              I guess if you don't personally agree with a rule or understand it it means that the rule is dumb

              I don't understand why we continue to support and bomb the middle east, but I guess that isn't dumb.
              I don't understand why for the longest time, gay marriage wasn't legalised, but i guess that isn't dumb.

              Rules aren't infallible. Federal law and policies aren't immune to criticism, much less local council's.

      • smartazz104 on 02/04/2021 - 15:23
        +2

        People that call others sheep are usually idiots; thanks for confirming.

      • cookie2 on 03/04/2021 - 23:44

        Rules should be challenged and pushed against to test how they withstand when under pressure. Otherwise how do we know?

    • Porker on 01/04/2021 - 15:07
      +3

      Why do you think the rule is dumb?

      To drive and to park on the wrong side of the road requires the driver to potentially drive the wrong way down a road and exit into oncoming traffic.

      Cars also may potentially stop in the middle of the road to try get a spot on the opposite side and disrupt or hold up traffic in both directions to park.

      Saying something 'dumb' without understanding its intent is a good definition of the word.

      • Angryman123 on 01/04/2021 - 16:59

        the rule makes sense in some streets like you said. But this is a 1 lane road and would not be a saftey issue in this instance.

        • Ughhh on 01/04/2021 - 18:03

          Assuming there's no dedicated parking spots/lines, If there weren't any cars parked on the street, is it still a 1 lane road?

        • Porker on 01/04/2021 - 20:47
          +1

          As another has said, if the lane to your left (kerbside) was not occupied with parked cars, you'd then need to head into oncoming traffic to park on the opposite side.

          It's a blanket rule and applies to all roads including multi-lane or wider roads. They're not going to distinguish to unique or outliers when it comes to parking. A rule is a rule and again, your perceived lack of impact doesn't mean there is none.

          It's not dissimilar to someone coming to a red light at 3am and then deciding to drive through it because there was no one around. There's no perceived impact and I'm sure one could see if any cars are coming (their headlights would give an indication too) but that does not mean it's legal.

          There's a number of reasons beyond what I wrote why it's not permitted and can cause issue. Eg. passenger doors would be opening the wrong way, other motorists would not expect cars to be exiting in a forwards direction to them from that side of the road (when driving towards the parked car), others may not be as skilled as you to parallel park opposite to what is commonly taught/exercised etc etc etc.

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