Melbourne woman fined for parking in her own driveway

SHE’S been parking there for decades, but Tanyia Johnson has copped a $93 fine for leaving her car in her own driveway.

Tanyia Johnson is angry she has been fined for parking in her own driveway. Picture: Norm Oorloff

A MELBOURNE woman has been fined for parking in her own driveway, even though she and her family have been parking there without a problem for nearly 60 years.

Tanyia Johnson, from Springvale, was startled to find the $93 ticket on her car last week for blocking a driveway — which leads into her yard.

The City of Greater Dandenong ticket read: “Stopped on or across a driveway or other way of access”.

Ms Johnson’s neighbours in Moncur Ave were also hit with tickets during a parking fine blitz between February 28 and March 1. The tickets were all handed out for vehicles blocking driveways and parking on nature strips.

The council said today the Road Safety Rules 2009 made it anoffence to park on or across a driveway, or to park on nature strips or footpaths.

City Planning, Design and Amenity Director Jody Bosman said there were four fines issued between February 28 and March 7 in the avenue.

He said local laws officers had attended after receiving a number of complaints about vehicle owners repeatedly parking on nature strips and footpaths in Moncur Avenue, with “one resulting in an incident impacting pedestrian safety”.

“The nature strips are being damaged and in some cases motorists’ line of sight was blocked or obscured by illegally parked vehicles,” Mr Bosman said.

However Ms Johnson said the situation had caused her a great deal of stress and she was still intending to fight the fine.

“It’s a joke,” Ms Johnson said. “For 57 years I’ve parked in that driveway. We’ve never had a problem.”

Neighbours Vickie Efthiniou and Wajahat Latif are waging the same battle against fines they claimed are unfair.

A map showing where people in a Springvale street were fined for parking in their driveways or on the nature strip.

Both were given tickets for parking on a nature strip, but argued they were not blocking any footpath or driveway and there was no parking signage in the area.

Mrs Efthiniou said her family had been parking on that patch of grass for the past four years without issue.

“Never once have we had a letter or the council ask us please don’t park there,” she said. We’ve never had any problems whatsoever.”

Mrs Efthiniou said there didn’t seem to be any logic to the tickets, with some cars fined and other cars on the same nature strip given warnings.

“It’s got to the point where it’s actually ridiculous,” Mrs Efthiniou said.

People living in Moncur Ave, Springvale, have parked here for years without issue … until last week. Picture Norm Oorloff

“My son got a $93 fine for his car, my daughter got a warning … it’s not consistent, that’s the problem.”

Mr Latif said it was unreasonable that he was booked while others were let off with a warning.

“I don’t get it, I don’t get the rules, it’s not very clear, it’s kind of vague,” he said.

The group has banded together to protest the parking fines and call for greater clarity on parking in the street.

Council’s Ms Bosman also said that blocking driveways impeded access for owners and occupiers of the property.

“It also impedes access for emergency service vehicles and emergency service staff including paramedics, police and firefighters,” she said.

Originally published as Melbourne woman fined for parking in her own driveway