Parking infringement notices tally more than 12,500, mostly for ignoring signs
THESE are the parking rules Queenslanders are breaking the most, with just two kinds of breaches accounting for almost half of all tickets issued. And it’s costing drivers big bucks.
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SEE that yellow line next to the curb? Don’t stop there — or even slow down — or you will cop a $117 ticket and join the thousands being booked for it every year.
Of the 12,500 parking-related tickets issued last year by police and council officers, more than 2700 tickets were for this one “yellow line” offence alone.
A further 2500-plus tickets were issued for ignoring a “no stopping” sign. Next up was ignoring a “no parking” sign (1285), followed by parking in a disabled parking bay (744).
The most common offence by type was that caused by ignoring signs, with more than 20 separate offences listed.
The Transport and Main Roads figures showed drivers were more likely to be fined in the South Brisbane police district — covering suburbs such as West End, Inala and out to Wynnum — where one ticket was issued for every 171 residents. The least likely place to be fined was the Ipswich region, where one ticket is issued for every 278 people.
Near the top of the list of offences was parking in a disabled spot. More than 900 people were ticketed for this.
Aged and Disability Advocacy Australia CEO Geoff Rowe said drivers were inconsiderate.
“And that number is only those who are getting caught,” Mr Rowe said.
“This is a constant frustration. When you consider that about five per cent of the population have a significant disability, and disabled carparks would only be about .5 per cent of all parks, then it’s easy to see why disabled people have to compete for parks with other disabled people, let alone having to compete with able-bodied drivers.”
Another surprising top fine magnet was “park on road other than in direction of traffic flow”. Parked cars have to be pointing in the direction of the traffic flowing along the side of the road on which they are parked. This was among a range of suburban-street related offences, which included parking on footpaths and on driveways.
Rightway Driving School Queensland service delivery manager Mike Edwards — who is in charge of making sure 60 instructors are teaching the right rules — said it was no surprise that the highest number of fines involved stopping on a yellow line.
“I don’t know if people even think about it that much, they probably don’t even notice (the line),” Mr Edwards said.
He said drivers probably ignored parking signs because they thought they could get away with it.
“Those that willingly do it, they think it doesn’t matter, they will only be a few minutes, or they just have to dash into the shop for milk. They roll the dice,” he said.
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WHAT IT WILL COST YOU:
Different tickets attract different fines, measured in “penalty units”.
They range from .5 penalty unit up to 5 penalty units.
One unit is $117.80.
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WORST OFFENDERS:
The number of parking-related infringements issued from Jan 1-Dec 31 within specified QPS districts:
Average tickets over total area: One ticket per 181 people
South Brisbane: One ticket per 171 people
North Brisbane: One ticket per 191 people
Logan: One ticket per 197 people
Moreton: One ticket per 230 people
Ipswich: One ticket per 278 people
Source: QPS, TMR. Tickets issued per police district.
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Top Parking Fails
Top number of tickets issued according to type across southeast Queensland: (out of 12,512 tickets issued)
1. Stop contrary to a continuous yellow line
2. Stop contrary to a no stopping sign
3. Stop contrary to a no parking sign
4. Stop contrary to a disabled parking sign (not permitted vehicle)
5. Park on road other than in direction of traffic flow
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PARKING: WHAT DRIVERS ARE GETTING WRONG
Hello, yellow line: This means no stopping, no slowing down, no dropping off — not at all, not in any way. This is the single biggest ticket trap for southeast Queensland motorists. If the line is yellow, drive on.
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Ignoring the (presumably) obvious: No Parking, No Stopping, Taxi Zone, Bus Zone, Clearway, Loading Zone … adding up all the tickets issued for ignoring written instructions easily puts this type of rule-breaking as the number one ticket attractor. There are more than 20 different offences relating to signs and ignorance is no defence.
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This is just cruel: Parking in a disabled car park a no-no without a permit. Even if you do have a permit, you have to have the right one for the various types of disabled parking. This is number four on the naughty list, even after successive publicity campaigns about how difficult this makes life for those with a disability. Number five on the most ticketed list was parking in a disabled spot. More than 900 people did this and attracted a $235 fine.
Aged and Disability Advocacy Australia CEO Geoff Rowe said drivers were inconsiderate.
“And that number is only those who are getting caught,” Mr Rowe said.
“This is a constant frustration. When you consider that about five per cent of the population have a significant disability, and disabled carparks would only be about .5 per cent of all parks, then it’s easy to see why disabled people have to compete for parks with other disabled people, let alone having to compete with able-bodied drivers.”
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Direction: You’ll get a ticket for parking in the opposite direction to the traffic flow, and it’s catching a lot of people. You can’t even park the wrong way on land considered as “road-related, adjacent”, to the road. It’s also illegal to angle park unless there’s a sign saying it’s OK, and make sure you follow the angle indicated on the angle parking sign.
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Parking in your street (guests too): There’s no parking on footpaths, bike paths or nature strips; even parking on your driveway past your property boundary can score you a ticket. There are a few different offences too, such a parking across a driveway, a footpath, or “parking as to obstruct other vehicles/pedestrians”. Don’t park on a “marked foot crossing”, either.
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Get out your tape measure: There are a lot of rules surrounding how far drivers can park from things such as post boxes, intersections and crossings, and most of those distances are different. For example, cars must be parked at least 1m away from other parked cars — no squeezing in allowed. And parking near any “obstruction” on the road where you make it hard for other drivers to see or to drive around you, that’s a no-no. You can only park 10m away from an intersection that does not have traffic lights. There is also no parking “within 3m of a continuous dividing line/strip” that’s in the middle of the road.
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Before you leave you car: Lock up, it’s an offence not to. And don’t leave anyone under the age of 16 in the car with the keys in the ignition. And don’t forget the parking brake — that’ll cop you a fine too.
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Car bays have rules too: Park outside the lines, or take up more than one bay, and you will get ticketed. If you’re leaving a parking bay that’s in the middle of the road, you cannot do it by reversing. And double parking — just don’t do it.
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A Transport and Main Roads spokesman said: “Parking rules exist to ensure Queensland roads and streets stay organised and safe for all road users and pedestrians.
“Parking signs show you where and when you can park or stop. If you do not follow the rules and the signs, you may get a fine.
“Parking fines are issued by the Queensland Police Service and authorised officers from local councils using a traffic infringement penalty notice.
“The notice will tell you what the fine amount is. If a local council administers parking it its area, a different fine amount may apply.
“The Queensland Police Service is responsible for enforcing Queensland’s parking rules. Also, some local councils are responsible for enforcing Queensland’s parking rules in their area and regulate fine amounts.”
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POLICE DISTRICTS
SOUTH BRISBANE
Comprised of 21 police divisions of Acacia Ridge, Annerley, Calamvale, Capalaba, Carina, Cleveland, Coorparoo, Dunwich, Dutton Park, Holland Park, Inala, Macleay Island, Moorooka, Morningside, Mount Ommaney, Redland Bay, Russell Island, Sherwood, Upper Mount Gravatt, West End and Wynnum”
RESIDENTS say shopping districts and around schools were parking danger zones.
Henry Goller, of Kuraby, said the Sunnybank shopping district was a trap.
“It’s getting harder and harder to find a (legal) park anywhere,” Mr Goller said.
Sunnybank architect Lewis Lee said school areas were fraught with danger, as they sported stretches of “no stopping” yellow lines.
“An education program would fix that,” Mr Lee said.
He said car parks smaller than Australian-standard size was also an issue in the area. That made it hard for people to park within the lines and also exit their car.
Motorists fed up with parking around Cannon Hill train station are being urged to sign a petition calling for “a better deal for rail commuters”.
State Bulimba MP Di Farmer said residents had until June 3 to register their support for her plea for funds to upgrade Murrarie train station, to take the pressure off Cannon Hill.
Ms Farmer said many people who lived at and around Murarrie commuted from Cannon Hill because it was one zone cheaper and also felt safer.
South Brisbane parking fines:
1. Stop contrary to a yellow line (999 tickets)
2. Stop contrary to a no parking sign (994 tickets)
3. Stop contrary to a no stopping sign (679 tickets)
4. Stop contrary to a disabled parking sign (not a permitted vehicle) 336 tickets)
5. Stop on a bicycle/foot/shared path, divider or nature strip in a built-up area (188 tickets)
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NORTH BRISBANE
Comprised of 14 police divisions of Albany Creek, Boondall, Brisbane City, Carseldine, Dayboro, Ferny Grove, Fortitude Valley, Hendra, Indooroopilly, Mango Hill North Lakes, Petrie, Sandgate, Stafford and The Gap.
STOPPING where a car is not allowed to stop is costing northern Brisbane drivers dearly in the form of parking tickets.
Transport and Main Roads figures show that the north Brisbane police district attracted more than 30 per cent of the total parking tickets issued across southeast Queensland last year, totalling more than 3700 fines. One ticket for every 191 people living in the region was issued, this is the second highest result in the region, after the South Brisbane zone.
The worst transgression of northern motorists was stopping on a yellow line with the second stop also a no-stopping offence, this time caused by ignoring a sign.
Bus zones were also a site of frequent ticket issues, as was stopping in a loading zone for longer than permitted.
North Brisbane parking no-nos
1. Stop contrary to a yellow line (884 tickets)
2. Stop contrary to a no stopping sign (749 tickets)
3. Stop unauthorised vehicle in a bus zone (467 tickets)
4. Other vehicle stop in a loading zone for more than two minutes (Drop off/pick up a passenger) (235 tickets)
5. Stop contrary to a disabled parking sign (not permitted vehicle) (200 tickets)
Source: TMR QPS
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MORETON
Comprised of eight police divisions of Bribie Island, Burpengary, Caboolture, Deception Bay, Kilcoy, Moore, Redcliffe and Woodford.
DON’T park backwards, or you may become one of the people booked for the Moreton region’s biggest parking no-no.
Motorists in the Moreton police district are more likely to be booked for parking “contrary to the flow of traffic” than any other parking offence, notching up more than 190 tickets out of 1016 issued last year.
Transport and Main Roads statistics show that stopping on a yellow line was the most common offence across the southeast region, but was number two on Moreton’s most-ticketed list at 180 issued.
Included on the top 5 tickets were ignoring “no stopping” signs, followed by parking in a disabled space and parking across a footpath or a nature strip in a built-up area.
Other major transgressions include stopping in a taxi zone and heavy vehicles and trucks stopping in a built-up area for longer than an hour.
Total tickets issued in the QPS Moreton district in 2015: 1016
1. Parking on road other than in direction of traffic flow (191 tickets)
2. Stop contrary to continuous yellow line (180 tickets)
3. Stop contrary to no stopping sign (137 tickets)
4. Stop contrary to disabled parking sign (not permitted vehicle) (94 tickets)
5. Stop on bicycle, foot/shared path/dividing strip or nature strip in built-up area (78 tickets)
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IPSWICH
Comprised of 14 police divisions of Boonah, Booval, Esk, Goodna, Harrisville, Ipswich, Kalbar, Karana Downs, Lowood, Marburg, Rosewood, Springfield, Toogoolawah and Yamanto.
IGNORING parking signs is costing soutwest motorists parking tickets, figures reveal.
Transport and Main Roads figures for tickets issued last year show that the Ipswich district is the best performing police district across southeast Queensland, at a rate of one ticket for every 278 people.
Almost a third of those Ipswich motorists — or 254 of them — copped tickets for parking where a “no stopping” sign applied.
The figures also show that Ipswich motorists are not parking properly within market parking spaces.
Ipswich parking fines:
1. Stop contrary to no stopping sign (254 tickets)
2. Stop contrary to disabled parking sign (not a permitted vehicle) (87 tickets)
3. Stop on a bus stop (83 tickets)
4. Parking improperly in a parking bay (75 tickets)
5. Stop contrary to a yellow line (57 tickets)
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LOGAN
Comprised of 11 police divisions of Beaudesert, Beenleigh, Browns Plains, Canungra, Crestmead, Jimboomba, Logan Central, Loganholme, North Tamborine, Rathdowney and Springwood.
STOPPING a car where it is not allowed has cost Logan motorists dearly in parking tickets, Transport and Main Roads figures reveal.
The top two issued tickets in the Logan Police district last year were for “stopping contrary to a no stopping sign” and “stopping contrary to a continuous yellow line”.
More than 180 people without permits parked in a disabled carpark in Logan last year.
Logan was right in the middle of the list of tickets issued across southeast Queensland last year, at one ticket for every 197 people. The southeast Queensland rate was one ticket for 181 people.
Logan’s top 5 tickets;
1. Stop contrary to no stopping sign (478 tickets)
2. Stop contrary to continuous yellow line (391 tickets)
3. Stop contrary to disabled parking sign (not a permitted vehicle) (182 tickets)
4. Park on road other than in direction of traffic flow (132 tickets)
5. Stop contrary to no parking zone (100 tickets)
Sources: POLSIS Profile, QPS
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