Driver furious after council fines him for stopping to check parking signs

A DRIVER who pulled over for less than a minute to check parking restriction signs is furious he was nabbed and fined.

A MELBOURNE man says he is furious after being slapped with a $155 parking fine for simply pulling over to check the street signs.

Jack Otte was looking for a parking spot on Maroondah Highway in Ringwood so he could buy medication for his sick mother from Chemist Warehouse at 4.07pm on February 2.

Mr Otte said he pulled over for less than a minute in front of Dakota nightclub to read the parking signs to see where he was allowed to park.

“I had a quick read of the parking signs, which specified it was a clearway, so I left immediately and found a car park elsewhere,” he said.

“A couple of days later I was absolutely gobsmacked to receive a $155 fine from Maroondah Council.”

“I had to look twice when I opened the letter because I couldn’t believe my eyes.”

He said he was unfairly fined because he didn’t park in the spot or get out of the car.

“I’m so furious about all of this because it really hurts when you’re trying to do the right thing and then you get stung with a huge fine.

“A person needs to be given the chance to read the road signs as there was no other possible way I could have stopped on Maroondah Highway to check them.”

Mr Otte said he received a response from the council denying his request to have the fine waived.

“I’m just so gutted by the whole experience and I really want the council to reconsider their decision,” he said.

“I really hope that this doesn’t happen to someone else as it’s just awful.”

Maroondah Council Mayor Tony Dib said stopping anywhere along the fenced section of Maroondah Highway west of Ringwood St was not permitted for any length of time.

“This area is a designated clearway and under Road Safety Road Rules 2009 section 176, vehicles are not permitted to stop in these areas due to the dangerous impact that parking in this location has on traffic flow, especially at busy time periods,” Cr Dib said.