Gold Coast residents threaten parking protest in response to controversial rule

Residents are divided over a council crackdown on a controversial parking rule, which even sparked calls for a protest. READ THE POLL RESULTS

The majority of Gold Coast residents have voted to ditch a law making it an offence for motorists to park on nature strips in narrow residential streets.

Last week, the Bulletin reported Gold Coast City Council inspectors had issued $179 fines to residents who did so as rising cost of living pressures pushed families to the brink.

Almost 400 people voted in a Bulletin poll asking: Should parking on nature strips be illegal?

The majority (59 per cent) said it should not be illegal, compared to 41 per cent who said it should be.

Reader Olive White said she was recently fined $172 for parking on six inches of grass.

“Gold coast rip off. Not happy,” she said.

Markus Horner said: “If the ratepayer needs to maintain the patch of grass then they should be allowed to park on said piece of grass”.

Others said it was unsafe to have cars on nature strips

“Then I’m forced onto the road in my wheelchair,” Ketra Wooding said.

A Transport and Main Roads spokeswoman said the rule existed to ensure paths were not obstructed by vehicles and remained clear for pedestrians and other vulnerable path users.

“There are no plans to change this rule, which is nationally consistent,” she said.

Gold Coast residents threaten parking protest - July 16

Residents are threatening to protest a Gold Coast City Council crackdown on nature strip parking by refusing to mow the grass in front of their homes.

It comes as council confirmed it had hired an extra four parking inspectors this year, lifting the total to 29. Council denied it was related to revenue raising.

Inspectors have issued $179 fines to residents who park on nature strips as rising cost of living pressures push families to the brink.

Follow @Melwhiting

The fines have sparked mass backlash from residents who say parking on nature strips should be allowed if it is not blocking a footpath.

Jo Jackson said if council was going to fine residents for parking on grass in front of their homes, it should be responsible for mowing it.

“Maybe we should all boycott mowing the verges outside our houses,” she suggested.

Another woman said council started mowing a shared area between her and her neighbour’s home.

“We got fines and were told we weren’t allowed to use it,” she said.

“I told council they can look after it then as it wasn’t a small patch of grass.

“Every two weeks after that they came and mowed it.”

A council spokeswoman said residents who refused to mow their nature strips would be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.

Mudgeeraba resident Adrian Berris said two of his friends had been fined for parking on his nature strip despite there being no other available parking.

He said the crackdown had forced drivers to park on narrow roads and urged council to use a commonsense approach in the interest of public safety.

“You can only assume it’s revenue raising – it’s a no-brainer if you just want to make some money, because everyone does it,” he said.

“Unless you already knew it was illegal, you would just assume it’s OK.

“All the sudden (council) is creating a safety issue that wasn’t there previously, all by enforcing a nonsensical rule that you can theoretically enforce, but don’t need to.”

Mr Berris said it was easy for residents to be confused about the rules when council cars and police speed camera vans were often parked on nature strips.

A council spokeswoman said it was not trying to boost its revenue stream through parking.

“Car parks and streets are patrolled to allow pedestrian and vehicle movements to be completed safely,” she said.

The Bulletin last month revealed inspectors were handing out 500 more tickets a week on average than a year ago.

It was found 107,571 motorists had been slapped with a fine in the first nine months of the 2021-22 financial year. For all of 2020-21, inspectors wrote 117,916 infringements.

Parking fines and fees brought in $17.4m to the city in 2014-15 and $22.9m in 2015-16. However, revenue had already declined before the pandemic, having fallen to $10.6m in 2018-19. It fell to $9.8m in 2019-20, during the early stages of Covid-19.

In early 2021, a confidential budget report given to councillors showed the city’s parking revenue was down by more than $2.6m and had consistently been 50-75 per cent less than what it should have been.

A council spokeswoman said at the time that the reduction in parking infringements was “attributed to a combination of factors, including Covid-19 and delays to our planned rollout of new parking sensor technology”.

A Transport and Main Roads spokeswoman said while nature strip parking was not allowed under Queensland road rules, local councils were responsible for parking enforcement.

“They are able to set the appropriate fine amounts for offending,” she said.

“Local governments are also responsible for the design, construction and maintenance of local streets. This includes street width, availability of parking facilities and presence of a footpath or nature strip.

“Any concerns regarding parking enforcement or road design of local streets should be raised with the relevant local government.”

Last week, Hinterland residents said a council crackdown on nature strip parking was putting human and animal lives at risk, with one describing it as “lawfulness gone mad”.

Worongary residents along Vince Hinde Dr near Pioneer Downs Park are calling on Gold Coast council to let patrons park on the verge or build a carpark. Resident Nick Flanagan. Picture: Jerad Williams

BULLETIN QUESTIONS AND COUNCIL’S RESPONSE:

Bulletin: Why are there four more parking inspectors this year, compared to 2021? Were they employed for any specific reason?

Council: Additional parking inspectors were employed in response to the increasing number of illegal parking complaints received.

Bulletin: Residents have accused council of issuing these fines for “revenue raising”. Is council trying to boost its revenue stream?

Council: No.

Bulletin: Is it correct to say council is conducting a blitz on nature strip parking? Are certain suburbs being targeted?

Council: No.

Bulletin: What is the procedure if a homeowner refuses to mow their nature strip at the front of their home? At what point does council intervene? And what are the consequences for the ratepayer?

Council: Please refer to the City’s Nature Strip (Footpath)/Road Verge Mowing Policy. The City will review circumstances on a case-by-case basis.

Originally published as Gold Coast residents threaten parking protest in response to controversial rule