The excuses Melburnians give to get out of a parking ticket

NEXT time you overstay your parking meter, don’t be creative and tell the parking inspector “the aliens moved my car”. Chances are they’ve heard it before.

This Melbourne City parking inspector has heard plenty of excuses. Picture: Mark Stewart

NEXT time you overstay your parking meter, don’t try be creative and tell the parking inspector “the aliens moved my car”. Chances are they have probably heard it and many other excuses before.

The aliens alibi is one of many reasons — some creative, others not — motorists utter to inspectors in the City of Melbourne in the hope of avoiding a fine.

Other unusual reasons for overstaying your welcome in a parking bay include: “Your rules don’t apply to me, I’m my own sovereign state’’ and “I’m from the country and we don’t have meters there”.

And the “I’m a customer in the city so why should I have to pay” line won’t fly either.

The range of motorists’ excuses has been revealed in a survey of the parking officers who patrol central Melbourne.

More common (and believable) reasons for being parked in an expired bay include: “I was getting change for the meter”, “I couldn’t find my car” and “I had to go to the toilet”.

Council spokeswoman Kate Loughnan said parking rules aimed to meet the needs of all people requiring short-term parking.

“Our parking officers and infringement review team have heard many — and often unusual — explanations for non-compliant parking,’’ Ms Loughnan said.

More than 369,000 parking infringement notices were issued in the last financial year. Of those 2.1 per cent, or about 7750, were withdrawn after review.

Parking fines revenue poured $41.6 million into Town Hall coffers in 2015-2016 — with Lonsdale, Queen and Exhibition streets the most lucrative for the council.

Parking penalties range between $78 and $155, depending on the offence.

Parking fees themselves raised $52.8 million in the last financial year.

Ms Loughnan reminded motorists that time limits started as soon as a car stopped in a parking bay, not the time the parking fee is paid.

But parking officers operate a five-minute grace period, allowing for the time to unload a car or actually pay the fee.

MOST COMMON EXCUSES

• I was getting change for the meter.

• I had to go to the toilet and didn’t want to wet myself.

• I couldn’t find my car.

• The ticket must have blown off the dashboard.

• I couldn’t see the sign because it was blocked by a tree branch/truck/other obstruction.

@IanRoyall