Think you can decipher Victoria’s parking rules?

TOPPING up your meter? That’s illegal. From how far you can park from a post box to school crossing rules, here’s some of Victoria’s more unusual parking regulations.

THINK you’ve got parking down pat?

Here are some of Victoria’s quirky and sometimes confusing parking rules that you may never have heard of.

WILL WE FINALLY BE ABLE TO GET A PARK AT OUR LOCAL STATION?

HOW DID THE SUBURBAN SCHOOL RUN GET THIS BAD?

FIRST TRAIN ROLLS INTO MERNDA

Even if you have a flash car you shouldn’t park in a no parking zone. Picture: Jay Town

DIVIDING LINE OR STRIP

Drivers must not stop or park vehicles within three metres of a continuous dividing line or a dividing strip. However if there is a broken dividing line then you have to leave at least three metres of road clear for other vehicles.

INTERSECTIONS

If it’s an intersection with traffic lights, you cannot park within 20 metres of the lights. If it’s an intersection with no lights, you have to leave at least 10 metres before parking.

CHILDREN’S CROSSING

Need to park near a children’s crossing? According the law you must leave 20 metres before the crossing and 10 metres after in order to park there.

AUSTRALIA POST MAILBOX

Think you can park next to a mailbox? Wrong. According to legislation you must park either three metres before or after the common feature.

CURVED ROADS AND HILLS

Outside suburbs and towns you cannot park on the curve of a road or a hilltop unless the car is visible for 100m from behind.

PAID PARKING

For those who’ve managed to find a paid parking spot with a time limit and think topping up the meter is legit you’d be wrong. If you’ve parked in a paid parking space for one hour (or the listed time) you must move the car after the allotted period. Even if you buy another ticket or re-feed the meter the vehicle has to be moved according to the law.

NO PARKING SIGNS

You can’t park if you see one of these signs but you can stop for up to two minutes to pick up or drop off passengers or goods. If there’s a time limit on the sign you can stop there for the listed period but no longer.

Those who do stop in the No Parking zone also have to stay within three metres of the car. Disabled permit holders can park for five minutes.

No stopping here during the posted times. Picture: Nathan Dyer

One of the street signs created to accommodate Circus Oz's parking requirements in a Port Melbourne laneway.

NO STOPPING

This means you cannot stop here, not even for a little bit. Sometimes the signs display times when stopping is not allowed. The same rule applies if there is a continuous yellow line on the edge of the road.

NATURE STRIPS

Cars must not be parked or stopped on a nature strip next to a road in a built-up area like a suburb at any time. However bikes and motorcycles are excluded as long as they are not in the way of pedestrians.

DIRECTIONS

This one could be considered common sense but you should always park (if on the road) facing the same direction of traffic. But in other parts of the world, like the UK, it’s completely legal to park in the opposite direction of traffic. Don’t try it here though unless you want to get a fine from the council.

Did you know the law when parking near children’s crossings?

Source: Parking Laws and You