GaryKristensen

Get this:

We drove down to Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast today and parked on the opposite side of the road to which we were travelling, basically facing the oncoming traffic.

We were in a designated bay, well tucked in and in a row of at leat 30 cars, so absolutely no danger of causing an accident while being parked. We bought our ticket and displayed it correctly.

We got a parking ticket!

For being parked facing the wrong way round!!!

A local bye law apparently, according to the ticket!!!

$70, thank you very much.

Thinking of contesting it and pleading newbie status in Australia. If you lose the court case though, you get to pay the costs for your troubles!

Live and learn!!!

Just a tip off to anyone else visiting that area or anywhere else for that matter.

Watch your backs, as parking attendents are stealthy. You never see them, but you'll always get a ticket, so everyone here tells me.

Del Boy

it may well have contravened a local by-law but its also a state wide law, probably nationwide.

Pollyana

Yep, its certainly a Queensland-wide law.

I remember my brother-in-law arriving at out place yelling about "some idiot who had parked the wrong way round and was thus a danger to oncoming traffic" - even though the road was a minor residential street, and wide enough for a double-decker to park sideways. He shut up when I pointed out it was my best mate's car, and he'd just got off the plane from the Uk to attend my wedding

Ozzidoc

Exactly.

Different countries have different rules. It's easy to take what we know and are familiar with in our home country as being legally acceptable in our new place.

Originally from Oz, I was mortified to see people parking "the wrong way round" when I moved to the UK, as the only people who did that in Oz were clearly losers with no respect for the law. It's only as you get older that you start to realise just how "brainwashed" one can be by one's environment.

esperanza

A good reason for all newcomers to get themselves a copy of the local rules of the road, and read it! You may know how to drive a car perfectly well, but as illustrated by this example you don't know how to drive it legally in a new country. Just because you are allowed to drive, doesn't mean the rules are the same. In NSW a copy of the code costs about $10 - well worth it, much cheaper than a ticket!
Get the info & don't get caught out!

biggy

you can dowload the Qld one for free on the net

MartinLuther

I reckon it's a law that applies nationwide.

Bizarrely it is also the law in the UK after dark on unlit roads but not a lot of people know that :michael caine:

MartinLuther

I keep telling people that. How do people know what to do when a tram stops in Melbourne if they don't know the rules?

The other reason for reading the rules is that you might find some nice ones like being able to use a bus lane for the last 50m if you are turning left at a junction.

Swerv-o

Yes, this is true. It is an offence to park opposite the flow of traffic after dark, and also on a road faster then 40 mph too. It is also true that very few people know it.

It is not policed however, as it is not considered 'in the public interest' to pursue it.


S

Ozzidoc

ooooo I didnt know that!

chris96

We also got a ticket for this offence too in Paradise point, right outside our apartment! a quite residential road, 30mph limit at midday. I reckon the neighbours rang the council

Chris

Ozzidoc

See post 4.

dolliedimples

I had been parking in a 'free' public car park when going to work..one day all the spaces were full..so I parked on the grass verge along with about 20 or 30 other cars..guessing this was ok, as so many others already parked there..
When I finished work and went to drive away..I noticed something flapping under my wiper..hhmmm, cant be a tkt I thought its a free carpark..but, yes it was and for $300 coz Id parked on a reserve...oh my god..$300!!!!:curse:

MartinLuther

Except when a copper had a word with my mum about it

That's why I know

renth

Yup, my first ever parking ticket 25 years ago was in was in Bexhill for parking facing oncoming traffic.