By Brendan Rees
A Lynbrook man has expressed his relief after getting out of parking fine on Kangan Drive in Berwick, where the signs have been labelled as “deceiving.”
Michael Drew was hit with a $161 parking infringement fine after parking his car in a no stopping zone on 13 December last year.
However, Mr Drew argued he couldn’t read the sign as it was covered by half a branch.
So when he was slapped with a ticket by parking inspectors he decided to take photos of the unreadable sign as evidence.
Last week, Mr Drew’s infringement notice was withdrawn by Casey Council with a warning was issued instead.
“I’m glad I got off but I tell you now there will be hundreds of people that have been affected by that branch,” he said.
“The reason why they let me off is because they don’t want me to go to court and embarrass them.”
As it stands, the ‘no stopping’ restrictions operate from 7.30am – 9.30am and 2.30pm – 4.30pm, Monday to Friday – which affects 38 parking bays. However, the parking signs also display a ‘2P’ for all other hours of the day.
Mr Drew says he initially called the council who “sent me a letter saying ‘you just didn’t read it.’”
“They didn’t look at the photo and then tell me I’m wrong. How can you read a sign if it’s hidden by a branch?”
“Everything is wrong down there and they’re making all this money,” he added.
In response to the community outrage, council introduced new ‘clearer’ parking signs last month which display a no standing zone – but Mr Drew says they “are working to a certain extent.”
He said parking inspectors were targeting the vulnerable: “They go at the wrong time – bang they get caught.”
“How can make $150,000 in the school holidays. It would be morally right to open it up for those eight weeks over Christmas and school holidays.”
Peter Kennedy of Berwick was also hit with $161 parking fine in January after visiting his father at St John of God Hospital.
“I knew it was school holidays but I just thought 2P – the big green and went ‘okay’.”
“It just didn’t click; I was thinking about other stuff.
“I was right down near Clyde Road and thought I was miles away.” He said the sign “wasn’t parallel with the road either.”
According to Mr Kennedy, parking inspectors are having a “field day.”
“I got caught out but it’s obviously catching a hell of a lot of people out.”
