An east coast driver has taken aim at her local council for hitting her with a $423 parking fine over a little-known road rule she said is only “occasionally” enforced, and one with no warning signs.
The Sydney motorist, from Erskineville, has parked next to the kerb outside her home in the inner-city suburb for seven straight years “without issue”. The woman, who did not wish to be named, said that so many of her neighbours also park there, and the road’s even been left “discoloured” by cars parking in the spot.
But on Tuesday, the woman was notified she had breached a road rule which restricts parking within 10 metres of an intersection unless otherwise signed, she told Yahoo News. The woman said she “wasn’t across” that particular rule, and it caught her “by surprise” due to the lack of “no stopping” signs. On top of the fine, she received two demerit points.
Had the space been labelled, the woman argued, the penalty would’ve been reasonable. “If you walk past this street right now, I can 99 per cent guarantee that there will be a car there,” she told Yahoo.
“This spot has no ‘no stopping’ signs, unlike all the other corners.”
So many drivers park in the spot the woman marked in her photo with an orange cross. The road is even discoloured from cars parking there. Source: Facebook
The woman said to make matters worse, her building doesn’t allow parking permits, which makes “finding available on-street parking extremely challenging”. “There are only a couple of streets with free parking, so I rely on this spot a lot,” she said. “As soon as I left, another car parked there straight away.
“It’s clearly common for people to park there.”
She argued that if the City of Sydney council “are going to enforce the rule, they should do it properly”. “People say it’s dangerous because you’re blocking the view [of the road], but it’s a one-way street — you’re not blocking anything,” she said, adding that she intends to challenge the fine.
“Even the lane behind it is one-way. It just seems weird that they never enforced it until now.”
City of Sydney council responds to backlash
Online, locals weighed in after the woman posted about her situation on social media. “Yes, they enforce this rule when it suits them,” a man said. “In Newtown, they’ve started painting lines to indicate no parking, which is very helpful,” a woman commented. “Yep. It’s a rule! Parking too close prevents trucks from turning,” a third said.
“There should be lines marked to indicate no parking allowed in that spot. I’d imagine most people aren’t aware of that rule,” wrote another.
Yahoo News questioned the City with regard to the woman’s complaint, but a spokesperson stood firm on the fine, saying that drivers are required to understand all the restrictions. “NSW Road Rules deem it an offence to stop within 10 metres of an intersection,” they said.
“There is no requirement under NSW law to have line markings or signs for the offence of stopping within 10 metres of an intersection. Local councils must enforce the parking provisions of the NSW Road Rules without exception.”
Rangers must witness the illegal parking to issue a ticket. “Two tickets in total have been issued for this offence on this street in 2025,” the spokesperson continued.
“It is the motorist’s responsibility to park legally at all times. If a motorist believes they have received a fine in error, they should contact Revenue NSW.”
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