Residents from a town on the NSW South Coast are furious after learning they have to change the way they have been parking on a local street for decades amid a council blitz.
Bomaderry Public School took to social media to remind parents of the parking rules at Karowa Street, advising that fines may be issued to those who fail to comply.
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“Council is reaching out to kindly remind the school community of the parking requirements under the NSW Road Rules 2014 in relation to Karowa Street, Bomaderry,” Bomaderry Public School posted on Facebook on Friday.
“Council has received complaints regarding vehicles parking in a manner that is obstructing pedestrian access along the street.”
The school attached two images – one showing non-compliant parking visible on Google Maps, and another demonstrating the compliant parking which is parallel to the street.
The school cited Rule 197(1), where a driver must not stop on a footpath or nature strip in a built-up area unless an exception applies, and Rule 208, requiring vehicles parked on a two-way road to be positioned parallel and as near as practicable to the far-left side of the road.
“Council kindly requests that parents, carers and visitors park their vehicles parallel and as near as practicable to the left edge of the road, facing the direction of travel, and ensure footpaths and nature strips remain clear for pedestrians,” the school wrote.
“This is particularly important given the proximity to the school and the need to maintain safe and accessible pedestrian movement for children, families, and other road users.”
Bomaderry Public School said that at first, warnings will be given to those who break the rules, followed by fines.
“Rangers will be monitoring the location. In the first instance, warnings will be issued to assist with educating drivers about the parking requirements.
“Following this education period, vehicles found parked contrary to the NSW Road Rules may be issued with a penalty notice.”
Following an uproar from local families concerned about safety and traffic flow around the school, Shoalhaven Councillor Selena Clancy said she will discuss the matter with Shoalhaven Council.
“I have been contacted by parents who are very concerned about this situation,” Cr Clancy wrote.
“I will be seeking some clarification from Council and will get back to the community asap.”
Concerned locals claim that parents have been parking perpendicular on the street for decades due to a lack of available spots, and claim that making a move to parallel parking could have detrimental impacts.
“Parallel parking like this is actually more dangerous than the way cars are currently parked now,” one local wrote.
“People trying to manoeuvre out of the street parked like the council wants everyone to park will cause congestion and increase the likelihood of an accident. Perhaps council should consider a more reasonable approach. I understand they are broke but insisting on having people park unsafely and then issuing fines is not the way to revenue raise.”
While another fumed: “What there (sic) suggesting is pathetic! … This has the potential to create greater congestion, increased traffic movements and a significantly more dangerous environment for children and families.
“It seems completely unreasonable to change a parking arrangement that has been occurring for 25+ years, without first providing sufficient alternative parking, and then threaten families with financial penalties when there simply aren’t enough suitable places for everyone to park.”
A third resident agreed: “Ahhh right so after 40 years its become a problem? I lived on Tanang street for 13 years never had an issue here.”
Another resident pointed out: “If the state government were required to provide adequate parking, this would not be an issue; there is one rule for a business and one for the state government, with the state not having to comply.”
Meanwhile, one commenter wondered if Bomaderry Public School may have used AI to generate the preferred parking image, with some details allegedly appearing different.
“Did you use AI to generate the preferred parking image because it has a significantly higher fence, it’s repaired the road and it doesn’t represent the actual steep angle the grass is along that section and it uses the same vehicles,” the commenter noted.
news.com.au has contacted Shoalhaven Council and Bomaderry Public School for comment.