It’s illegal: this is no place to park your four-wheel drive. Photos: Ian Bushnell.
Year in Review: Region is revisiting some of the best Opinion articles of 2024. Here’s what got you talking, got you angry and got you thinking this year. Today, Ian Bushnell takes a swipe at people who use green space as a parking lot.
Green spaces and trees are at a premium in a townhouse and apartment complex, so any that come with your new home should be treated like gold.
Unfortunately, the lovely wide grassy setback that separates the complex from the street, planted with beautiful young pin oaks that, in their maturity, will bless the streetscape with their green canopies and shade in the heat of a Canberra summer, seems to be an invitation for some to see it as as a parking lot.
We could have had to accept just a narrow concrete path between the front of the complex and the street and no trees at all. Sure, there could be more visitor parking but the vehicles in those spaces seem to be too regular to be just dropping by.
It’s not as if residents have missed out on parking with double garages and basement spaces. Sometimes I wonder just how many cars people need.
As it is, we have had to put up no parking signs inside the complex to stop vehicles from clogging up the internal access.
Out front, vehicles large and small are being parked on the nature strip next to the young oaks. Already the grass is suffering and I hate to think what will happen come summer.
Just a few safety issues here, and the grass won’t last much longer under that traffic.
The other fear is that as the ground compacts around the trees, that will take a toll on their root systems. Remember, they can be worth thousands of dollars each and priceless when it comes to amenities.
The Saturday morning running meet only exacerbates the situation, despite a nearby car park. They can jog multiple k’s but can’t walk 50 metres to and from their cars.
It is also a safety hazard, obstructing lines of sight, especially near intersections or complex driveways, and impeding pedestrians. Vehicles going where they are not supposed to be presents a danger to those around them.
It’s an accident waiting to happen, and I’m surprised there haven’t been more bingles.
The thing is, it’s illegal, yet Canberans are notorious for doing this.
The Traffic Infringements Guide says: “In any built-up area, a motorist must not stop on a bicycle path, footpath, shared path, dividing strip, or a nature strip.”
Will it take a blitz along the street to remind people where cars belong? Because an email from the building executive committee sure as hell hasn’t worked.
One can only imagine the whinging about a police state if parking inspectors swooped and stung offenders with tickets.
It’s a big move to be the dobber, but will I have to witness the desiccation of the verge and the slow death of trees with decades of living and nurturing to do?
So here’s my plea: STAY OFF THE GRASS! Walk a few more metres. Observe the law. Everywhere.
Otherwise, governments and developers might wonder what the point is of providing the amenity that can make high and medium-density living more bearable.
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