On Friday I attended the Chairman’s XI vs India at Manuka Oval. As usual parking is a nightmare no parking anywhere around the ground even diving into side streets only to be met with 2 hour parking or no parking signs, Parking Officers were also in force to give people tickets on the spot. I continued to the eastern side of the ground and parked on the grass along with about 30 or so other cars. This area was off the road not hurting anyone entered the cricket only to come back to a $81 parking-fine.
Now I could understand if I was in a 2hr park or obstructing traffic but not parking on the grass attending an event that the ACT government knows full well there is no parking for.
Manuka Oval has been for a long time an oversight of the ACT government for parking as the area has been over developed with houses and apartments. Every other state uses their Main Stadium for Football & Cricket where the facilities are adequate why cant we do the same?
For once I wish the ACT government would wake up and use some commonsense for once.
End Rant
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What’s Your opinion?
Parking Manuka Oval
Frustrated said :
I don’t have to be a parking inspector or know one to find what you said offensive.
I too have no sympathy whatsoever either. I used to volunteer just down from the oval and every time there was a match on people would park on the lawn all over the place and when you had the nerve to tell them that they were on private land, the attitude was ‘well, what are you going to do about it’. They would then ungraciously move their car to the other side of the footpath so they were on Government-owned land.
If you have ever attended an event at Manuka Oval then it is blindingly obvious that there is little parking or, God forbid, you might actually have to pay for it – suck it up sunshine. I am sure all the people who live there are breathing a sigh of relief that they no longer have to put up with cars on their front lawns and littered with rubbish that people have decided not to take with them.
“For once I wish the ACT government would wake up and use some commonsense for once.”
You purposefully parked illegally despite the fact that you seemed to be well aware that parking officers were out to give fines to people who did so. Then you act surprised and badly done by when you get a parking fine, and you think it is the ACT government that needs to wake up and use some commonsense?!
Pay for parking at Manuka or if you’re too cheap to do that, get there 15 minutes earlier next time and park on the street 1km away, I guarantee you there is ample parking if you can be arsed to walk for more than 3 minutes.
threepaws said :
Wow, jump to conclusions much.
Where did I say I park there all day all year.
I was referring to handful of times I have parked there, and not been fined.
I actually have free boom gated parking otherwise.
Sounds like I hit a nerve, work for them or know someone who does do you?
As mentioned by Jethro already, there is plenty of parking around the Manuka shops. It sure as hell would have been cheaper to park for the day than your $81 fine, and it’s really not that far away.
As for the idea that you were ‘parked on the grass, not hurting anyone’ – where does it stop then? If you can argue that you should be able to park on the grass to go and see the cricket, does that mean that I should be able to park on the grass if I’m going to do my Christmas shopping and the car park is busy? Or if I just don’t feel like paying for parking when I go to work, and there’s some spare grass next to the road, should I be able to park there?
If a line isn’t drawn, it turns into a free for all situation. And as for not hurting anyone, have you seen what happens to grass when it’s used as a car park? Do you really want to see our green spaces turned into dust bowls, as grass dies due to becoming defacto parking lots?
Sorry, no sympathy here. You had options, you just chose not to use them, and you paid the price.
taninaus said :
+1 totally agree
Every other state uses their Main Stadium for Football & Cricket where the facilities are adequate why cant we do the same?
When you say ‘facilities are adequate’ are you claiming that there is plenty of parking nearby?
Just off the top of my head;
Suncorp stadium – No parking, minimal street parking in surrounding suburbs, with the closest suburbs having 2 hour max limits and patrolled heavily (I have seen entire streets of cars with yellow envelopes after events).
The Gabba – No parking, and almost no on-street parking for miles (and restricted during events). Public parking available 1 kilometre walk away at the Mater hospital for ~$25 per day.
#firstworldproblems. Get organised: Arrange to be dropped off, or catch a taxi or bus. Sounds like you were aware of the lack of parking prior to going, but decided to park illegally anyway.
CrankyGit said :
I wish the parking inspector who failed to see my parking permit (and issued a fine), was happy to ‘let it slide’. Apparently (according to the guy who withdrew the fine), the inspector who issued the fine wasnt the tallest of people, and failed to see my permit on the dashboard. But, I do agree with the point they book you for the small things while letting the big ones go.
Frustrated said :
Wow. So;
You park all day in a designated 2 hour spot and complain when you get a fine;
You imply that the ACT government are corrupt or the parking inpectors themselves are on the take;
And then… then, you also state that parking inspectors are worse than telemarketers.
I hope that that all parking inspectors in the ACT have a massive Christmas pi55 up, and I hope it is funded by taxpayers. Lord knows they cop enough abuse each and every day just for doing their job…
You obviously have strong feelings about parking inspectors. Why don’t you let the Rioters out here know what you do for a living so we can make a judgement about how high up (or low down) the food chain you are.
Or just suck it up and park legally.
Sorry Sigma – you took the risk even knowing there were inspectors around and you lost – pay the fine. You parked on public land that is not designated for parking. Also the Government isn’t required to provide parking for every patron at the grounds, sure it would be nice, but you are dealing with a busy business district and ovals are generally used on the weekends for larger events.
On Fridays, you’re competing with office workers. I would hate weekday parking to be the benchmark upon which parking needs for a primarily weekend-used oval were based.
I agree you should be allowed to park there, but you’re not. Hence the no parking signs there. Take the risk, cop the fine.
Traffic management and parking has never been well catered for by the ACT government. The G.D.E. should’ve been done properly the first time, and it should be 100km/h the whole way, not to mention Open-air Parking in Civic costing as much as *secure* *multi-level* *undercover* parking in Melbourne’s CBD.
I see this as victimisation, parking inspectors seem happy to ‘let it slide’ when people park in disabled and loading zones without a permit, yet they’re overly keen to book you when you park in a seemingly benign place.
I guess paying 10 bucks or so to park for the day in the big carpark behind the Kingston shops wasn’t an option because it would have meant walking a few hundred metres.
The parking inspectors were out in force this week. I and many other copped fines for parking in the street adjecent to Anzac Pde. Its 2 hrs of course, but the buggers up until now have pretty much ignored that street all year.
Clearly out to fill their quotas or top up the christmas party coffers.
Parking Inspectors are one of the lowest forms of employment out there.