7 January 2011

Rules regarding parking on suburban streets in Canberra?

| miffy88
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Hi, I’m from NSW and was wondering if in the ACT you are allowed to park on the street (parallel to curb and not in front of a driveway) in normal suburbs like Duffy, Chapman etc (Weston Creek area). I drove around late last night and noticed not 1 car parked on the street. Everyone had their cars parked on the nature strip, which in NSW would get you a ticket.

Is street parking illegal in Canberra? I’m aware that in civic and certain inner suburbs there are meters and restrictions, but what is the story in the outer suburbs?

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I dont know those suburbs but I’d hazard to guess the streets are narrow and they are wary of being side swiped by another car., but I dont think you can park on the nature strip, being council land.

Didn’t they book a stack of cars that were for sale on the nature strips a few years ago.

Rawhide Kid Part311:23 am 07 Jan 11

“A strip of grass or stable surface must be maintained at a minimum of 1.2 metres wide from the back of the kerb for pedestrian access directly off the roadway, even if a footpath exists near your lease boundary.” Correct me if I’m wrong . But I cant find any legislation pertaining to this statement in their pamphlet.

#9: Parking on the nature strip is not necessarily the same as parking blocking the footpath. The nature strip is often wide enough to park a car on without obstructing any pedestrian/wheelchair/stroller access.

I was taught that when you visit ppl you park ON THE STREET.

We have approval to landscape our nature strip and wanted to plant clumps of native grass/Lomandra right to the kerb to discourage cars parking half up on the nature strip but were told by TAMS that we HAD to provide 90cm clear space adjacent to the kerb for pedestrians (despite the fact the plans show a 1.2m wide meandering path closer to our boundary, ie between the nature strip plantings and our front yard). Of course if we provide a 90cm clear space adjacent to the kerb, odds are pedestrian access would be blocked by cars parked on it, so we will probably plant exactly 90cm from the kerb and not be overly conscientious about pruning :).

In theory I don’t mind ppl parking illegally and/or landscaping on their nature strips *provided* sight lines aren’t blocked (eg a large 4WD often parked at right angles to the road a few doors down from us means I can’t see if there is anything coming until I have already backed half out onto the road) and there is enough room for people to walk past without using the road. This is especially the case for children walking to school using suburban streets that don’t have footpaths.

Parking on nature strips is illegal and anti social. It obstructs pedestrians and compresses the soil, killing grass and trees. There is a moron who does this in my street, rendering the footpath unusable for prams, wheelchairs (yes, we have a regular wheelchair user nearby) and mobility scooters. There is no shortage of on street parking, but his shiny penis extension (sporty car, drives it like a lunatic) is apparently too precious to risk that, and he can’t be bothered having to back out of his driveway.

He will find said p.e. keyed one of these days. Not by me – I just send hate waves – but others who are less peaceable are just as annoyed.

parking on the nature strip in the ACT is illegal .. but no one every gets booked for it.

http://www.aila.org.au/canberragarden/plants/naturestripspdf.pdf

Hmmmm seems I should have also gotten permission before I removed the grass and mulched my nature strip and dont mention the watering system. I have been a baaaaad boy.

ACT Road Rules at Page 60 has the parking rules – http://www.tams.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/64479/Part_C2_-_Knowing_the_Road_Rules_2010.pdf

Interesting. I thought there was some rule about not parking on a road with undivided lines. Apparently not.

JJ – It should also earn you a ticket in the ACT. Parking on nature strips is not allowed, it just doesnt seem to be enforced.
In my street which resembles are parking lot at best of times, if everyone parked on the street as they are supposed to, it would be blocked.

Legally we are supposed to park in the street, parallel to the curb, or in a driveway. I’m pretty certain it’s not legal to park with 2 wheels up on the nature strip – an incident a few years ago in which a friend’s car had been vandalised while parked in such a way on a narrow road ended with the police telling us that it’s illegal to park like that.

Are you likely to get booked for it? Nope. Unless there was some much greater issue (like access in the event of an emergency) I can’t imagine the AFP caring at all.

troll-sniffer9:35 am 07 Jan 11

There be no laws that be prohibiting the parking of horseless carriages on suburban streets in Canberra not controlled by parking signs that I am aware of, other than laws relating to obstructing passage etc.

Technically parking on nature strips is not allowed, and if an overzealous parking officer chose a suicidal carrer move he or she could book cars parked thereon (as far as I know, though I will defer to a parking inspector’s ruling here). However in all but a few inner suburbs the practice is ignored, and rightly so.

However, if you decide to park on someone’s nature strip (for instance to circumvent parking restrictions close to the city) and the local residents take offence and call the parking rangers, they will attend and issue a ticket.

In WA, too, you’re not allowed to park on the nature strip. No idea about the ACT, unfortunately. If it’s the same rule here then someone needs to tell that guy in Narrabundah.

I was wondering something similar while in Melbourne for the holidays. Trying to negotiate the narrow streets of the Bayside area with cars parked on both sides of the street, Jungle Jane and I were wondering why people didn’t put at least two wheels up on the nature strip.

I assume, based on your comment, that there are laws in Victoria too, that prohibit parking on the nature strip. Not sure about the ACT laws for suburban parking, but I’d like to think it’s a courtesy thing – keep the roadway as clear as possible for traffic.

Interested to see what the more educated have to say about this.

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