Ali Condon
A woman was landed with a devastating fine for simply parking her car in her own driveway.
Jäclyn Clairé from Bondi, Sydney, explained that she had parked in her driveway as usual, since her car doesn't fit in the garage, but came back to find that she'd earned herself a ticket.
She was likely even more shocked to learn that she actually deserved the AUD$283 (£150) fine she had been given.
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You see, even though she did park in her driveway, that land is technically Crown land - land owned by the State Government.
According to New South Wales law, drivers on Crown land 'must not stop of park your vehicle across a driveway unless you're picking up or dropping off passengers'.
Jäclyn's confusion was quite understandable, since there had never been a problem with her parking in her driveway before.
Taking to Facebook to get to the bottom of the issue, she asked: “Has there been a recent change in parking on Warners Ave?
“I park in my driveway, leaving ample room for a double pram, as my car doesn’t fit in the garage. I’ve never had a problem until this ticket today."
In the comment section, a debate quickly broke out, with some agreeing that Jäclyn should fight the case, and others insisting that she was in the wrong.
"I would definitely fight this," one person suggested.
"Up in my street there are dozens of cars doing this [which] never get fined unless someone complains to council," agreed a second.
But, siding with the council, another wrote: "Car drivers need to take more responsibility with their vehicle and home living choices. If this means moving elsewhere with better parking, then so be it."
Speaking to 7News, a spokesperson for Waverley Council, who issued the fine in the first place, confirmed that parking on Crown land like Jäclyn's driveway 'has always been a fineable offence under the Australian road rules'.
They noted that, in the past, the council had been quite lenient with the rule as long as drivers were leaving sufficient room on the footpath, unless complaints were specifically submitted.
"Council has previously accepted this practice as long as vehicles are not encroaching/obstructing the footpath and acted on complaints," they said.
"Due to recent ongoing high volume of complaints from residents and NSW Fire and Rescue, action is being taken."
So, it sounds like Jäclyn will have to pay that fine after all!