Driver perplexed over why they copped a $92 fine for parking in a ‘confusing’ spot in Melbourne

A driver living from ‘paycheck to paycheck’ is trying to escape a fine they got after they parked in a ‘confusing’ spot. 

The motorist left their black Hyundai i30 among a line of parking spaces marked with a white T on a residential street in Melbourne.

But they ended up being slapped with a $92 infringement notice which said the vehicle was ‘not completely within a parking bay’.

An image of their car was uploaded to social media on Tuesday which showed it parked with one white T on its right but nothing on its left.

The photo sparked online debate over whether the driver was in the right or wrong to park in the spot.

But they ended up being slapped with a $92 infringement notice which said the vehicle was ‘not completely within a parking bay’

‘Would you have thought this was a parking spot?’ the post’s caption read. 

‘Yes, the line is still open. It would be a closed angle inwards if it wasn’t a park,’ one said indicating the white T on the right side of the hatchback was opened up to the left – making it OK to park there.

‘Yeah, that’s a parking spot for sure. There’s no sign post indicating No Parking, and the markings on the road are open indicating it’s a spot,’ another said. 

‘All I see is a parking spot,’ a third agreed. 

A Google image of another car taking up the same spot was posted to the chat showing the fined driver was not the only one thinking the space was OK to park in. 

One commenter who said he used to draw white parking lines for Victoria Roads wrote they marked out certain lines on the road to indicate when parking spots ended.

‘When I used to mark these we put a line in and a line down to signify the end of the parking area … the fact it’s a T line indicates another bay,’ they said.

But others were positive the driver deserved the fine. 

‘No that’s not a parking spot, you have to park in between the bays marked and in this case no bay is marked where you are parked,’ they said. 

‘So the infringement notice is correct.’

‘If parking bay lines are painted you have to park within a single bay,’ another added.

‘I would assume it isn’t a spot. In fact [I’ve] come across this many times and don’t chance it. [It’s] not closed by another line, and given that every other spot is, it kind of makes it obvious,’ one more wrote.

But the motorist stuck with the infringement notice was convinced the fine was not legitimate.

‘Yes, the line is still open. It would be a closed angle inwards if it wasn’t a park,’ an online commenter said indicating the white T on the right side of the hatchback (pictured) was opened up to the left – making it OK to park there

‘I would assume it isn’t a spot. In fact I come across this many times and don’t chance it. [It’s] not closed by another line, and given that every other spot is, it kind of makes it obvious,’ another online user wrote (pictured, a Google image of another car taking up the same spot)

Another online commenter warned the driver’s efforts to avoid paying the fine could end up being a waste of time if they had to go to court 

‘[The parking officer] picked the wrong person – I’m living paycheck to paycheck and now that I know I’m not in the wrong I’m going to contest this,’ they said.

Another warned their efforts to avoid paying the fine could end up being a waste of time.

‘Just so you know, if you do take it to court, you’ll have to pay an $80 court fee, making it barely worth the effort. Speaking from experience,’ one wrote.

Meanwhile, others insisted the parking deed was legit.

‘100 per cent contest that. The lines are too ambiguous for that to be upheld. I doubt you’ll hear anything more about it after you contest it,’ one said. 

VicRoads was contacted by Daily Mail Australia for comment.