Driver’s crafty way to get around parking fines after being issued $42 fine near Wellington airport

Driver’s foolproof way to get around parking fines – and you’ll kick yourself for not thinking of it first

  •  A crafty motorist has revealed his incredibly clever way to avoid parking fines
  • Dave Finlay, 69, was issued $42 fine for exceeding a free 24-hour parking zone 
  • He had moved his car and returning to same spot, taking pictures each time

A motorist who left his car parked on a street for days at a time managed to get out of a parking fine by moving it every 24 hours and taking pictures of his movements.  

Dave Finlay, 69, was stung with a $42 fine for exceeding a free 24-hour parking zone near Wellington International Airport on New Zealand’s North Island in October.

But after working in the area for a long time, Mr Finlay had already worked out a plan to exploit the system and stay in the free parking zone for longer than allowed.   

Dave Finlay, 69, (pictured) was stung with a $42 fine for exceeding a free 24-hour parking zone near Wellington International Airport on New Zealand’s North Island in October

Once a day Mr Finlay would show up and take a picture of his car parked in the spot. 

He would then go for a short drive, ensuring to take a photo of the empty space. 

When he returned, he would take another photo.

By leaving momentarily he did not exceed the 24-hour time limit, as the clock technically restarts when he returns. 

As each photograph has a timestamp, he had proof that he had moved his car.

‘I do this every day. Not many people will do this, and I’m fortunate enough to have the smarts to do it. I do it to protect myself,’ he told Stuff.

‘I move my car within that 24-hour period – there’s nothing there that states how far you have to move.’

When he first arrives he takes a picture of his car parked in the spot. He later goes for a short drive, ensuring to take a photo of the empty space. When he returns, he takes another photo. By leaving momentarily he does not exceed the 24-hour time limit, as the clock restarts when he returns

When he first arrives he takes a picture of his car parked in the spot. He later goes for a short drive, ensuring to take a photo of the empty space. When he returns, he takes another photo. By leaving momentarily he does not exceed the 24-hour time limit, as the clock restarts when he returns

When Mr Finlay was issued the fine he was prepared to take his case to court to get the ticket overturned – and he won.

Council parking services manager Kevin Black admitted if the car left the area then the 24-hour limit would restart when the car returned. 

‘Following further investigation the council has taken action to waive this particular infringement and is actioning a refund of the $42 infringement fee and Dave will be contacted directly about this.’ 

How to avoid a parking ticket parking spot with a time limit:

  • Take a picture of the car in the parking spot on arrival
  • Before the time limit is up, return to the car and drive around for a few minutes 
  • Take another picture showing the empty parking spot before parking in the spot again
  • As timestamps are recorded on each digital image, you have proof of when the car is parked in the spot and when it leaves 



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