SunLive has received a spate of complaints about bad and illegal parking and a Tauranga woman is sharing her experience in the hope people will be more considerate.
Karen and her partner returned from a swim at the Mount Main Beach to find a car had parked across the white lines leaving just a few centimetres gap between the cars.
Her first thought was that her car had been hit because the other one was so close.
'I was concerned that they damaged my work vehicle. And then I thought, oh, what an idiot. Who parks like that?”
Karen says the driver would have known how badly they'd parked and not bothered to correct it.
'The only way they could get out of that car was through the passenger's door. There's no way they could have got out of the driver's door.”
Also this week a reader sent a photo of a truck parked illegally for over an hour on Devonport Rd.
The ute was parked on yellow lines across the footpath and stuck out onto the road.
The ute was blocking the footpath for over an hour. Supplied image.
A Tauranga City Council spokesperson says it's an offence to park a vehicle without due care or reasonable consideration for other road users
Depending on the circumstances an infringement could be issued for people not parking within a marked parking space if this adversely affects other people, he says. The fine for this is $60.
The Land Transport (road user) Rule 2004 states vehicles must be parked with due care and consideration for other road users.
'It's a legal requirement but it's also about respecting other people,” says the spokesperson.
If people have concerns about how someone has parked their vehicle they can contact council on 07 5777 7000.
13 comments
Ha ha, it's my JEEP!
Posted on 30-01-2021 08:58 | By nerak
Many an 'upmarket' car is driven/parked badly, must tell us something. That aside, it's pure lazy/selfishness. I'm far too busy to park properly, to hell with any inconvenience I cause.
parking
Posted on 30-01-2021 09:17 | By dumbkof2
why am i not surprised at this parking because A they don't teach parking anymore B drivers just don't care C the old story blow you jack i'm ok or D just plain lazy
Oh dear
Posted on 30-01-2021 10:55 | By peanuts9
I love the comments about it being illegal and respecting others. The extremely bad parking is a symptom of the very bad driving in this city. try being a walker or disabled and you will understand how bad it is. How are drivers supposed to recognise white lines when they can't recognise red lights, pedestrian crossings and other traffic signs. It is time both driving and parking were policed
Agree with Dumbkof2 and Peanuts9
Posted on 30-01-2021 12:10 | By Yadick
Parking (and driving in general) in Tauranga is appalling. Trouble is the drivers of these vehicles know they'll get away with their self centered, arrogant actions. Road traffic policing in Tauranga is a complete joke and to top it off - maybe a $60 fine. Gangs park and sit in their cars in disability parking in Fraser Cove all the time. Cars park in driveways blocking footpaths all over Tauranga and I'm expected to maintain, at my expense, Counciils berm outside my house so others can use it as a carpark and turn it to mud. Step up Parking Officers - get out of the empty city and into suburbs too, especially the streets around the hospital.
Cars
Posted on 30-01-2021 12:24 | By Johnney
Cars and all these 4 wheel drives are getting bigger and wider. They should be taxed or have their registration at a higher rate.
Parking spaces
Posted on 30-01-2021 12:45 | By Kancho
I have a mid size car but some vehicles are a tad bigger. I think the size of parking spaces was set before SUV popularity occurred. Not that some parking isn't good. Having a new car I try very hard to park away from other cars as with the space size door paint damage and dents happen . I returned to my car to see a large person trying to squeeze out of the half open car door unsuccessfully . They could open the door sufficiently even when a the vechicles were correctly parked. I think parking spaces are crammed in and are old school sizes.
Respecting other people?
Posted on 30-01-2021 13:38 | By morepork
I agree with all the other posters here, but would just add that lack of "respect" seems to be a spin-off from the current generation, who generally see respect as a form of weakness. There are exceptions, of course, and it is good to know that this is not universal. The size of parking allocations does need to be reviewed to meet the modern vehicle sizes, but who will pay for it? The ute on the yellow line should have prompted an immediate phone call. We MUST do something about the standards of driving and vehicle usage in general.
@ Kancho
Posted on 30-01-2021 14:08 | By Yadick
You raise a good point.
Hahaha
Posted on 30-01-2021 16:57 | By Slim Shady
Terrible car. Who buys a Jeep? Inferiority complex.
Trouble is
Posted on 30-01-2021 22:26 | By The Sage
Parking spaces have gotten smaller, to squeeze more in and vehicles have got MUCH larger. combine that with the people who couldn't draw a straight line let alone park within one.
Drive by brail, parks by brail
Posted on 30-01-2021 22:53 | By Warped
As someone who works on the road, ive seen some horrendous parking, like stopping in the middle of an active 3m lane because it near a curb to park.... its not really lack of respect its just lack of any kind of awareness at all. The problem is they drive with that same awareness because half they time i see pure shock when they realize what they've done only after being told to move their car.
Courier Drivers
Posted on 31-01-2021 08:05 | By Yadick
I know they've got it tough out there but it really irks me the arrogance of some of them. The way some of them park too blocking line of sight to pedestrian crossings. So to all you courier drivers out there, thank you for your work but when it comes to parking - THINK.
Life’s Too Short
Posted on 31-01-2021 19:12 | By Tauranga Local
Surely life is too short to be “worried” about something which, in reality is not such a big deal. Sure, the Jeep was parked at an odd angle. So what! There is still room for the other car to get out. If the passenger needs to get in to the white vehicle, simply wait until it is backed out. Yadick seemed to have found a high horse to climb on. Admittedly, black Ute driver who supposedly parked that way for “over an hour”, is an idiot. It’s not just couriers parking in front of pedestrian crossings, drive past Brookfield New World and there are two bus stops on either side of the road immediately in front of crossings. I think these decisions by council are more important to have concerns about than a Jeep parked skewiff.
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