Returning to his car parked on Rowe Drive late last year, Mr Holt saw he’d been hit with a $263 ‘Disobey Sign’ fine.
Although there is a ‘no parking’ sign about 50 metres away, the road’s straight yellow line had a gap large enough for two cars to easily park there which Mr Holt and others had been doing for the last 18 months.
Mr Holt had successfully lobbied his Ward Councillor Alex Kuskoff previously to have three speed bumps erected on Rowe Drive. He had also sought to have extra parking spaces created for residents and believed the two-car gap in the yellow line was the start of that process.
“Imagine my surprise when I called Canterbury Bankstown Council and was told that the yellow line should never have contained the two-car gap as it was the contractor’s fault who had never returned to complete the job 18 months ago,” Mr Holt said.
“Interestingly, just two days later the contractors returned and painted across the two-car gap saying it was not their fault since they had informed the council they couldn’t complete it the first time as cars were parked there and then never heard from the council about it again.
“I am well known in the community and have always been an upstanding citizen but I couldn’t let this pass.”
A council spokesperson said: “No Stopping signs were installed in Rowe Drive in June 2017, more than a year before Mr Holt was issued with an infringement.
“Yellow line markings are installed to support such signage only.”
After the court hearing, a City of Canterbury Bankstown Council spokesperson said: “We will obviously abide by the court’s decision.”
