Tauranga driver fights $100 parking fine after 3-second passenger drop-off
00 for stopping her vehicle (right) for three seconds to let out a friend." data-test-ui="article-media__image" fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" />Dropping a friend off at their car became the “most expensive three seconds of my life”, a woman fined $100 for double parking says.
Mount Maunganui resident Leticia Emery said she was issued a $100 infringement notice for double parking beside her friend’s vehicle on Durham St, opposite the University of Waikato, at 11.15am on July 8.
“When I pulled up next to her car, my friend jumped out straight away, and I drove off.
“There was no traffic behind me, and I was not impeding other road users.”
Emery said the three-second stop “ended up being the most expensive three seconds of my life”.
She said the ticket was an example of “over-the-top” revenue-gathering by the council and challenged the infringement.
On August 12, she received an email from the council saying the ticket had been reviewed and would not be cancelled.
The email said a driver “must not stop, stand or park” between another stopped vehicle and the nearest edge of the roadway.
Emery said time-stamped images showed she stopped for just three seconds, and she had hoped for leniency from the council.
“The fine itself isn’t the issue here. It’s the moral principle of the whole thing. For some people, $100 is a week’s worth of kai, and for others, it’s what they have left over after paying bills.”
She said the infringement notice had “solidified” her and her partner’s decision to not return to the CBD and risk another parking ticket.
“My partner and I and our four children used to visit Tauranga’s city centre primarily because it always felt a bit empty and missing some life.
“Why would we cross the bridge when we have free parking all around Mount Maunganui, a high-trust system, and an absolutely pumping little town only 10 minutes away?
“The council really needs to sort this issue out.”
Bay of Plenty MP Tom Rutherford said he agreed with Emery. He saw a post she wrote on social media and said it “didn’t feel or look right to me”.
“I’m all for enforcement of the parking rules when necessary and appropriate, but in this case I don’t believe this infringement is fair to Ms Emery.”
Rutherford said he tried to champion people struggling with local issues and felt it was appropriate to support Emery’s efforts to have the ticket withdrawn.
He emailed Tauranga Mayor Mahé Drysdale asking him to look into the matter and hoped that “common sense could prevail” in this instance.
Stuart Goodman, the council’s regulation monitoring team leader, said the council reviewed the matter and considered the infringement notice was justified as double parking was an offence.
“There is no minimum period for which a vehicle must be stopped or parked before the offence is established; once a vehicle has stopped, stood or parked in circumstances that meet the requirements of the rule, the offence is complete.
“On this occasion, the vehicle stopped completely blocking the live traffic lane.Legal parking spaces were available nearby which could have been used without obstructing traffic.”
Goodman said parking enforcement ensured that parking and road rules were applied fairly and consistently, so available parking remained accessible to those who needed it.
“We recognise that receiving a parking infringement can be frustrating, and we sincerely hope this does not discourage the resident from visiting the city centre in future.”
Goodman said the decision to issue a parking infringement was an “operational enforcement matter” and not generally one in which elected members would intervene.
“However, we understand that the mayoral office will be in touch with Mr Rutherford directly.”
Sandra Conchie is a senior journalist at the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post and has been a journalist for more than 25 years. She mainly covers police, court and other justice stories, as well as general news. She has been a Canon Media Awards regional/community reporter of the year.