AN Orange man who parked in a disabled parking space without a permit, contested the fine in Orange Local Court and had it reduced.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Rodney Draper argued the parking space was not marked on the road, like others in the street.
The contested space in McNamara Street was signposted as a dedicated disabled space but was directly adjacent to another disabled space, which had clear line markings and a blue wheelchair sign painted on the road.
Mr Draper contested the fine before magistrate, Terry Lucas, who subsequently reduced the fine from $531 to $100.
Mr Draper said he had been driving for 23 years and never lost a point on his licence.
“I drove past ample parking in Summer Street and parked in that shady spot, I drove through a disabled parking spot and looked behind me and saw it was marked,” he said.
Mr Draper said there were several disabled spots in McNamara Street, took photos of all of them, and presented them to Mr Lucas.
He said all had painted markings on the road except the one he parked in.
He said he would approach Orange City Council staff and inform them of his misfortune and request council paint the parking spot in line with the others to prevent someone else from making the same mistake.
Council spokesperson Nick Redmond confirmed Mr Draper had contacted council about a discrepancy between the street signs that stand at either end of a two-space disabled parking zone in McNamara Street, and the painted marks on the road which cover only one parking space.
Mr Redmond said under NSW regulations, the limits of disabled parking zones are specified by signs rather than painted lines on the road, which are added for the convenience of drivers.
“Orange City Council will be painting new lines on the roadway in the coming week to remove any potential confusion,” he said.