some of you may find this amusing

Well it seems even New Zealand is not governed by the rule of common sense. Today, after parking my (borrowed) vehicle in town I found this on my windscreen:

I couldnt quite believe my I had a parking ticket for parking in the "wrong" direction. Ive never heard of such a thing, how can you possibly park in the wrong direction? This sort of thing I would expect more in the UK, where they have lots of rules including some warning you not to stop and take in the view. But New Zealand! my illusions of this place lay in shatters. Of course I couldnt allow myself to pay for such an absurd fine. So I appealled to the common sense of the council:

Dear Sir Madam,

I would like to appeal a parking ticket received today (11/12/2009) at 13.13, Dundas Street. The offence relates to (P114) "incorrect kerb parking" "parked facing the wrong direction"; Officer ID P21, Infringement fee $40.00

Having only recently arrived from the UK I have been very pleased with my ability to comply with New Zealand road laws to the best of my knowledge and ability - the "give way rule" has been an especially trying adjustment. Today I was surprised at finding a parking ticket (for the offence stated above) - particularly as in the UK there is no restriction on which direction you face your car. Naturally I referred to the official New Zealand road code to check if this was correct, and it was. Putting my disappointment aside, however, I would like to note that Officer P21 seems to have forgotten to credit me for correct compliance with the 6 other "Safe Parking Rules", namely:

* Indicate for at least three seconds before slowing down to park.

* Park parallel to the road and as close to the left (I believe this relates to my offence) as possible, unless you are parking in an area where angle parking is permitted. There will be lines on the road (or signs) to show where you can angle park.

* Move as far off the road as possible when stopping or parking on a road with fast-moving traffic.

* Always check for passing vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians before opening your door.

* Be careful when pulling out of a parking space. Don't forget to:

o check for vehicles

o signal for at least three seconds before pulling out.

* A motor vehicle must not be parked on the road during the hours of darkness unless it is clearly visible to other road users. This means it should be lit by street lights, or you should turn on the tail lights and the side light nearest the centre of the road on the front of the vehicle.

* A light, flat-decked vehicle that is parked on the street at night must display a rear red light that:

o is on the side of the vehicle closest to the centre of the road

o is visible at a distance of 100 metres.

If each of these rules carries a value of $40.00 NZD, a rough calculation puts me $240.00 in credit for the manoeuvre. Whilst I dont intend on pursuing the $240.00 NZD, I would ask that the council consider wavering or at least reducing the fee (I am a student on a meagre scholarship, and frankly I will struggle to pay the full $40.00 at this stage). If this is not possible perhaps we could arrange for payment to be made in instalments?

Best regards,

Douglas Jones

Failing this I may revert to the template from the last blog