MOUNT Cotton residents say council are cashing in on the narrowness of Hibiscus Drive by issuing infringement notices worth $133 to people who park their vehicle on the nature strip.
A resident said the parking situation had driven one person, a school teacher, to sell their property and move away after they received three tickets in four days.
The residents said the gap between vehicles lawfully parked on either side of the street was not enough to safely let a third vehicle through, including emergency services like ambulances and fire trucks.
They said they had to park on the nature strip or have two wheels up on the curb to allow traffic to flow freely.
Armando Respondino, who has lived on Hibiscus Drive since 2015, said he had received three parking tickets in the past month for parking on the nature strip, two of which were issued while he was overseas.
He said he loved living at Mount Cotton but the constant threat of parking tickets made him feel like looking at other options.
"I think it's a crock," he said. "I think they drive around and look for ways to spin money. My tickets don't make sense. Two of them were within two days of each other.
"My wife's father got a fine out there once and then a babysitter parked on the grass once and she got a fine. She was coming to look after our son.
"They definitely target this street. If the road was wider you would park on the concrete all day but it is just a very skinny street here."
A council spokesperson said Hibiscus Drive and other streets in the Mount Cotton area were five to five and a half metres wide, providing sufficient room for vehicles to pass safely if parked lawfully.
"The Queensland road rules require vehicles to be parked allowing at least three metres of the road alongside it for other vehicles to pass," they said.
"All drivers who park their vehicles without a three metre clearance are in contravention of the Queensland road rules."
A Hibiscus Drive resident, who did not want her name used, said an accident was bound to happen if parking conditions did not change.
"Wherever you go you have got issues," she said. "I think they just have to give in and let people park on the nature strip for safety."
"...There is going to be a bad head-on at some stage. You only need a dark car parked on a blind bend for something to happen."
A council spokesperson said they would not consider changing the rules to allow residents to park on the nature strip as it would be in contravention of Queensland road rules.
"Parking on nature strips is an ongoing issue in all areas of the Redlands Coast and Redland City Council carries out community education campaigns on a regular basis to remind residents of the laws in regard to parking across the city," they said.
"Council has received a number of complaints about nature strip offences in this area and are actioning complaints in the same way other similar complaints are managed."
The spokesperson said they would issue parking tickets during the week and on weekends for the safety of the community.
Mr Respondino said it made sense for people to park on the nature strip to avoid having their car hit.
Council said that cars parked in a residential driveway beyond the property's fence line would also be booked under state legislation.
"Drivers parking this way make it dangerous for pedestrians and other road users," the spokesperson said.
"In accordance with the Queensland Road Rules, it is the driver's responsibility to park their car lawfully."
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