Tauranga City Council is supporting two of its parking wardens who parked on grass berms in Mount Maunganui during the long weekend, confirming it is not illegal to park in these areas.
This afternoon Tauranga City Council confirmed parking is permitted on grass berms, unless specifically prohibited by council signage.
The two TCC parking warden cars photographed on Sunday, January 29.
This issue was first raised after a SunLive reader photographed two Council parking wardens parked on a grass berm, behind yellow lines and wooden bollards on the corner of Marine Parade and Grace Avenue on Sunday, January 29.
Many readers also claim they have been ticketed for illegal parking in similar locations.
TCC group manager of customer services and environmental monitoring Peter Frawley confirms that the parking wardens are legally parked, saying he has discussed this issue with the parking officers and transportation staff today.
'The grass area in front of the residents' properties in the photo is Council-owned. People are allowed to park on berms unless it is specifically prohibited in the Traffic and Parking Bylaw and there is signage on the berm, which in the case of the photo there is not.
'Bollards are sometimes installed on particular berms/verges to discourage parking. This generally only happens when parking on the berm becomes a problem or is dangerous for road users.
Peter says he has asked the officers not to park behind the bollards again because, although it is not illegal, it is preferable that people do not park behind bollards.
'I'm sorry that it has occurred in this instance and we have taken steps with our staff to ensure it doesn't happen again.
'As any Mount visitor knows parking can be a problem over the very busy summer months, and it is no different for our parking officers. We have now found an alternative parking arrangement for the parking enforcement vehicles.”
Have you been ticketed for parking on a grass berm in a similar area? If so contact SunLive or email newsroom@thesun.co.nz
21 comments
What if someone gets you towed?
Posted on 31-01-2012 17:02 | By dgk
I'll show this to one of my neighbours who keeps threatening to get my car towed when I park on the grass verge outside their place.
.
Posted on 31-01-2012 17:07 | By charob
so all grass verges are council owned. woooooooooooope i dont have to mow the big pice of grass out the front. i own a corner section. they can mow it for me.......
Some refunds due
Posted on 31-01-2012 17:24 | By Demandthetruth
I was one of many victims of TCC parking wardens on the grass verge opposite the Hospital lower parking area. Thre was an event on at the Historical Village and many of us parked on the verge by the trees & drain. We all got ticketed! THIS was totally unwarranted and unreasonable - guess what we did not get off
Problem Solved
Posted on 31-01-2012 17:29 | By Jack the Lad
We can save the ratepayers thousands, by not having to build more car parks, the answer is there for all to see, plant more grass,
A Huge Kettle
Posted on 31-01-2012 17:50 | By R1Squid
Of fish has been opened. I hope that we all shall be able to abide by the smell!
council foot in mouth
Posted on 31-01-2012 19:00 | By Darth_Vader
If the council advise that it is not illegal to park on the grass berm as long as no signage is present advising parking not permitted ... then I guess the council may be busy next moth in court when all those that have been ticketed for legally parking on the grass berm take the council to court to get their fines reversed and refunded the money's they have paid in fines to the council
What a...
Posted on 31-01-2012 20:29 | By festino lente
Ridiculous. This is a massive double standard. Do we really want every mount verge with cars on it every time the mount gets busy. Why on earth be so arrogant about it. Just cop the flak, apolgise, and move on. Advising all that verges are open slather, is simply out of control
Hindsight is a wonderful thing
Posted on 31-01-2012 20:50 | By MikkiT
You didn't think that one through did you TCC? Some scrambling to put something in the Bylaws now is there??
Posted on 01-02-2012 09:51 | By charob
so every grass verge will have cars parked on it especially at the mount. So what does this mean. angry residense, what about parking on grass verge and part of the foot path. Have that problem in greerton along cameron road. saw an elderly lady trying to get past a car parked like this the other day on her mobile wheel chair and had to go on the grass to get past..There was plenty of parking in the business car park that they parked outside. Perhapes the entrance was to difficult. hahahha common drivers of these cars use your common sense. foot paths for walking and wheel chairs NOT to park on.
Pathetic
Posted on 01-02-2012 10:02 | By wonkidonki
This is just rubbish, TCC once again you have tarnished your reputation. Instead of just admitting you made a mistake you always lie to your rate payers !! DISGUSTING.
Council correct on this
Posted on 01-02-2012 11:06 | By Gee Really
I'm no apologist for Council and believe they should be accountable when they are wrong. But a bit of balance is required here. In Tauranga it seems you are allowed to park on grass verges, unless signposted. Not sure who put the bollards in that are shown on the photo. Of course you aren't permitted to park on footpaths. Some people who post here should engage their brains a little before they fire off. Some look libellous to me. Sure it seems a silly place to park and it seems silly to need 2 cars, but if it's not illegal what's the real gripe? Just council bashing for the sake of it, which means there's less impact when it's a justifiable complaint?
The Flood Gates are Open
Posted on 01-02-2012 11:11 | By The Sage
The Council have really opened this up for the public to park where they shouldn't. Can't have one rule for them and another for everyone else. Just fall on your sword I say.
TCC owns grass berms, so WHY should I contiue to mow and repair them ??
Posted on 01-02-2012 13:40 | By xenasdad
I mow the uphill sloping grass berm in front of our house and keep it neat. Yobbos visiting nearby house park on it even when soft, and leave bare earth wheel spin gouges metres long as they drive back to the road at the next driveway. For years I have filled in the ruts and resown the grass at my own expense, sometimes only months apart. Thank you TCC group manager of customer services and environmental monitoring Peter Frawley for giving TCC public blessing to these vandals. Can I now ask TCC to come and mow and repair THEIR constantly damaged berm. I also seem to remember a couple of years ago when a whole new raft of traffic regulations came in (one November I think), that one of them provided a fine of $43 for parking on a grassed surface!!!!! I clearly remember pointing this out to occupants of the house the yobbos were visiting.
charob answer
Posted on 01-02-2012 14:36 | By patricia1955
Hey beware the council will only mow it if you dont when its a foot high and considered a fire hazard!!! We mowed council verge for 30 years. The corner verge was bigger than our own lawn. They did come to the party eventually...30 years later and mowed it when they did the park over the road. Know many a person who has had a ticket for parking on a grassed verge too. Council might have a few court appearances this year.
How To Fix TCC
Posted on 01-02-2012 16:03 | By Jitter
If TCC cars are found in future parking anywhere on the grass burm where it is "supposedly" legal then there is a solution. Park two cars legally one in front and one behind the TCC car/s so close that it/they cannot move forwards or backwards. Childish I know but aren't TCC staff being childish also ? If people have been ticketed in the past for parking legally on a grass burm then TCC parking staff have also been childish, over zealous and officious. Sounds like another easy revenue collecting excercise to me. You could always let all their tyres down !!! Ooops, then you would get a ticket.
JC
Posted on 01-02-2012 20:23 | By jeancraven@kinect.co.nz
What a can of worms - sort the bylaw out once and for all otherwise parking on the grass will be a free for all and there will be some pretty scruffy looking frontages.
The TCC Owes me $65
Posted on 01-02-2012 22:29 | By jaznz
While working at Tauranga Hospital I used to park on the grass berm behind the yellow line in Clarke Street. I worked in the old ATR ward. So if the Parking wardens were parking legally then so was I. I want my $65 back please.
Get of the grass
Posted on 02-02-2012 06:29 | By Jack the Lad
G Really, it is the hypocrisy in question here, you cannot have double standards, and I agree with a previous writer, T.C.C apologise and take the punishment, what is good for the goose
razzy
Posted on 02-02-2012 11:51 | By razzy
I was told 8 years ago by the Council that it was legal to park on the grass verge. Immediately after purchasing my property , yellow lines were put along the road, consequently visitors had nowhere to park. Grass verge was the answer.
TCC Double standards for parking wombles
Posted on 02-02-2012 17:35 | By crazysteed
Im sorry but i think TCC are going to have to fine the Parking wombles in that photo im not going to let this rest, and I dont think anyone will want double standards it don't work and should be one rule for everyone, its bad enough trying to park in downtown Tauranga let alone at the beach and see parking wombles, i have spoken to a number of people who dont go to downtown Tauranga because of the parking wombles
Why are so many people so thick
Posted on 03-02-2012 22:49 | By 71local
Were have you people been living? Of course you can park on grass verges. I have being doing it for years and have never received a ticket. The reason for this is I park on the GRASS verge, not a footpath, not even part of my wheel on the footpath. I also avoid doing it around the hospital were there are a whole lot of signs prohibiting it, such as around the hospital. I can also not believe that people thought they own the grass verge outside their house. If that,s the case why is do you have a fence between the garden and the verge? And no you do not have to mow it, who said you did? (abridged)
Leave a Comment
You must be logged in to make a comment.