Ask an expert

What are we supposed to do if a fire hydrant is within the white boundaries of residence parking?

We have been parking our car in the same parking area for 4 years without any issues but have received three tickets from council when we were away for a month.

We had parked as far forward as possible to avoid parking on top of the fire hydrant as we normally do while still staying within the white lines of the parking bay. If we had gone further forward they would have said we are blocking someone else's driveway.

This fire hydrant is within the parking bay.

Are we at fault?

Sumi

From the "Ask Jack" archives - 29 September 2009

Listed below are the areas where you are not allowed to park. Note the second to last bullet point.

The fact you have parked in front of or close by the fire hydrant in the past is irrelevant. You could view it as revenue collecting from the council, poor policing of the rules in the past or trying to ensure community appliances like fire hydrants are readily and easily available if required.

Either way you must move the car or keep paying the fines. Or risk the car being towed away.

Where not to park or stop your vehicle:

- on the right-hand side of the road, except in a one-way street
- where it will be in the way of other people using the road (including pedestrians)
- near a corner, curve, hill, traffic island or intersection, if it will stop other people from seeing along the road
- on the road, if you can park the vehicle off the road without damaging grass or gardens
- on any footpath
- on a traffic island (whether it is flush or raised)
- on, or closer than 6 metres to, an intersection, unless there are parking spaces or a notice telling you that you can park there
- on, or closer than 6 metres to, the approach side of a pedestrian crossing
- on a marked bus stop or taxi stand
- closer than 6 metres to a bus stop marked only by a sign
- in front of, or closer than 1 metre to, a vehicle entrance
- alongside another parked vehicle - that is, you must not double-park
- on 'no stopping' lines (broken yellow lines) marked within 1 metre of the edge of the road, which you may see near pedestrian crossings, intersections, driveways or narrow roads
- where traffic signs say you must not stop or park
- where a sign says that part of the road is reserved for specified kinds of vehicles (for example, bus, taxi or goods service vehicles) - in many cases, this restriction is marked by a broken yellow line more than 1 metre from the kerb
- on, or closer than 50 centimetres to, a fire hydrant, unless somebody who can move the vehicle stays with it
- on a yellow circle on the road containing a rectangle or between the circle and the footpath, unless somebody who can move the vehicle stays with it.

Hi
Railway Ave in lower Hutt has broken yellow lines up and down but there are solid white lines approx 800mm out from gutter where the broken yellows are. Which law applies here? The broken yellow says i shouldn't be there but the solid white says i can. I resent the ticket I got as being inside the white nullified the broken yellow and entitled me to park there. This was the law last I had heard and as far as I am aware there have been no changes.

Nigel

One thing I had learned after a very untidy vehicle was legally parked outside our property from a parking warden, the vehicle had a current WOF and registration, a vehicle left standing for more than 7 days can be ticketed on a public road, the warden had chalked the date on the vehicles road side tyre, the vehicle was moved the next day.

The yellow line over-rides the white road/lane marking, not the other way around as you believed, so unfortunately if I've understood the situation correctly, I believe your ticket would stand.