North Shore woman wins battle against Auckland Council after fined for parking in illegally drawn parking lines

A North Shore woman was fined by Auckland Council after she parked in front of a driveway. But she did not realise because of illegally painted park lines that misled her. Photo / Supplied

A North Shore woman has won her battle to get a parking fine waived after she was ticketed despite parking between painted lines.

But it was only after involving her local councillor, Chris Darby, that the council agreed to amend the error, she said.

The woman, who the Herald has agreed not to name, parked on the same street in Devonport she had for years after picking her children up from school.

"The council were at the time marking all the roads in Devonport with new lines and I assumed the new parking lines marked new bays in the street.

She parked and returned to her home, only to discover two hours later that her car had been towed.

Because she had parked within the marked bay she had not noticed that she had parked blocking a garage, which was the reason for the fine.

"I was just looking at the lines when I park it wasn't until I came back I had seen I was parked in front of the garage."

She wrote immediately to the council to appeal the decision and also complained that legally she parked as guided.

The Devonport woman later discovered the lines had been illegally put on the road by a resident to mark her own driveway.

About seven days after her fine and getting in contact with the council, Auckland Transport painted over it.

The illegally painted lines were removed by Auckland Transport the day after they were notified and the woman's infringement was subsequently waived. Photo / Supplied

The woman wrote to Darby to ask him to intervene, on the basis that the decision was flawed.

Auckland Transport media adviser James Ireland confirmed the driver had been ticketed for parking across a driveway, but as the lines were illegally painted on the road and confused drivers AT decided to waive the fee.

"These lines were not painted on the road by Auckland Transport, they were illegally painted by a member of the public."

The lines were removed the day after it was reported to AT and the woman was the only person to receive an infringement because of it.

Darby has been in contact with Auckland Transport as the woman was one of his constituents, Ireland said.