Rule 197 Parking on the nature strip
The Mount Barker District Council has a legal obligation to enforce the Australian Road Rules (Section 197), which includes the regulation of vehicles stopped and parked on a nature strips (commonly known as the verge).
In addition to the legal obligation, Council also undertakes this regulation for the following important reasons;
- To prevent damage to community assets
- To facilitate safe visibility and efficient movement of pedestrians and vehicles
- To assist clear access for emergency vehicles/personnel to key infrastructure such as water, sewage, gas, telecommunications and drainage pipes
- To promote unrestricted access for wheelchair, scooter and pram users
- To enable free movement of vehicles in and out of their properties
- To enable the healthy growth of trees to provide shade for path and road users and for a cooler community
- In response to community concerns and on complaint regarding the unsafe parking practices of motorists.
Whilst motorists may sometimes park their vehicle on the nature strip because they assess this space to be safer than parking on the road, parking fully or partially on a nature strip or a footpath, regardless of the intention, is illegal under the Australian Road Rules.