Mornington Peninsula Shire has conceded its approach to Mornington Peninsula parking fines is not working, following mounting complaints from residents fined around school pick-up areas and on narrow residential streets.
Shire CEO Mark Stoermer acknowledged the problem in a statement published on 9 September, saying the current approach was producing outcomes the Shire could no longer defend as reasonable in every circumstance.
“Our current one-size-fits-all approach is not working. We need to own that and fix it.”
The admission follows complaints from residents, including in Tyabb, where motorists have been fined for parking partly on nature strips in streets where parking entirely on the road can significantly restrict vehicle access.
Similar concerns have been raised in Rye and Rosebud.
Shire Accepts Current Approach Is Falling Short
Parking officers and contractors are enforcing Victorian road rules, which generally prohibit motorists from parking on nature strips unless specifically permitted.
But Stoermer acknowledged that simply applying the rules the same way in every location was producing outcomes that were not always fair or practical.
The Shire specifically pointed to narrow residential streets and congested school pick-up areas as situations where local conditions can make parking difficult.
The issue has placed the Shire in the position of enforcing rules it now accepts are not always producing sensible outcomes.
Review Underway, But Enforcement Rules Remain
Despite that acknowledgement, the Shire has not announced a specific change to its parking enforcement policy.
Existing parking rules remain in place while the Shire reviews how they should be applied in areas where street design and local conditions create ongoing problems.
Residents who believe they have been unfairly fined have been told to apply for an internal review.
That means motorists can still receive an infringement under the current approach and then be required to challenge it after the fact.
The Shire has not publicly detailed how many fines linked to these circumstances have been issued, how many have been withdrawn following review, or whether parking contractors have been given revised enforcement instructions.
The latest statement represents a notable shift in tone from the Shire’s earlier position.
In August, the Shire said parking on nature strips in built-up areas was an offence under Victorian road rules and that officers were required to enforce those rules, while directing broader concerns about narrow streets through its traffic and transport processes.
Now, the Shire has openly acknowledged the current approach is not working.
The unanswered question is what it will actually change, and what happens to residents who have already been fined under a system the Shire itself now says needs fixing.
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