Melbourne driver given hefty fine for little-known parking offence

’Get them to define what is practicable then ask them to prove with a measuring tape next to your car it is beyond that’

A driver in Melbourne has been slapped with a A$110 ($75) fine for not parking close enough to the kerb, triggering outrage on social media.

The driver posted photographs of his car and the penalty imposed on him in a Reddit post on the handle u/FwamingDragon91.

“Never seen this infringement before. Seems a bit harsh when looking at how others park on this street,” the post read.

“I can accept I could move over further but space has never been a particular issue on our road. I would have appreciated a warning or something.”

The post showed a blue sedan parked barely 20cm from the side of the road.

Other vehicles were also seen parked in the same way.

The photo showed that while the car was parked slightly crooked, it did not appear to obstruct the safe passage of passing vehicles.

Social media users said the hefty fine was largely unjustified.

“Get them to define what is practicable then ask them to prove with a measuring tape next to your car it is beyond that,” wrote one user.

“Challenge that. The admin time and expense it would take them, they’ll most likely write it off,” another user wrote.

“This great example of how vague legislation leads to problems,” another comment said.

Parallel parking without a dividing line or strip stipulates the driver must simply position their vehicle so there is at least 3m of road clear for others to pass, according to driving rules in Victoria, reported news.com.au.

The same rule applies to Queensland, Western Australia, Tasmania and South Australia.

In New South Wales and the Northern Territory, drivers must simply park as close as possible to the kerb and in the same direction as the traffic unless the road is one-way.