How to read confusing parking signs in Sydney to avoid fines, lawyer explains

An Australian lawyer has shared a baffling traffic sign online, revealing how to read the confusing instructions and avoid a hefty parking fine.

Every year, NSW residents pay $190 million in parking fines, with experts determining 1 in 4 are down to confusion.

Sydney solicitor Jahan Kalantar spotted this particularly confusing parking sign during a walk in the city on Tuesday, describing it as “deliberately hard to understand”.

This particular sign not only had two different rules for varying times of the day, but also an additional “special event” notice on it, applying a third rule for New Year’s Eve.

“In Sydney we’re used to seeing the most bananas signs ever,” Mr Kalantar said in a TikTok video.

“The reason these are set up this way in my opinion is revenue raising.

“They’re hard to understand, they’re confusing and they make people second guess themselves.”

Thankfully, Mr Kalantar had a few tips to help people decipher mind-boggling traffic signs and avoid being slapped with a fee.

“The way to think about traffic signs is to look at when you’re not allowed to park and work backwards,” he said.

Using the confusing sign as an example, the lawyer explained you should take note of the “special event clearway” first which states it applies from 8am December 31 to 2am January 1.

“This means that on New Year’s Eve, you cannot park here under any circumstances, regardless of whether or not you have a permit.”

The sign also indicated that anyone who broke that rule during that time frame would be towed.

He then focused on the red “works zone” section of the sign which sets out times you cannot park there.

“Finally you have the 2P here. That means you’re allowed to park there between 8am to 8pm once a day.

“Now if you have a special permit that’s ‘rush one’ [written on the green section of the sign] you’re allowed to park there longer than that.

“But if you have a permit and can you park there when it’s a work zone? No you can’t.”

However it’s worth noting on this sign, that the works zone and the permit zone don’t overlap, with the arrows pointing in different directions from the pole it is positioned on.

His video was met with a huge response from followers, many joking they’d find another park if they stumbled across this sign.

Software developer UbiPark released research in February that estimated roughly one in four of the $190 million in NSW parking fines issued were the result of confusion.

It discovered the majority of the confusing parking signs were in Sydney’s CBD and the inner city, which takes in suburbs such as Surry Hills and Darlinghurst.

Other areas where confusion reigns include the Eastern Suburbs, North Sydney, the Inner West, Western Suburbs and Northern Beaches.

More Coverage

Sydney’s confusing parking signs were highlighted several years ago when a resident shared a photo of an inner-west parking sign that looked like four different signs all in one.

In this instance there were different parking conditions for school drop off times, weekends, Saturdays and Sundays. Several conditions changed throughout each day.

Continue the conversation @RebekahScanlan | rebekah.scanlan@news.com.au

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