Gosford woman ‘unfairly’ fined after briefly stopping in disabled parking spot
Surprising reason why this photo sparks outrage — and it’s not why you’d think, ‘I’m angry, very angry’
- Doria Coral, 70, is fined $608, one demerit
- She parked in a handicapped spot for “five seconds.”
- Claims she was in the vehicle the entire time
A woman claims she received an ‘unjustified’ fine for briefly stopping in a disabled parking space after moving to let another driver pass.
Doria Coral was fined $608 and the loss of one demerit point after two of her car’s wheels overlapped in a designated handicapped parking spot.
The 70-year-old insists she only briefly maneuvered into the area to allow another driver to leave his spot and drive past in the Gosford City Library car park before an inspector came by and began taking photos.
“They sent me the pictures. They were taken in five seconds,” she said A current situation.
Doria Coral, 70,’s car crashed into the disabled parking space in the Gosford City Library car park when she claimed an inspector started taking pictures of her vehicle (pictured)
“If he had been standing right in front of me to take the photos, he would have seen me sitting in my car, the engine running and me giving way to make room for an elderly couple to move in, so there was a bad intention.’
The Central Coast resident said she did not see the parking inspector take the photos of her car as she focused on getting out of the way of the other motorist.
“I’m angry, very angry,” Mrs. Coral said, “it’s so unfair.”
“Who knows how many others they play these games with?”
Ms Coral believes it was a difficult decision on behalf of the parking inspectors to penalize her for giving way so briefly to another motorist.
“(They) abuse the moment and the undeserved authority they can wield for unwarranted reasons,” she said.
The 70-year-old claims she was still in the car when the inspector took the photos, arguing that her hand is visible on the steering wheel in one of the images.
The 70-year-old was fined $608 and a one-point penalty after stopping in a handicapped parking space for “five seconds” to let another motorist pass (pictured, Ms. Coral’s fine)
A spokesman for the Central Coast Council disputed these claims.
“The municipality’s parking attendant confirmed, as shown by the attached photos, that there was no person in the car and that the car had stopped and parked illegally in a disabled parking space,” said a spokesman for the municipality.
“Since no one was in the car at the time, the municipality rejects the view that Coral simply reversed and stopped for only a few seconds.”
Ms Coral is awaiting a court date after her appeal was rejected by the council.