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Another story of boat trailer parking has surfaced in one of Australia’s wealthiest suburbs just days after the issue split wealthy locals.
Debate raged in the exclusive suburb of Mosman on Sydney’s lower north coast after a woman carried out a scathing attack on a community Facebook page asking the owner of a six-metre boat parked outside her harborside mansion. to remove it.
Laureen Ong’s post sparked a chain reaction of anger among locals with hundreds of commentators split over who was right – while others joked about the uproar.
The saga escalated when the boat owner, Palle Lunoe, hit back, noting that his boat was legally parked, declaring that concerned locals had “a little too much free time.”
The furore has prompted local Mosman Harold Scruby to renew calls for tougher laws as he shared photos of a separate boat and trailer he says had been parked on and off in his street for over 10 years.
The chairman of the Pedestrian Council of Australia admitted to Daily Mail Australia that he has never expressed any concern because it doesn’t affect him unless he has visitors and he know that it is not illegal for the owner to leave his boat and trailer there.
Photos have surfaced of another parked boat and trailer in Mosman
Harold Scruby (pictured) has never complained about the boat and trailer on his street as the owner is within their rights
But Mr Scruby has again called on the NSW government to tighten up the laws and impose severe penalties on owners who leave them permanently on the street.
He described the issue as the “new epidemic.”
He says the boat and trailer take up three parking spaces on his street.
“It’s been there for about a decade or more and it’s rarely moved,” Scruby said.
“I never complained, because the owner is within his rights to leave it there.
“I have on-street parking, so it won’t bother me unless I have visitors who have to park on the street.”
Mr Scruby said it was not just a problem on the lower north coast, but in other parts of Sydney, including the northern beaches and in the inner west.
Three years ago, after a six-month trial, Northern Beaches Council permanently introduced ‘No Parking – Motor Vehicles Excluded’ signs in 11 locations prohibiting the parking of boats and trailers.
Mosman locals erupted last weekend after a commercial pilot parked his 6-foot boat in the street in front of a house on the harbor (above). The boat has since been removed
‘Parking of trailers on residential streets in NSW towns has gotten out of hand. It’s the new epidemic,” Mr. Scruby said.
“From a pedestrian safety perspective, because they occupy an excessive amount of parking space for motor vehicles, it encourages motorists to stop and/or park illegally.”
Seven years ago, then Local Government Minister and now Deputy Prime Minister Paul Toole introduced laws allowing councils to seize boat trailers if they are parked on NSW streets for more than 28 days.
But the laws are rarely used by municipalities because they are too difficult to enforce.
Meanwhile, Mr. Lunoe has removed his boat, which has been at the center of the neighborhood’s recent furor.
He had originally asked Mrs Ong’s husband if he was blocking their driveway and when her husband said no, he left the boat and drove off.
Commercial pilot Palle Lunoe (above) parked his boat for five days in front of a house that did not belong to him in the affluent neighborhood
Parking boats and trailers is not just a problem in Mosman. Pictured are bpand trailers on Sydney’s northern beaches earlier this year
But as the days wore on, Ms. Ong’s frustration grew over the ship blocking her view of traffic as she backed out of her driveway, and then because it apparently hindered construction work on her property.
‘Please move your boat! If you own or know the owner, I request that they be removed immediately,” she wrote on a community page.
‘We are having construction work done on my house. It has made two huge deliveries so far with a crane that is difficult to unload.’
The post sparked outrage — with several residents berating the owner for dropping the boat in the suburb.
The situation escalated hours later when the boat owner hit back to find that his boat was legally parked, declaring concerned locals “had a little too much free time.”
Registered boat trailers can legally be parked on a residential street for up to 28 days, but the issue remains controversial among Mosman locals.
Earlier this month, the Mosman Council decided to impose four-hour limits on nine parking spots in Mosman Bay to address boat trailer parking in the area.
ATO data recently released by Canstar listed Mosman as the sixth wealthiest suburb in the country.
Australia’s Pedestrian Council chairman Harold Scruby is calling for stricter boat trailer laws. Pictured is a boat and trailer parked in Narrabeen on Sydney’s Northern Beaches