How a scooter rider’s parking choice at Port Macquarie has divided a beach town during the busy summer holidays

A scooter rider’s decision to park in a beach car park has divided a seaside town after she was told it was illegal to park on the grass.

A short, handwritten note was left on Diane Lawrence’s Honda Dio during an early morning visit to Shelly Beach, in Port Macquarie on the New South Wales north coast.

“A note was left on my scooter at Shelly Beach between 6.20am and 6.50am this morning asking me not to use a car park,” she told a private Facebook group on New Year’s Eve.

‘I have always used common sense and parked my bike on the grass until a citizen wrote a letter to the municipality complaining that it was parked there.

‘The ranger said that we are not allowed to park on the grass, but only in the parking spaces.’

The motorcycle owner said she preferred to park on the grass and not take up a car space as her two-wheeled Honda was only 1.8 meters long – or less than half the length of even a small Toyota Corolla hatchback.

Regional beaches north of Sydney are busy during the summer holidays.

Parking lots that are normally half empty on weekends are regularly full to overcrowded on weekdays in December and January.

“If you are the author of this note, please kindly contact the council,” she said.

‘I am at Shelly Beach every morning and am happy to talk about the experience if you would like, rather than leaving a note, although I should note that I do pay for my registration to be on the road just like a vehicle and I have tried to be courteous and consider parking spaces. Thank you very much for your time.’

Ms Lawrence received strong support from a woman who noted that legal problems would arise if she parked on the grass.

“You’re right, it is a legal requirement to park in a parking lot,” she said.

‘If someone trips on your bike, you can be held liable.’

Another woman noted that she paid for registration and is therefore “permitted to park in a car spot,” while another supporter was furious with the author of that note.

“You pay registration and are licensed,” she said. “You’ve earned the right to use that parking lot. Whoever wrote the note gets to suck eggs.”

Another woman complained that a scooter rider got complaints, which she did.

“OMG, you can’t win, can you,” she said.

A fellow Facebook group member commented that she had to park in the parking lot to avoid a fine.

“Park where you legally can, in a parking lot,” she said.

‘Why would you risk a fine if you park illegally?’

She also had a message about the negativity of the complainant’s note.

“To the writer of the note: Why upset someone who has done nothing wrong? Maybe you should calm down and not cause grief where it isn’t necessary,” she said.

“I’m sorry that you clearly see the negative and only care about yourself.

‘I hope you too have a wonderful day and think about how you can encourage caring and kindness instead of selfishness and negativity.’

One man suggested that car owners were the ones who were entitled rather than those who rode motorcycles.

“You said it all kindly – ​​the note unfortunately shows the ignorance some motorists have when it comes to motorcycles,” he said.

A fellow motorcyclist noted that as a motorist he was often outraged when he saw something with two wheels taking up an entire car space.

“I ride my bike and try to never take up a car spot if I can,” he said.

‘I hate it when I go to park my car that is five meters long and almost two meters wide, when I see a bicycle taking up all that space, it is annoying.

“You’re damned if you do, and damned if you don’t.”

Another man who sided with the scooter owner described the note’s author as a Karen, a derogatory term for an entitled woman.

“Karen lives in Port these days,” he said.

Port Macquarie Hastings Council has dedicated parking for motorcycles in the city center but not on popular beaches, but the website is vague about where small scooters should park as there are no dedicated spaces.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted the council for comment.