By Mikayla van Loon

Residents of Cave Hill Road in Lilydale were issued parking fines last month for parking on their nature strips to avoid damage to their vehicles from frequent passing trucks.

Due to construction work on the level crossing at the intersection of Cave Hill Road and Melba Avenue, trucks and large vehicles are using the residential street as an access point.

According to one of the residents, Kerryn, she and her son were given a fine, as were others on the street, for parking with all four wheels or just two wheels on the nature strip, by the Yarra Ranges Council.

“We then parked on the road with all four wheels well on the road and the next day Metro knocked on our door asking if we wanted to move our car,” she said.

“We thought, ‘No, because this is where the council wants us to park, because they gave us a fine,’ and then they said, ‘Oh, we can’t come here with our big trucks.’”

The following week, Kerryn says, a truck drove past and grazed her vehicle, the incident being captured on security cameras.

“A truck drove by and hit my car. There was a huge hole in my tire, the whole side of the car was destroyed.

“Metro is fantastic. They came to change my tire, knocked on my door and told me it happened. They contacted me. I haven’t heard anything from the council since.”

A Yarra Ranges Council spokesperson confirmed that the Risk and Offences, Community Safety, Traffic and Customer Services departments were aware of the incident and of the investigation Kerryn subsequently launched to have the fine quashed.

The council also indicated that residents have the right to appeal against fines.

A spokesperson for the Level Crossing Removal Project (LXRP) said residents were notified at each point before any impact to the road or parking could occur and were “advised of alternative parking options on nearby streets for residents who do not have their own parking”.

“Yarra Ranges Council has informed LXRP that it does not support residents parking on the nature strip due to potential damage to heritage trees on Cave Hill Road,” the spokesperson said.

The council spokesperson added that residents were unable to apply for a parking permit as “(the) council does not currently issue permits”.

According to Kerryn, it wasn’t so much the fine, but rather the lack of communication from the council that she was most angry about.

“We’ve been living here for 14 years and paying taxes. The last time we got a fine was when all the cars were sent down our street and they were pulling into the train station. They gave us a fine then and they haven’t given us another fine since,” she said.

“It’s not just about the fine anymore. It’s about the principle. The principle of doing what they did. It’s the principle of not contacting me like they should have in the first place.

“We’ve been putting up with so much noise, especially lately, they’re working on the drain behind the house. It’s so loud and it goes on until 3am.

“We didn’t complain. We understand what’s happening. And the principle is not just to erase my ticket, it’s that they shouldn’t have happened in the first place. My car shouldn’t have been hit.”

Kerryn and his fellow residents of Cave Hill Road agree that they should not have to pay the fines.