A MAN has been left to pick up one expensive dinner bill after he was fined $238 for driving on the tram line after reportedly leaving a Newcastle drive-thru.
CCTV footage obtained by the Newcastle Herald shows the driver turning onto the tram line and passing the light rail coming in the opposite direction as he continues to cruise along the tracks.
The driver follows a tram headed in the same direction before he tries to turn off and ends up precariously balanced on the edge of the line.
Keolis Downer Hunter operates the light rail, and a spokeswoman said it's scary to watch the footage and see what can happen when drivers don't follow the rules or pay attention behind the wheel.
"Not only is this behaviour dangerous, but also affects the operation of light rail and delays the customer journey," she said.
"This lack of awareness we continue to see by motorists is very concerning, and the ending in this scenario could have been very different.
"The message is simple; follow the road rules, obey traffic signals and pay attention."
Emergency services were called to Beresford Street in Newcastle West about 7pm on Monday after reports a vehicle was travelling on the light rail tracks.
Police officers arrived at the scene and found a vehicle balancing on a concrete block off the edge of the tram line with its wheels off the ground.
Fire and Rescue NSW crews and police worked together to rescue a man and two women from the vehicle.
Ambulance paramedics also attended but no one was injured.
"The vehicle was towed from the scene and light rail services were restored," a police spokesman told the Herald.
Police worked to piece together the strange incident, and on Tuesday fined the driver $238 and issued him with an infringement notice for driving in a tramway.
Online transport data showed trams were disrupted from about 7pm, but were back on schedule by 8pm on Monday.
Witnesses told the Herald it appeared the driver had left the Newcastle West Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) drive-thru then turned left onto the tram line from Steel Street instead of continuing on to the lights at Honeysuckle Drive.
