RANGERS have dished out 75 warnings to residents of a suburban street in Valentine for parking on their own driveways, the street and the verge.
Three months ago residents in Whitebridge faced a similar "absurd" blitz - but Lake Macquarie City Council (LMCC) maintains it isn't cracking down on suburban parking, merely following up on complaints.
For Andrew Road resident Mel Dolph, parking off-street in Valentine is limited due to the steep driveway on her property.
"We're frustrated, because when a resident spoke to the ranger he told them to park within the boundary, but with our property we have a steep hill going down to the carport and we can't drive down there," she said.
"He [her partner] drove his ute down and got stuck. I can't park on the side of the road because that's illegal.
"If we want to park legally on our street we'd have to go to a side street and park there."
In 2016, the council changed the broken centre line on Andrew Road between Roma Road and Berringar Road to unbroken.
It means drivers must leave three metres of clear road between their vehicle and the centre line - effectively making parking on the street illegal.
A council spokesman said concerns about safety on the road have been going on for some time.
"The recent letters and the subsequent foot patrol were prompted by complaints made to council regarding sight lines, pedestrian access and overall safety on Andrew Road," he said.
"One of the key roles of LMCC rangers is to patrol and enforce parking throughout the city, and they are regularly undertaking this responsibility.
"There is no designated "crackdown" on suburban parking, however, our rangers will often visit a particular area or street if we receive ongoing complaints about that area."
He said the council has contacted Andrew Road residents multiple times over the years to improve awareness of 'appropriate parking behaviour'.
The council sent letters to Andrew Road residents on March 2 outlining the road rules and community concerns.
Three weeks later, rangers slapped locals with 75 warnings on March 25. If residents continue to park on the street or nature strip, they face a hefty $283 fine.
Kellie Jeffery bought her house in 2014, and said she didn't receive any communication from the council about why the centre line was changed in 2016.
"We've never seen an accident, we've never had a head-on or cars hit or anything like that," she said.
"I'm open to it if they're willing to tell us that's why it's happened, but we haven't had any communication.
"There's over 100 houses that don't have a side street if they have a secondary vehicle they need to park."
A petition regarding the situation had 113 signatures on Wednesday, and residents have put forward a number of solutions to the council to work around the issue.
They've suggested making the road one-way to free up street parking, reducing the speed limit or widening the road.
Ms Jeffery said most people use common sense and stagger their cars on the street.
"We're willing for council to tell us which options will and won't work," she said.
"We just want council to talk to us, that's the main thing, just tell us what we can and can't do and come up with a solution to work with residents in the area."
A council spokesman said it is undertaking road safety investigations on Andrew Road to determine what changes could be made.
"We will continue to engage with the community as investigations progress, with opportunities for residents to provide feedback on any options we identify," he said.
"It is acknowledged that on-street parking on Andrew Road is limited, and our investigations will focus on safe options to increase parking availability."
He said rangers may issue fines if drivers continue to park illegally and don't take heed of prior education and warnings.
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