An Australian man recently got a $110 ticket for stopping at a yellow curb for 3 seconds. He was letting some family members out of the car outside of a local shopping mall. Now he’s shocked and appalled. According to the article:
Greg Bahr said he didn’t see a council officer, but received a $110 fine in the mail.
“There’s two lanes there and an island,” Mr Bahr said.
“Where I stopped there’s no way you’re creating a hazard and everybody was doing it.
“I was there for three seconds, put my blinkers on, and they hopped out – a $110 fine for stopping for three seconds.
People are always shocked when enforcement officials don’t agree with their idea of “not hurting anyone.” But breaking the law is breaking the law.
I’m not saying I agree with the policy of ticketing people who need a place to unload passengers and can’t find one – the mall should consider that accommodating these shoppers instead of punishing them will bring in a lot more money. But I also don’t agree with people who break the law and act like a victim when the fine rolls in.
In this case, the law won and the shopper lost. The mall might lose, too, if it’s patrons decide it’s too much trouble to get inside. The win-win is a legal loading zone.
