If you`re planning to build, buy, or rent a house with the garage near the road, think about your likely parking habits and whether you`ll bother to put your car in the garage every day. It is prohibited to drive or park on a natural strip in built-up areas, unless you are entering or exiting a driveway, parking lot or gas station where the natural strip is normally paved for this purpose. Other exceptions include driving a riding mower to mow grass on the natural strip, driving a motorized wheelchair, or a mail carrier. Our traffic rules will tell you what is allowed and what you can amend. For example, if Australia Day falls on a Sunday and Monday is declared a replacement day, parking in the city of Melbourne is unlimited and free on Sundays and Mondays (where signs indicate weekdays). This is because the requirements for parking on a statutory holiday are generally different from the day of the week on which the specific restriction should apply. With many of us squatting at home and more and more parked cars cluttering residential streets, it can be tempting to take a sneaky parking spot on the natural strip or perhaps across our own driveway. But that would mean risking a fine. Regardless of the type of sign – a green sign, a red sign, a disabled parking sign, a loading area sign, a Clearway sign, a non-stop sign, etc. – as long as it has a day of the week, time restrictions and fee requirements do not apply. Regular street parking rules apply, so if there are no parking restrictions and you are not parking the vehicle illegally, you can park a caravan, motorhome or boat/trailer on the street, just like parking a car. If the sign does not indicate a day of the week, it is because the parking restriction is necessary every day of the week, whether it is a weekday, a weekend or a holiday.
Carl Cowie, CEO of Nillumbik, told the newspaper that it is « accepted practice for residents to maintain the strip of nature adjacent to their property as an extension of their garden. » Contradictorily, he also said residents are not allowed to remove or prune native vegetation, non-native vegetation or trees on natural strips or country roads without council permission, and if a resident wants to plant on the natural strip, they need written permission from council. « The resident must submit an application that includes a map of the area and a list of plant species for planting, » he said. Proposed species must come from the Live Local Plant Local publication. Cowie says the council is responsible for maintaining trees on community lands. « Residents are allowed to remove plants on Live Local Plant Local`s weed list, » Cowie said. In Manningham, roadsides are community-owned land, which can be traditional-style natural strips, road reserves, or tree reserves. Angelo Kourambas, director of urban and community planning in Manningham, said the newspaper`s board is responsible for managing trees on community land, but unlike Nillumbik, that involves removing ivy and other weed species from natural strips. « We encourage residents to inform us about trees on their natural strips that may need special attention so we can inspect the tree by a qualified arborist and plan the work, » Kourambas said.
He said that while residents are not allowed to grow their own crops on community land, residents who want an additional tree or planting on their natural strip must contact council to apply. « We will then look at options for the specific area. » There are also different rules that apply depending on whether you are on a municipal road or a main road managed by VicRoads, with slightly different rules for removing vegetation depending on the speed limit of adjacent roads, which can be found on www.vicroads.vic.gov.au Nillumbik`s website explains how roadsides adjacent to municipal roads fall into two categories, Low or high conservation importance Importance of nature conservation. If you do not drop off or pick up passengers or stop at a special parking area, you should not park on or over an aisle. According to VicRoads, a strip of nature, sometimes referred to as a roadside, is defined as « the area between a road and adjacent land and includes, but is not limited to, grass, cement or gravel, dirt and walkways – it does not include the sidewalk, the emergency lane of a road or bike path, a walking trail or a shared path ». Given the semi-rural environment of Warrandyte and North Warrandyte, natural strips are a grey area for many people – we often don`t have the standard walking trails and grass strips you see in urban areas of communities. What does this mean for homeowners and occupants? Unlike no-parking areas, these sections prohibit stopping, even if you drop someone off or pick them up. You also cannot stop on stretches of road marked with a continuous yellow border. Rule: If you do not drop off or pick up passengers, you cannot legally park on or above an aisle, even alone. While many people believe that their driveway extends from their garage or carport to the roadway, you are only allowed to park on the driveway of your property, even if there is no public trail that you can block.
COUNCIL ZONES have many different rules and statuses that residents must respect in their daily lives. Sometimes very different in each of our two communities. In this new series, the newspaper tries to clarify what can and cannot be done under these local laws. This month, we`re exploring the what and why around natural bands. If you park on the side of the road (including on the emergency lane), you must point your vehicle in the same direction as traffic on the lane/line next to your vehicle`s location. While it may be convenient for you to park in your driveway and on part or all of the trail, you should consider all trail users. In particular, children, the elderly, the visually impaired and pedestrians with reduced mobility may have difficulty finding their way around your car, as well as wheelchair users and parents with strollers.