NO-ONE in Mosman, NSW or Australia owned their own driveway, Pedestrian Council of Australia chairman Harold Scruby said this week.

He was commenting on an article, Parking Law Ire, in the Mosman Daily last week, which he said perhaps provided some misleading information about the Australian road rules.

"The rules took six state governments and two territory governments nearly 10 years to agree upon," Mr Scruby said.

"The rule prohibiting motorists from parking or stopping vehicles on driveways was agreed to unanimously and is now a national law.

It was always a law in NSW," he said. "It is, in our view, based on logic and fairness.

"Residents should stop referring to these areas as their driveways. They are not. They are simply access and egress areas to permit motorists to drive their vehicles across footpaths and nature strips in order to enter private and public property.

"The laws were proclaimed because of the utter confusion which can surround the enforcement of these areas," Mr Scruby said.

"For instance, should residents of a block of home units each have the same rights as other property owners? Should they be permitted to park in these areas? Of course not. How can a ranger or parking police officer enforce such a law? How does he or she know who owns the vehicle blocking access to these properties?

"If people wish to park in these areas, they must approach the council and have them signposted.

"However, that will give all motorists the right to park there as well," Mr Scruby said.

He said driveways were public land. They "form part of the footpath and nature strip and we will continue to advocate that it remains for the purpose it was originally intended - the pedestrian."

Driveways are public not private property - Scruby

MOSMAN DAILY

Thursday 3 May 2001