Cherie Frankel told 9news.com.au she was trying to save money by housesitting at a property in Northbridge on the Lower North Shore last month.
Frankel had rented a car from the owner of the house and was parking it out the front on the street.
“There were no signs, nothing to say that it was a no parking area,” Frankel said.
It wasn’t until Frankel got a message from the homeowner that she realised she was doing anything wrong.
“She messaged me to say I’m really sorry but I’ve received three fines,” Frankel said.
Within the space of a week, Frankel had been fined three times for “parallel parking close to dividing line/strip” – with each fine worth $283.
Frankel said she did not receive the first two fines, which were paperless and delivered to the registered owner of the car, while the third she found on the windscreen of the vehicle.
NSW parking rules state drivers must not park a car “within three metres of any double dividing lines”.
This is to ensure parked cars do not block traffic, or force passing cars to cross the double lines in the centre of the road.
Frankel said she could see why the rule made sense, but it should have been made clear with a no parking sign.
“I had no idea this was a rule and everybody I have shown has had no idea,” Frankel said.
“As soon as I realised this was the rule, I stopped parking there.
“But, the second I stopped, other people began leaving their cars in the same spot.
“Everybody is getting tricked.”
Can you drive with your arm on your car window sill?
Frankel said she had lodged an appeal over the fines but was told none of them would be rescinded.
“To be fined $900 when I was trying to save money by housesitting – it was like a punch straight in the face,” she said.
Frankel said she was planning to fight the fine in court.
“It’s pretty crazy … I don’t think that this holds up,” she said.
Frankel said she hoped sharing her experience would help other drivers avoid a similar fate.