The debate about whether it’s acceptable to leave caravans and motorhomes parked on public streets – and if so, for how long – seems like it’s been going on since the beginning of time.
While the issue often leads to an irritated roll of the eyes, or possibly a cross word or two, it is – thankfully – very rare that it breaks out into violence.
But that’s exactly what’s just happened in a busy Sydney suburb.
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that, for the past 20 years, Bundock Street in Randwick has been used by people to park their caravans, trailers and boats for extended periods. There are no time limits on the street, which runs beside Defence land on one side.
It’s created a fair bit of tension and, on January 4, things boiled over.
A resident was rushed to hospital after asking a driver to not park their boat and trailer so close to his car. The SMH reports that the driver allegedly became enraged at the resident’s request, got out of his car and punched the resident, who fell back and hit his head on the footpath in front of his home, suffering serious head injuries.
The driver allegedly tried to flee but was detained by neighbours until emergency services arrived. A 61-year-old man was arrested and charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm and common assault.
Long-term Randwick resident Anthony Ryan said there had been an ‘increasingly antagonistic’ relationship between Bundock Street residents and others who felt entitled to park there because ‘they’ve always been able to’.
He told the SMH that he wants the council to introduce timed parking one day per week to reduce the number of caravans, trailers and boats left there on a semi-permanent basis.
However, Randwick City Council has repeatedly rejected that idea, saying the crash history on the street did not indicate a need for change. The council though did say it was reviewing the situation on Bundock Street.
Of course, the issue is not confined to one street, one suburb, or one state.
On Queensland’s Gold Coast there have been multiple complaints recently from residents who say they lose parking spaces to campervans and the like for weeks on end.
However, it seems most of these motorists are acting entirely within the law.
According to the ABC, many large vehicles, including campervans, caravans, buses and other trailers, can be parked in residential streets indefinitely in Queensland …. provided they are within certain height and length requirements.
Vehicles must be under 7.5 metres long and weigh less than 4.5 tonnes, and therefore not deemed a heavy vehicle.
The restriction rules out large motorhomes, caravans and trucks, but a number of smaller campervans, caravans and small buses still make the cut.
Gold Coast City Council’s Hermann Vorster told the ABC it means the council is often unable to act when they receive complaints from residents about campervans and other large vehicles blocking up residential streets.
“Gold Coast roads are no different to any roads in Queensland and under the Queensland road rules, so long as the vehicle is registered and not parked in a regulated zone with timed parking, it can remain there indefinitely,” he said.
Mr Vorster told the ABC that vehicles that exceeded the specified tonnage and metres did not belong in residential areas and owners would face fines if they were illegally parked.
“It would be hard to find anywhere to park indefinitely in most areas,” he said. “And you may find yourself at the pointy end of residents’ complaints and a council officer visiting.”
He said camping in vehicles and timed areas offer different restrictions and therefore the rules don’t mean tourists can sleep in the vehicles.
“The road rules are quite separate from our local laws, which deal with illegal camping, so if people have a sleeping bag and are asleep in the back of their vehicle it’s a pretty clear indicator that they’re camping and it’s not just simply parking going on,” he said. “So there are rules around camping, but if the vehicle’s stored up on a site — say with friends and family — then, yeah, that’s fine.
We have a van, we are lucky to have enough room in the garden for it. I do think when boats/campers/caravans are parked on the road they are a not good to look at, it’s a road and big vehicles parked on it are a danger. Quite often they are directly opposite or next to a driveway and can make reversing onto the road hazardous. A few councils have regulations regarding this issue.
Abandoned vehicle so book them
If legally registered they are not abandoned.
If they have current rego then they are allowed to park subject to the road being wide enough for 2 way traffic or not obstructing any driveways
The area where we live doesn’t have footpaths. People park their caravans on the nature strip forcing pedestrians to walk around them onto the road. Not a good idea for a young mother pushing a pram, holding hands with a toddler. Some of them park their caravans for months at a time on the road taking up half the roadway. A few are actually living in them while parked in the road.
The nature strip is actually Council Property and thus owned and belongs to that council. Thus you will be fined for parking there illegally. Residents do not own the nature strip out side of their homes… Don’t park there, this law applies Australia wide.
Sounds like they don’t live in the area & why would you leave you gear unattended surely if you can afford the van or boat plus the tow vehicle you can afford to leave it in a storage area. There is no place for violence sounds like the guy that thinks he can take up half your van park space also.
Buy a property large enough to store ALL your stuff on it. You are using public land for your purposes, and degrading the area. Roads are for driving on, difficult enough as it is, without being littered with peoples “stuff”.
I’m in WA, we don’t have the problem here!!
I live in Sydney seaside suburb and the streets are littered with all sorts of trailers.
Some residents park their trailer in front of their home for weeks without moving them. I am sure that many of the boats on trailers are owned by out of area residents who can’t be bothered to tow their toys closer to home. Lots of these trailers are dilapidated, filthy and a true eye sore.
Public roads should not be used to store privately owned gear on wheels!!
Anybody who owns a trailer, van, motor home, boat should store it on private land or public storage facilities as oferred by a nearby caravan park. Curbside parking in residential streets should be reserved for commuting vehicles only.
Motor home parked on my street right
Next door blocks my view of about 10 houses when driving, mainly reversing out of my driveway. Not cool, bound to have an accident.
We recently sold our house of 40 years, with a very large yard. We took a long time to purchase a smaller property, because we needed enough space to store a van. No way i would ever park on a street or footpath. Just common sense, streets are crowded enough without caravans etc making using the street difficult. Shame people do not care about anybody else. It’s all about ME.
Brian, Thankyou for your consideration..
Thank goodness we live in the country on acreage
It’s a simple fix. Councils are supposed to be there to add value and benefit residents. Provide boat, trailer and caravan storage on council or government owned land at no charge. Then put restrictions and heavy fines if people then persist to park on streets.
I agree, this would overcome the problem
All registered vehicles under a certain length can be parked in a residential street.
BUT they cannot be covered. As the number plates must be displayed and the reflectors front and rear can’t be covered for safety reasons at night.
Well if you can’t have the van/motorhome on the street for extended
period, then the registration fee should be adjusted on a pro-rata
basis. Not on the street – no money to pay.
but that’s no good – heads the gumbiment wins, tails you lose.
If you can’t find a place to store it, don’t own it. Public streets are not storage facilities.
Sometimes one comes across one of those streets that runs past a large uninhabited space, Like golf, aircraft, dump, etc. In Melb there are a few of these and I see these used for trucks vans etc.
As long as it is registered and in acceptable condition I am not against it.
you seem to be one of few that understand people have rights even the not super ritch one can’t always just sell there place because they bought a caravan once they have to retire my driveway is 43 deg so I have no chance of parking my caravan on my property and there are lots more people in the same position im trying to sell my place of 17 years for that reason but its not easy thanks for being a decent person. and not like a lot of people on here who are selfish to the needs of others its no different to me parking my land cruiser on the street it still takes up the space
Possibly councils could provide local reasonably priced storage/parking for recreational vehicles as part of planning design given the large numbers of owners now in the nation at large.
Basically it seems that some people love to see the the $$$$ that van owners spend in their areas but hate the sight of a van parked in the street. Some people who own vans live in units, town houses, homes that don’t have big yards. What is the difference between parking your car out the front of your residence or parking your van there. In some towns streets especially cities the only option is on street parking. The complainers are coming at this from the wrong end. If they want to stop people legally parking vans, then why not stop them from being manufactured in the first place, Just shut down the whole industry from the building of vans thru to closing van parks.
very well put you sound like a decent person as there are a lot of very selfish people out there that haven’t learned to mind there own business and your right rego and insurance is quiet expensive and if we weren’t allowed to park on streets the rego and insurance should come down heaps
Van owners pay good money for registration, if they are not allowed to park on the street the cost of registration should reflect that. Registration of a vehicle is for the use of the road for driving on and parking on it is as simple as that. It must however take the neighbours and safety issues into consideration if long term, but if this is not met there is a cause for a legitimate complaint.
My newish neighbour diagonally opposite has bought a house with no parking just drive so now she appears to be moving her horse trailer opposite my house. So now I have to look at her car plus trailer; and if if it stays ( eye saw) she obviously has money Asher vehicle is a Merc?!
I believe that’s the councils fault as all houses should have a car space
I absolutely hate caravans and other huge trucks long hauls road trains parked on residential streets it makes it very hard to see vehicles backing out of driveways it it’s a ridiculous law
What do people not understand about “parked legally”? As long as it’s within the size and weight dimensions allowed and does not obstruct anyone else, it’s legally parked. How is a trailer/campervan/boat any more or less of an eyesore than an ordinary automobile? To be honest I don’t mind them at all, makes for a more varied scenescape than the typical suburban street. Seeing the trailers or boats make me wonder where they’ve been and the adventures they’ve seen. They are just another vehicle like any other parked. As long as every one of them is parked correctly and within the size and weight limit, it’s a double standard to allow one but not another.
My neighbour has his large caravan parked out the front of his house at all times. It completely blocks my view of traffic when reversing out my driveway. I have to inch my way and hope for the best (main road). To make matters worse if i was to get struck, it would be on the opposing passenger side, where my daughters car seat is… russian roulette every day.
It’s not fair. It feels like a violation. It can cause great anxiety for the home owner and afffect their mental health. It looks bad. Especially if you are trying to see ur house and explain to the buyer yes, there is parking.
But, on the other hand, there need’s to be more parking places these vans can park.. there has to be a place for them ..just not right outside someone’s front place for months on end.
I agree.
why should a small inconsiderate section of the population have access to semi permanent on street parking to the potential risk of accidents. If you wish to own a van arrange for appropriate storage!
As someone who can’t even see traffic coming due to an absolutely HUGE caravan, I say it’s absolutely wrong. These people bought their unit years BEFORE investing in this enormous caravan and enormous 4wd to pull it. And because they don’t have room to park both caravan and 4wd in front of their unit, they park both right outside my nature strip, blocking mine and other neighbours view. These are the same people who complained about my next door neighbours dog barking, and she was told to put a barking collar or muzzle on the dog or the ranger would come to get the dog. I’ve asked them nicely to move it, due to me not even being able to put my bins out, and she told me to put my bins on the other neighbours side! I said to her, well I’m going to put my bins where your bins go, and you can find another place to put your bins. She got her husband to come out and he told me I was nothing but a trouble making bitch, and that my partner needs to ‘pull my head in’ I told him its well and truly over the size that is legal to park on a street, but he laughed and told me to shut up. Needless to say, when my partner returned from work, he went and knocked on his door and he refused to answer. We have rang the council, but they still haven’t come to measure the length of it. I know of five other people in the street who have complained, and also the rubbish truck drivers have complained, yet they seem to just get away with it. Now that the rubbish truck company have complained, he just pulls it to the opposite side of the road on bin day, which then blocks other people’s view of the traffic. Once the bins are emptied, he moves it back to our side of the nature strip. I’ve heard people telling him to put it in storage and he just says ‘make me’ It’s so frustrating, especially when council don’t even cone out to check, despite many people complaining about it. There will be an accident here one day, and then, finally, they may be held accountable.
If they registered , then it is legal to park like any other car. I think people need to stop complains and have live for change .
I’d like to know why large privately owned vans are allowed to park indefinitely on a public road parking in front of a a residential area and business area. Why are they exempt?
Yes it is ok to park on the street as long as registered and outside your premises