Some Wellington residents are asking for a free pass when they break the car parking law now that one narrow street in the capital is causing nightmares for locals trying to park.
The Wellington City Council banned parking on all footpaths in an attempt to help the capital become a zero-carbon and walkable city.
But one street wants to be exempt because of how narrow the road is.
Devon Street in the heart of Wellington is causing commuter chaos as the street struggles to do its basic job.
"It shouldn't be a two-way street and there's no parking. It's pretty horrid," one Wellington resident says.
The tightness of the street is putting pressure on residents trying to park.
"Cars can't pass through at the same time, it's not accessible," local student and resident Issy Carter tells Newshub.
In August, Wellington City Council voted to ban parking on lawns, berms and footpaths across the city.
For people wanting to park on Devon Street, it's proving to be quite difficult.
Carter has been stung with nine tickets on Devon Street so far this year, with many of them from parking on the footpath.
"It's annoying because there is nothing we can do to repeal the tickets," Carter says.
"It feels like we're constantly getting attacked and it's a $40 ticket each time."
It's not just residents getting fined for parking for breaking the new rules. Some delivery drivers have also been handed a ticket on the narrow street.
"There was a truck here so I had to park here. I had no choice," delivery driver Vilive Dakuninata tells Newshub.
"I told the parking warden about that, he didn't give me any choice and he said, 'You're on the yellow line'. So there you go, a ticket, happy days."
Residents on Devon Street are getting fed up and want to be exempt from the rules.
"If you have a permit then I think definitely," Carter says.
Another resident said: "They should put exemptions all over the place because the streets are too narrow."
But one Wellington City Councillor wants residents to look at the rules from the pedestrians' perspective.
"I've also experienced trying to push a pushchair down a footpath when you can't get through and have to go on the road so I can see it from both sides," Wellington City Councillor Diane Calvert tells Newshub.
"But I think the key thing is to work with the community - they know what works."
So maybe there is a glimmer of hope for people wanting to be able to park on the footpath on Devon Street.
Watch full story above.
