What to do if ticketed while waiting for NRMA
We’re not sure if it’s a new pattern or just a coincidence, but we’ve received quite a few enquiries lately from Members who’ve been given parking tickets while waiting for NRMA roadside assistance.
It’s bad enough to be fined but doubly frustrating when you can’t do anything about it and now that much of Sydney’s CBD is a tow-away zone, the question gains new urgency.
What do you do if you're given a fine while waiting for Roadside Assistance?
The first step is to cop it sweet: parking officers and council rangers are just doing their jobs in roles that don’t allow much scope for discretion, so don’t take their actions personally.
The next step is to make a note of the details of the NRMA roadside assistance team member who comes to your aid: they will gladly provide you with their identity and professional details.
Part of this process will be verifying the time you called the NRMA to request assistance and also when it arrived.
We keep a record of all calls but our emergency-first policy – especially if children are locked in cars – combined with periods of high demand means that responses to standard breakdowns can sometimes be delayed, although we will try to prioritise you if you are in a problematic location.
Once you’re mobile again, gather the evidence of your call to us and our arrival time to demonstrate that the ticketing occurred within this time frame and send it with an explanatory letter to the State Debt Recovery Office (SDRO) or the relevant council, where your appeal will be considered.
While you stand a good chance of being excused as a one-off, any subsequent appeals on the same basis will instead raise the question of vehicle road worthiness which could be referred to Roads and Maritime Services.
Can private car park operators issue fines?
The rules are different for tickets written in private car parks, as these are not sanctioned fines but notices of a breach of legal contract and need to be dealt with differently.
On the question of what to do if you have a breakdown in a tow-away zone in the city, the same rules apply as in clearways anywhere: the car is towed to the nearest legal parking location and you can get a lift in the tow truck – just be sure to let us know where you end up!
