Well-travelled town planner Colin Lyons says Canberra has the worst cases of illegal parking he’s ever seen. 

Specifically when it comes to parking on nature strips, which Colin says is not just an aesthetic problem, “it’s causing environmental damage by compacting the soil over tree roots”.

The ACT Government’s Nature Strip Guidelines (2019) state that maintenance and upkeep of a nature strip is a shared responsibility of the property owner and government.

“Where this relationship exists, the nature strip can perform its essential role as a conduit of services and make a highly valuable contribution to Canberra’s picturesque street character, which in turn can lead to higher individual property value and sustainability benefits,” it says. 

Property owners are asked to sustain an upkeep of their nature strip as an extension of their own property, despite ownership belonging to the government. 

Colin is a member of a local residents’ group Friends of Hawker Village (FoHV). 

Previously raising concerns with the ACT government regarding excessive and ongoing parking on nature strips, Colin says it’s a difficult issue because nature-strip parking compacts the soil and threatens tree plantings. 

“However, in some cases, it is safer to have nature strip parking rather than insisting on cars being parked on the roads.” 

Colin says parking a vehicle on a nature strip in the ACT is illegal under the Road Transport Regulation 2017. 

“Illegal parking on nature strips is a community-wide problem that occurs in Belconnen and other areas through the ACT,” he says. 

“FoHV has recognised that, while temporary and occasional parking of vehicles on a nature strip may not warrant full compliance measures, there are legitimate community concerns about extensive, flagrant and persistent breaches of the rules.” 

Colin’s only exception is if the parked car on a road creates a significant hazard. 

Established in June 2010, the FoHV group began with 26 residents expressing concerns in a community consultation for the proposed sale and development of two public car parks in the Hawker Centre. 

Becoming an incorporated association in March 2013, the group aims to support, promote and protect the suburban, social and environmental qualities and character of the Hawker Village shopping centre and its surrounding suburbs of Hawker, Weetangera, Page and Scullin. 

“We support the minimisation of adverse environmental consequences associated with urban planning and development,” says Colin. 

“It doesn’t look very appealing to have loads of cars parked out the front of a house,” says Colin. 

“Some of these cars haven’t been moved in years.” 

Working as a town planner, Colin says his eyes have well and truly been opened to the state of Canberra’s nature strips. 

“The problem is the housing and how it’s been built, it’s not the family’s fault they don’t have the space to fit so many cars once their kids grow up,” he says. 

Although not much can be done about the current housing, Colin says it’s something that should be looked at for future developments. 

“Nature strips add to the beauty of Canberra and uphold our reputation as the bush capital,” he says. 

“It’s all of our jobs to make sure our city looks as appealing as possible.”