Perth driver slammed for parking over four spaces at Bunnings

A Perth driver who parked over four spaces in the car park of a Bunnings Warehouse has been criticised on social media after receiving multiple angry notes from fellow motorists.

A post on Perth Facebook group The Bell Tower Times 2.0 shared photos of the black SUV seemingly parked across four separate spaces and covered in profrane handwritten notes criticising the questionable parking job.

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It's unclear from the post whether the vehicle was intentionally parked across four spaces, or whether it had broken down in that position.

According to the Facebook post, the photos were snapped at a Bunnings location in the Perth suburb of Balcutta.

One of the notes, which was pre-printed in the style of a business card, read: "Congratulations! You park like a f***wit. Back to school for you."

The card also listed a contact email address: "backtoschool@cantparkfors**t.com.au"

The post has received more than a thousand likes and hundred of comments, many of them enquiring as to where they can access the pre-printed business cards for their own purposes.

"Whoever made these cards is about to become a millionaire… I’ll take a bunch," wrote one commenter.

While claiming multiple parking spaces for one car might be socially unacceptable, is it an offence?

Yes and no – depending on where you're parking. In public car parks and on public roads, drivers must only occupy the number of spaces necessary to accommodate their car.

Australian road rule 211 states: "A driver must position the driver's vehicle completely within a single parking bay, unless the vehicle is too wide or long to fit completely within the bay."

If your car is too large to fit in a single parking bay, the rules state that "the driver must park the driver's vehicle within the minimum number of parking bays needed to park the vehicle".

Failure to observe this road rule could result in a fine, which varies by state.

However, these rules only apply to parking in public areas, where local councils can enforce the regulations.

In a private car park like the Bunnings Warehouse lot, it's up to the car park operator to clearly state and enforce its own rules.

Under Australian Consumer Law, private car park operators are not authorised to issue parking fines or infringements – these can only be issued by an authorised government body.

However, the operator of a private car park can issue a payment notice or a 'breach of contract' notice if a customer ignores the terms and conditions of the car park, which should be clearly stated upon entry. This could include towing an unauthorised vehicle from the car park.

In the case of the Bunnings parking job, it's definitely a matter for the court of public opinion rather than a court of law.