‘You can’t just bay-hop’: The parking trick guaranteed to get you fined

Ever tried to bay-hop to avoid a parking fine? It might not be the simple solution you think it is.

If you’ve parked in a timed parking space before, you’ve likely experienced the temptation to simply roll forward and roll back into the spot, thereby magically restarting the clock and reducing your chances of a parking ticket.

But while it might seem like an easy solution, it’s more likely you’ll put a target on your back with parking inspectors.

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For starters, it’s worth knowing that inspectors don’t identify offences on a space-by-space basis, but rather look at the parking area as a whole.

“If it’s kerbside parking, a parking area is regarded as any point between two signs, so even if you roll forward into the spot in front of you, you’re still within the same signed area,” explains Tim, a former parking inspector with a decade of experience.

As such, you could still receive a parking fine, even if you’ve technically moved your car.

“If you just move one bay forward, that’s risky. If you pull out of a bay and then drive back into it, there’s more of a chance [you’ll dodge a fine], but it’s still risky,” Tim advises.

Instead, the safest bet is to leave the area altogether if you want to avoid a ticket. “Do a lap around the block – if your parking spot is still there, you are legally entitled to it,” he explains.

The same rules apply in an off-street parking area, such as a council car park or a shopping centre car park. In that instance, the parking area is regarded as the entire car park rather than just a single space.

“So if you’re in an off-street car park, you have to leave the entire car park [to reset the time limit] and you can’t just bay-hop,” Tim explains.

Still, Tim says the “biggest misconception” he saw in his years as a parking inspector was how people thought they could get out of a parking fine.

“The biggest misconception is that the ticket can just be taken back once it’s printed,” he says.

“Once it’s printed it’s a sealed document and the officer can’t take it back. They can make a recommendation, but it still has to go through an appeals process.”

If the ticket is yet to be issued, you still have a chance – but mind your manners.

“If the infringement hasn’t been printed or sealed, my advice would be take a deep breath, show respect and courtesy and apologise, and you might just get out of the ticket,” Tim says.

“The attitude test is always at play. If there’s respect and mutual recognition that everyone has a role to play [you might have luck].”

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