Fine goes from $147 to $1750
A SYDNEY businessman who parked on a yellow line he couldn’t see in the dark has lost a court appeal against a parking ticket – turning a $147 fine into a $1750 bill.
Mark Ivers, through his company Speed Media, appealed the fine in Southport Magistrates Court, saying the yellow line, on Markwell Ave in Surfers Paradise, had not been visible when he parked his silver ute there the night of April 15 last year.
Prosecutor Justin Mathews, hired by Gold Coast City Council, called parking officer Rohan Voss, who issued the ticket and took photos of the vehicle, as a witness.
Mr Voss said the line was clearly visible due to lighting from the nearby Wyndham Resort and pointed to a photo which showed the line extending from the front of the vehicle and coming out the other side.
Representing himself in court, Mr Ivers conceded under questioning he did not know a yellow line on a road meant you couldn’t park there, saying the rule was not published on the Queensland Transport website.
“I think the rule is unfair,” he said. “I put it to the council that if they put a sign there I would pay the fine because you can’t see the line at night.”
He attempted to tender as evidence a Google street view image of Markwell Ave, but Magistrate Andrew Sinclair ruled it was inadmissable because he didn’t take the photo himself and could not verify when it was taken.
Mr Sinclair said neither a failure to see a traffic marking, nor an ignorance of the law, was a valid reason to escape the fine.
He said he was satisfied that there was a yellow line there and that Mr Ivers had parked on it, ordering he pay the original $147 fine, as well as $1602 in legal and other costs. IT’S exactly the kind of experience magical memories of childhood holidays on the Gold Coast have been made of for generations.
As fifth-generation magician Michael Boyd knows, there’s nothing quite like the colour and spectacle clowns, mind-bending illusions and spectacular feats conjure up for crowds under a Big Top.
Boyd and the international cast of his latest show, Circus of Ilusion, have hoisted their big top in Mitchell Park, Southport, for a school holiday season of “pure es- capism and entertainment” from today until July 9.
“What we have created is a show that is terrific for anyone of any age.,” he said.
“There is no storyline or intricate theme. It is bringing the traditions of the circus — the tent, the popcorn or the fairyfloss and all the fun of the fair — and then adding a show that is very theatrical.”
Circus of Illusion’s all-star cast sees Boyd joined by New York ringmaster Ebon Grayman, Spanish visual comic and clown Duban Nickol, French mime artist Stephan Le Forestier and local aerialist Elissa Caldwell.