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An Australian woman was shocked when she returned to the spot where she had legally parked her scooter near the nation's most iconic beach to find it missing. Not only had her scooter been moved out of the spot where she had left it the night before, but it was sitting in the middle of the road, double parked next to camper van, potentially exposing her to a parking fine or demerit points. North Bondi resident Claudia Cortis Brown said she had parked her locked scooter on Wallis Parade near Blair St, which has free parking, but when she returned the following morning it had been forcibly moved, presumably so another car could take her spot. While parking in the popular beachside suburb in Sydney's east is notoriously difficult, Brown said she'd lived in the area for years and this was the "most selfishly ridiculous thing" she had seen. Under NSW road rules, it is illegal to park alongside another vehicle and the offence can attract a $275 fine and four demerit points. Parked vehicles also "must not block the flow of traffic or become a danger to other road users". Aussie slams shopping centre parking spots - but can you see what's wrong with them? Grandmother fights back against council over $559 parking fine Mum unable to use her car for hours after 'frustrating' parking act Brown told Yahoo News Australia she had owned her Piaggio Fly scooter for two years and it was "constantly" being moved by drivers to make way for a car, however, this was the worst incident she'd come across. Claudia Cortis Brown was outraged by what was done to her scooter, but she says it happens 'all the time'. Source: Supplied "People need to pay to park here and it's expensive, but in this street you can park for free," the 38-year-old said. "For that reason, I think it could be someone not from the neighbourhood." Brown said the scooter's wheels had been locked so it would have been forcibly moved, which would need to be done by two people as it was heavy and could have damaged the bike. "It was difficult for the cars driving by, they needed to avoid the scooter," she said. "I think the issue is that the people want to try to find a parking spot for free." A Waverley Council spokesperson told Yahoo News Australia: "Scooters can legally park in any spot where a car is allowed to park but a car and a scooter cannot share the one car space where individual spaces are designated by line markings". "Vehicles (cars or otherwise) cannot legally double-park alongside another vehicle." The spokesperson added that any "unauthorised handling" of scooters was a matter for the police. A NSW Police spokesperson said it was hard to determine whether a crime had been committed without CCTV footage, but added the matter could be reported to her local station. When she shared her experiences online, fellow Bondi residents sympathised with Brown's situation, with one stating that it was "typical behaviour these days". While social media users speculated on the culprit and suggested door knocking neighbours to check for CCTV or dashcam footage, one fellow scooter owner said this type of incident happened to her "all the time" and her bike had even been dropped before as it was locked. One driver, who also owned a motorbike, said what happened was "very disrespectful", but added, "Often I see a bike parked taking the whole car spot (which I think is also pretty disrespectful), knowing how hard it is to find parking in Bondi." Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.Scooter 'constantly' moved as people search for free parking
What does the law say?
Bondi residents sympathise: 'very disrespectful'