Mystery surrounds illegal no-parking lines at Mount Maunganui

Illegal no-parking lines have mysteriously popped up on Marine Parade at Mount Maunganui. Photo/Andrew Warner.

Marine Parade residents are puzzled by the illegal painting of yellow, no-parking lines on a stretch of Tauranga's blue chip road.

The lines painted using a stencil appeared between December 14 and 21, according to local resident, Brian Laird.

"I can't fathom why they were put there," he said.

Mr Laird dismissed the idea that residents were to blame because there were no parking issues associated with this small stretch of roadside. Another neighbour who asked not to be named likewise could not imagine why the lines had appeared.

"The lines are of no benefit to anyone. No one is advantaged. I am bemused as to why anyone would have done it," he said.

The Tauranga City Council's transportation manager, Martin Parkes, was unable to throw any light on why someone got out a pot of paint.

"We can't point the finger at anyone."

However, the lines were illegal and the council would be removing them, he said.

Mr Parkes said if people had a problem with parking outside their homes, they were free to phone up and chat to the council.

"We would look at trying to sort it out. Any requests for parking restrictions are investigated."

He said the bigger problem from people taking issues into their own hands was that it could create more problems by forcing vehicles into an unsafe situation.

Cars will move somewhere else and the question was where.

"It could put motorists in a more dangerous position."