Mick Jackson was fined twice, essentially for doing his job. Photo / Facebook
Mick Jackson was fined twice, essentially for doing his job. Photo / Facebook
A postman who was fined AU$330 ($357) for riding his motorbike on the footpath has had the matter dismissed in a "win for common sense".
Mick Jackson was delivering mail shortly before Christmas last year in Mannering Park on the NSW Central Coast when a police officer fined him.
Jacksonwas riding a clearly marked Australia Post bike and was wearing his hi-vis uniform — but he copped the fine as neither he nor the post office were able to provide adequate identification.
Jackson told the Daily Mail the officer's decision to fine him could "affect all posties".
"I just told him straight out 'if I can't ride on the footpath, I can't do my job'," he told the publication.
"What choice do you have? The letterbox ain't on the side of the road like they are overseas, so you just don't have a choice.
"Australia Post has been around for a long time and they ride on the footpath."
After issuing the fine, Jackson said, the police officer followed him to the post office — and gave him a second fine, for "stop on path/in built up area", because he parked his bike on the footpath in front of the shop.
Mr Jackson was fined a second time for parking his bike on the large footpath out the front of the regional post office. Photo / Google Maps
The $330 penalty was mailed to Jackson, an Australia Post casual contractor, about a month after — but Jackson fought it in court.
Magistrate Peter Feather dropped the charges last Monday, saying the officer who handed down the fine was clearly having "a bad day".
Jackson's solicitor, Doug Eaton from Effective Legal Solutions, told Yahoo7 it "was a win for common sense".
"I've never really seen anything like this before, it's ridiculous. If police are going to do this, mail won't be delivered," Eaton said.
But a NSW Police spokeswoman told news.com.au Jackson had actually been found guilty under section 10 of the Crimes (Sentencing Procedure) Act 1999, which allows a court to discharge a defendant without conviction.
She said the NSW Centre for Road Safety sewt the road rules, and police simply enforced them.
The spokeswoman said although the average person was not allowed to ride a motorbike on footpaths, those with formal accreditation and permits — such as mail employees — could, and that the issue in Jackson's case had been his lack of identification.
The Centre for Road Safety was also contacted, but did not repsond.
