It's not often that residents thank parking inspectors for issuing fines but in one Sunshine Coast suburb, that's exactly what they're doing.
Sippy Downs residents are frustrated at not being able to get in and out of their driveways due to the already narrow streets being inundated with cars.
The suburb of more than 10,000 people is pipped as the "education hub" of the coast, with the University of the Sunshine Coast (USC), Chancellor State College and Siena Catholic primary and high schools.
When on-campus university classes resumed this week, it was the final straw for residents including Deborah Hatchett, who said visitors had to park blocks away to access her home.
"And they're parking there two, three days at a time, even over the weekend.
"I have tenants living in my house and they can't park in our street half the time because they can't find car parks to actually come into the house because the uni students are taking up my personal cars parks."
Ms Hatchett said the parking woes were consistent throughout the year, but were exacerbated during O-Week — the start of the university year — and at school pick-up and drop-off times.
"There's kids running around, there's cars either side and then there's cars coming trying to go in and out and children running around.
Jammed streets cause grief
USC provides on-campus paid parking and free parking about a five-minute walk away.
Ms Hatchett said students were opting to park in residential streets, instead of using the free parking sites, possibly because they did not want to walk a longer distance to the campus.
"Apparently it's empty a lot of the time, they are just not using it," she said.
She said there were no signs to indicate that the streets were for residential parking only but suggested such signs would mitigate the problem — as they would force students to park in their allocated areas.
"I have heard a lot of the uni students don't want to pay for the $10 parking at the university, so the council really needs to look at maybe abolishing that because half the time they just don't want to pay … because apparently, even if they pay the $10 they're not guaranteed a car park," Ms Hatchett said.
Complaints 'streaming in'
USC has told the ABC that the free parking area has capacity for 565 cars and is located less than 1km from the Sippy Downs Campus.
A university spokesperson said students could also purchase six or 12-month on-campus car parking permits, could ride to the university, or use public transport.
Meanwhile Christian Dickson, Division 6 councillor with the Sunshine Coast Council said complaints to council "have come streaming in" over the past week.
He said parking inspectors had identified as many as 80 drivers who were likely to be warned and educated before being issued with a fine of at least $80.
"That shows you there's an issue because I rang a staff member and he said, 'Christian, people have come out of their homes thanking us for turning up today and it's so weird'.
"You know they're not getting hit or spat on or abused, he said it's actually a nice day to be out here."
'Law needs changing'
Cr Dickson said the "frustrating" issue would not be resolved overnight and he was working with council staff for a solution.
On a social media post he said it was also a matter of addressing state law with respect to developments.
"We will be working to try and change the State Government's street width requirements in the new planning scheme," he said.
People wanting to report illegal parking can do so to the Sunshine Coast Council and obtain a reference number.
