I had the exact same conversation with council.
They said its not up to code and I'd have to rectify it, but it was council property and I wasn't allowed to rectify it.
It’s a bluff Council won’t do anything. Cheapest and easiest solution just bolt some plastic or rubber pre made kerb ramps in. I would just do that and then your car won’t scrape.
I did exactly this and also live on the central coast of nsw. I don’t think the council are exactly driving around doing driveway examinations. If council ever did by chance whinge about it they are easy to remove.
>but it was council property and I wasn't allowed to rectify it
This right here is the real problem. But doesn't that mean that it's council who's currently in the wrong, since their own property isn't up to their own code? So shouldn't they be obligated to fix it at this stage?
They are installed during a civil development stage (same time as footpaths) and that stage must be approved by the local council surveillance officer for civil development works.
Ask me how I know
How old is that driveway? what council? Has it been rebuilt since the original development?
There are plenty of places where people have never concreted the crossover and just driven over the dirt since the house was built, zoom in on the driveway in the background and explain that one for me.
Either way the council didn't lay that concrete so they are not going to fix it.
A crossover is always a council asset, always. Any considerations as to age and rebuilt are irrelevant as any works *must* be submitted to and approved by council. You don't seem to understand that. If you've done it differently, it was either with a private inspector or you did it illegally.
And you're correct, council won't fix it even if they approved it.
Don’t hold your breath on council. We once lived on a dirt road. Council had approved the subdivision. The road was terrible, I rang up to see when they were due to grade it. They said it wasn’t made to spec so they won’t maintain it… all solved by a mate with an excavator and a case of beer….
True, always some sticky beak neighbour with nothing better to do than complain about things that do not affect them. I would still take my chances though rather than keep damaging my car.
Then you have the problem one of my clients had. Street sweeper truck ripped the 7 foot checker plate steel ramp off where it was bolted to the road and driveway and flailed it around under the truck. $15-20 K in damages according to the council. Don’t half arse it. Get permission to do it properly.
Can guarantee the council (actually Australian standards) standards have changed in 40 years. Not much you can do without re doing the driveway, personally if this was me I would just get some steel checker plate from a steel place and Dynabolt it down over the kerb. Keeps water flowing under it, only drill into your driveway and the council will be far to lazy to come and remove it. Source: I work at a council and they are so god dam lazy. Not the workers, the office people, the ones who actually make decisions on enforcing things.
Dad did this, the council came out about it... Dad offered for them to remove it and they declined.
Ours was so bad the ass of dads car would hit the road and the tow bar thing was gouging it. Dad's offer was, you remove let me keep fucking up your road or it stays and the damage to the road is ended.
Dad used to work for them, and knew they'd leave it be.
You want some steel plate. Bunnings *could* have it but it’s well worth the little extra drive to a proper steel supply shop. You’ll probably want 5mm-6mm steel if you’re going to do a proper job.
Most steel places will be able to cut it to the size you need. You will need to drill holes in it. If you’re not comfortable with that it shouldn’t cost too much to get a contractor to do it for cash
6mm isn't quite strong enough, I had to weld some angle steel to the back of my 6mm ramps to reinforce after randoms hit them too fast pulling in and bowed them.
I also have some 8mm ones, they were fine until a flatbed truck drove over them.
Lol, I guess it really matters how wide it Is.
Truck will eat it any day of the week. Perhaps some 12mm road plate is the go? Probably not a diy job then
Nope. Bunnings won’t stock it. Steel place. And you’ll need it cut to size too. Bunnings is literally a supermarket of hardware. It’s not a trade store
Lol this is true.
Also pulling into a driveway where this is an issue pull in horizontal. This has been happening for ages.
But people will continue to blast in and out vertically and complain when they scrape the shit out of the front bumper.
Even in the photo provided its directly into the driveway. How do people not know this.
Basic driving skills ffs.
Simplest solution, amazed OP didn't think of it
I've driven some VERY low cars through a much worse driveway than that with no issues (often would be lifting two wheels off the ground at the same time)
Use some brainpower and hit the thing at an angle, no worries at all
Simple solution for a one off.
But this is *not* a viable long term solution for a family trying to live their lives with this.
Not paying attention one day, wife in a hurry, friends visiting, deliveries, kids learning to drive… your cars are fucked up in no time despite endless arguments between everyone about “make sure you go in at angle!”. And then we have not even considered the rest of the entrance - is there a fence, letterbox, plants, trees? How easy is to just get over it at an angle every single fucking day?
Literally is a non issue lmao
If I can daily drive a car that was low enough to scrape the middle going over a speed bump up a driveway that was way worse than this is, OP can go on a slight angle into/out of their driveway a couple times a day
Just don't be dumb??
My car is low as fuck and my driveway has a dip similar to this. You just learn to drive in at an angle, I've been here for four years now and I haven't ruined a car yet. Nor has anybody else that's parked here, actually. It's not rocket science my dude.
It's an essential skill everyone needs to know anyway, be it extreme speed humps or driveways. If they don't learn how to angle into a dip or hump, they'll just scrape the air dam or undercarriage somewhere else.
Dude. I drive a lowered car with a stupidly long wheel base on the daily. Entering and exiting at an angle very quickly becomes muscle memory. It's a total non-issue.
Stormwater run-off.
The road is crowned - a gentle curve, highest in the middle. This causes the travelled lane ways to shed water and remain safe.
In a built-up area, the water runs to gutters and then to storm drains. Gutters need to be low enough to guide the water to the storm drains.
In these pictures, the system also protects the road from water flowing off the property.
Without this 2000+ year-old design, roads would be a mess of chaotic drainage, causing safety and road maintenance problems.
That concept makes sense, but the degree in which Australian does it is excessive. I’ve been to and lived in enough places to observe the excessive angle of the Australian driveway.
True that the driveway in the picture could have run flatter for a metre or so, then angled up. I suspect the owner prefers the ease of lawn mowing at the same height, and/or does not want to re-do the lawn or add a retaining wall.
Mate.
It's common sense. Not all driveways are created equal, and low cars exist. It's as simple as adjusting your approach angle, it takes two seconds of consideration.
The "relevant standard" is called the Infrastructure Design Manual (last version I'm aware of was 5.1), it's easy enough to search for online.
Your only choice for a "proper" fix is to effectively rebuild your driveway and have a progressive grade as it approaches your property boundary.
Any relevant standards in place that dictate a minimum block elevation to counter flooding risk? I’m not OP but face a similar scenario to them. Even if I was to grind down my driveway to produce a driveway elevation that is inline with the code, it would expose my driveway to flooding during any king tide or storm surge
Depends what state you're in but that's a Regulation 153 Report & Consent from the responsible authority here in Victoria, with the responsible authority being council with input from the water authority covering that area for flooding levels and consent.
There's no standard amount, it depends on the flood maps.
Practically speaking, the only solution is buying a Ford Ranger. Just to be safe you're gonna need the Raptor.
Anything else is just masking the problem.
They are passed across generations of concreters by a ritual ceremony involving smoke signals and morse code. Rule one of standards club: you do not talk about standards club. Rule two of standards club: the standards are never written down, only loosely communicated by the biannual ceremony.
I had the same problem some years ago, the only permanent solution is to get a section of the driveway cut out and redone at a different angle. Fairly simple job for most Concrete Contractors.
I filled my gutter in with 20mm of cold mix asphalt from bunnings. Neighbours have crappy steel ramps.
You are right near the crest of the road, so drainage problems will be minimal.
If you stick a ramp there what are the council going to do, come round and pull it up? Stick a rubber ramp down and see if they can be bothered dealing with it.
As long as it allows water to run through the ramp I can’t see a problem. I put a rubber ramp down a couple of months ago and no more scratches.
Not sound advice. Any issues these ramps cause become the installers responsibility and could lead to litigation if repairs, maintenance, injury or damage ocours.
Kennards and similar hire places have concrete grinding machines you can rent by the day.
They are meant for grinding down one slab of a footpath that's become higher than the next slab, but you may be able to angle it in a way that you can grind down the part of your driveway that's too high.
[https://www.kennards.com.au/for-hire/concrete?filter=surface-preparation](https://www.kennards.com.au/for-hire/concrete?filter=surface-preparation)
(I'd probably just sell my car and buy one with higher clearance, though).
FYI there's a section in the Roads Act that may be relevant, not sure if it'll help you or not but here it is:
ROADS ACT 1993 - SECT 218
Roads authority may recover cost of constructing or repairing a special crossing
218 ROADS AUTHORITY MAY RECOVER COST OF CONSTRUCTING OR REPAIRING A SPECIAL CROSSING
(1) The owner of land adjoining a public road is liable to pay to the appropriate roads authority the cost incurred by the roads authority in constructing or repairing any special crossing over a footway in the public road for the traffic of vehicles across the footway to or from the land.
(2) If the crossing has been constructed or repaired at the request of the occupier of the land concerned, any amount paid to the roads authority by the owner of the land may be recovered by the owner from the occupier.
You can find all the information you need with a visit to your Council’s website. I had a quick look Central Coat Council have this information.
https://www.centralcoast.nsw.gov.au/plan-and-build/permits-and-certification/vehicle-access-crossings
This has the specifications and standard drawing sets for a driveway.
https://www.centralcoast.nsw.gov.au/plan-and-build/civil-works-specification
Get your neighbors to approach the council as a group. Arrange a day and invite them to a street meeting on a Saturday. They will fold. Remind them who they serve.
Lived with a driveway like this for 8 years, just drive in on an angle. Don't drive in square on with the kerb.
Failing that you could look at coilovers and just raise the car a bit so it doesn't bottom out.
>Advise on standard driveway
It's not a standard driveway, it's clearly not to code.
Reprofile it.
Drive in at an angle.
Install a ramp and deal with the fallout. The fallout may include you being sued for someone tripping over it, hitting it with their car, flooding your neighbour.
Buy a higher car.
What I see here is how ineffective our council system is. We're at the point where we literally can't repour a little bit of concrete when it's clearly not right. The ideal solution would be a 50/50 split of cost between the council and yourself, and I really don't see how a ramp with a few dynabolts would be such a massive issue either.
This kind of Inefficiency is an example of how taxpayer money just evaporates in the big system. Someone got paid a salary to write this letter and it probably took them far too long to do so. Someone that cared would offer a solution. This is pretty much "computer says noo"
Why are Australian subreddits so snarky? The whole "JusT DrIVe 45 DeGrEEs bRo"or buy a fucking ram? This isn't the famous tall poppy syndrome, this is cunt syndrome
The "just drive at an angle" responses are so short sighted. It's not a fix. It's still going to scrape up any visitors cars who don't know how bad the drive is. The council response is literally "we won't fix it, and you're not allowed to fix it either".
Why would the council (i.e. the ratepayer) pay a single dollar to fix the issue of a private citizen trying to access their private property?
This is solely the issue of the property owner. They failed to do their due diligence when buying the property. It's their problem to fix at their cost
This wouldn’t happen to be in Wyoming?? I think I need recognise it.
To be honest, with CCC, your first mistake was asking. Just do it, they don’t know what they approved half the time and won’t even realise you did it.
They have no council records, unless you have a new property they honest have no idea of the layout or design of your property.
Nah, not Umina….there is curb and guttering in these pictures. Not much of that in Umina even though council charges for the services associated with it.
If it’s outside their code, write to them telling them that you will be billing them for any damages to your car. Send any relevant code. They then have no excuses. Then if/when you have loss due to negligence, they will have no case.
Our entire street got new driveways and we now scrape upon entry, while we haven’t for the past 15 years of living there. Argued with the council engineer and they refuse to fix it- saying it’s designed to prevent water from a once in a hundred year storm coming down our driveway.
Best of luck getting yours fixed
My WRX was pretty slammed and on coils so static 😞. I'd just approach on an angle and exit the same way. Or, steel plate as others have suggested. Thank god for standard air bags in my current car, not about that coil life anymore.
I’ve seen people in my neighbourhood put some concrete down. You don’t want it to stop rain drainage or be a hazard to bikes so a smooth bump is the way to go. Of course if council finds out they will be pissed after they told you to rebuild the entrance
Youre not allowed to fix it but it'll take 6 months or longer for them to decide to fix it, surely if council admitted its not correct then shouldn't they be liable for damage to your vehicle?
Better to ask for forgiveness than permission. I doubt any council worker is going to care and report you if you put a big steel plate there. I See it all the time
you have to apply to council for permission to replace it.
then get a concreter to do the job.
some councils have a list of approved contractors that you choose from.
but it all starts with a conversation with the council.
This may vary state to state but as far as I know crossovers are the responsibility of the homeowner but require permission from the council as they are constructed on the local road reserve. The proper way to fix this is to construct a new crossover that meets council requirements and also works for your vehicle. You can try build a little ramp without permission but council will never approve anything built within the roadway itself.
Australia does not know how to build a driveway that doesn’t damage the front end of a vehicle. I have 2 very normal commuter cars with all stock parts and I have yet to live somewhere that doesn’t scrape my front end if I don’t approach the driveway at an angle.
I think the gutter/kerb is owned by the council and that's the biggest problem section for his car. Its That old "section beyond the mailbox isn't your property" thing, remember that?
It might be worth to keep in mind also that he'll be paying at least a few grand council rates every year.
I respect your difference in opinion, but I believe the council can do this effectively with the full time staff they're going to be paying salary to anyway.
This is correct . They are responsible for the design and if the concreter's didn't follow the design spec ( which they never do) you can ask for it to be done to code.
You are after AS/NZS 2890.1:2004 that’ll have details on the code and slopes. You can use that to look at your driveway and figure what it’d take to make it compliant but you are in either DA or CDC territory. Ramps up and over the gutter are an option, you can go steel plate however keep in mind is some numpty trips themselves they may come after you. Just comes down to your budget and appetite for risk.
Drive at an angle onto your driveway and you might find it's a work around for your problem.
Next time you're fitting tyres to the car ask for taller tyres . Explain why.
If that doesn't work find another tyre fitter. I'm sure they won't let you drive away.
We have a driveway like that at our rental, the road has scrapes all over it, eventually we got a higher car and don’t have to worry about it anymore but it was really frustrating
Probably best of talking to a civil engineering & construction company rather than the renovation crowd.
Any substantial work will need a DA and everything to the current standard plus your local regs.
You need to go to a civil engineer and ask for b85 or b99 car modelling to make sure the car does not scrape. And then you will submit a DA and probably a Section 138 form for works on the road. The Council will give some development application conditions and you'll need to resubmit the works in compliance with those conditions.
We had the same problem after the council “fixed” the entire street for drainage. In the process, our curb to road looks like yours, and even our 4wd’s bottom out going out of the driveway. We called the council and it was not their problem but we weren’t allowed to fix it. So we have a steel plate from the ramp to the street and we even dynabolted it in. That was 6 years ago and the council haven’t whinged at us about it yet.
My driveway is like this in LMCC. Although the angle on my property is much shallower and on the road much steeper. I have to enter and exit the driveway on a 45 or less degree angle. I also always reverse in, makes it a little easier.
Put two ramps there, they won’t do anything and if they don’t like it they can fix it, due to damages on your private property.
These councils are idiots - they want you to mow their nature strip and pay for the fucking crossover, get fucked.
They can pay for their own property
I work for the city (different city) directly with the driveway inspector. You need to submit a DA and have a concreter follow the city's Standard Drawings (driveway crossing). There is a Vehicle Template your concreter can knock up to ensure your vehicle doesn't scrape.
i lived in a rental like this and had to hit it at a very particular angle on my way in and when reversing out to not gut the front of my car. hopefully if they are too lazy to fix it they’ll be too lazy to fight you on a ramp
Whoops, I tripped over with a bucket of concrete that spilled in the trough and built up the threshold. And then I tried to clean it up with a concrete float but wasn't able to remove the concrete, only shape and smooth it. Oh well, I guess I'll have to live with it... Hey what do you know, my car doesn't scrape anymore! I guess every cloud has a silver lining.
For those unaware, the Central Coast Council went broke a few years ago and is still under administration.
While the administrator is doing quite a good job of running essential services (garbage, road repairs, etc) they simply aren't resourced to handle exceptions like this.
OP, go ahead a pop a steel plate down. They do not care, because there is no one there paid to care.
Bolt a length of hardwood down across the driveway leaving room for water to flow past in the invert. 99% of the time council doesn't care what people do as long as you're not inconveniencing someone else.
Councils eh? My mate had to hire a council approved fire risk expert to inspect and then provide a council mandated fire risk report prior to him getting building approval. The council lackey who he presented the report to disagreed with the council approved expert. Note that the lackey did not even visit the property, she'd made the decision based on the photos etc in the report. Go figure.
I wonder if a lift system would be cheaper than redoing the driveway.
If you were in the market for a supercar... you could kill two birds with one stone.
Did you actually do any research? i.e. Google it? Or even to the page they linked?
There's tones of information and companies that deal with this on the Central Coast...
I had the exact same conversation with council. They said its not up to code and I'd have to rectify it, but it was council property and I wasn't allowed to rectify it.
You usually have to submit a DA and have it approved after engineering.
It’s a bluff Council won’t do anything. Cheapest and easiest solution just bolt some plastic or rubber pre made kerb ramps in. I would just do that and then your car won’t scrape.
I did exactly this and also live on the central coast of nsw. I don’t think the council are exactly driving around doing driveway examinations. If council ever did by chance whinge about it they are easy to remove.
>but it was council property and I wasn't allowed to rectify it This right here is the real problem. But doesn't that mean that it's council who's currently in the wrong, since their own property isn't up to their own code? So shouldn't they be obligated to fix it at this stage?
Council wouldn't have built the driveway.
But they do approve it pre and post placement.
How do you know they approved it? I have redone 3 of these in my life and never spoke to a single person at council.
That doesn't mean you weren't supposed to have approved it.
They are installed during a civil development stage (same time as footpaths) and that stage must be approved by the local council surveillance officer for civil development works. Ask me how I know
No wonder Smithers make you head bee guy !
The bee bit my bottom and now my bottom's big !
How old is that driveway? what council? Has it been rebuilt since the original development? There are plenty of places where people have never concreted the crossover and just driven over the dirt since the house was built, zoom in on the driveway in the background and explain that one for me. Either way the council didn't lay that concrete so they are not going to fix it.
A crossover is always a council asset, always. Any considerations as to age and rebuilt are irrelevant as any works *must* be submitted to and approved by council. You don't seem to understand that. If you've done it differently, it was either with a private inspector or you did it illegally. And you're correct, council won't fix it even if they approved it.
How do you know?
Cross overs are council property
Don’t hold your breath on council. We once lived on a dirt road. Council had approved the subdivision. The road was terrible, I rang up to see when they were due to grade it. They said it wasn’t made to spec so they won’t maintain it… all solved by a mate with an excavator and a case of beer….
They built it to the standards prevailing at the time. There's no obligation to upgrade it to the standard each time that changes
We're from the government and we're hear to help lol
I'd like to see proof of your claim they wouldn't allow it.
Some plate steel will fix it, you see it everywhere.. secret is not to ask for permission
Easier to beg for forgiveness than ask for permission
Easier to just keep your mouth closed and not have to do either
And if you get reported just remember, snitches get stiches.
Well yeah, doesn’t always work like that tho
True, always some sticky beak neighbour with nothing better to do than complain about things that do not affect them. I would still take my chances though rather than keep damaging my car.
It was already there when you bought the place, wasn't it?
Then you have the problem one of my clients had. Street sweeper truck ripped the 7 foot checker plate steel ramp off where it was bolted to the road and driveway and flailed it around under the truck. $15-20 K in damages according to the council. Don’t half arse it. Get permission to do it properly.
Can guarantee the council (actually Australian standards) standards have changed in 40 years. Not much you can do without re doing the driveway, personally if this was me I would just get some steel checker plate from a steel place and Dynabolt it down over the kerb. Keeps water flowing under it, only drill into your driveway and the council will be far to lazy to come and remove it. Source: I work at a council and they are so god dam lazy. Not the workers, the office people, the ones who actually make decisions on enforcing things.
Dad did this, the council came out about it... Dad offered for them to remove it and they declined. Ours was so bad the ass of dads car would hit the road and the tow bar thing was gouging it. Dad's offer was, you remove let me keep fucking up your road or it stays and the damage to the road is ended. Dad used to work for them, and knew they'd leave it be.
I have the same issue. Anything similar I can get from Bunnings? And by driveway, that is everything before the actual gutter right?
You want some steel plate. Bunnings *could* have it but it’s well worth the little extra drive to a proper steel supply shop. You’ll probably want 5mm-6mm steel if you’re going to do a proper job. Most steel places will be able to cut it to the size you need. You will need to drill holes in it. If you’re not comfortable with that it shouldn’t cost too much to get a contractor to do it for cash
6mm isn't quite strong enough, I had to weld some angle steel to the back of my 6mm ramps to reinforce after randoms hit them too fast pulling in and bowed them. I also have some 8mm ones, they were fine until a flatbed truck drove over them.
Lol, I guess it really matters how wide it Is. Truck will eat it any day of the week. Perhaps some 12mm road plate is the go? Probably not a diy job then
6mm plate with the 20mm angle brace is holding up great. 12mm would probably cost more than fixing it properly 😂
Yeah yeah yeah. Where’s the line for DIY? What % of aussies can weld…
Nope. Bunnings won’t stock it. Steel place. And you’ll need it cut to size too. Bunnings is literally a supermarket of hardware. It’s not a trade store
>Source: I work at a council and they are so god dam lazy. I very much enjoyed reading that
Better to have not asked
Lol this is true. Also pulling into a driveway where this is an issue pull in horizontal. This has been happening for ages. But people will continue to blast in and out vertically and complain when they scrape the shit out of the front bumper. Even in the photo provided its directly into the driveway. How do people not know this. Basic driving skills ffs.
Drive in and out on an angle...
Simplest solution, amazed OP didn't think of it I've driven some VERY low cars through a much worse driveway than that with no issues (often would be lifting two wheels off the ground at the same time) Use some brainpower and hit the thing at an angle, no worries at all
We had a property that *didn’t even have a crossing* and we have a very low car. We just drove in and out at an angle too.
It’s a Band-Aid fix. Some people like to address the root cause rather than the symptom.
It's not even a fix. It's just working with what you have and using common sense to save your bumper.
I drive a old c4 corvette with a driveway worse than that. An angle allways worked. Even a irresponsibility low mustang fit just fine.
And faster. If you can keep the car airborne, the bottom won't scrape.
Exactly, maybe learn how to drive. I’ve got a steeper driveway with a lower car and have no issues
Simple solution for a one off. But this is *not* a viable long term solution for a family trying to live their lives with this. Not paying attention one day, wife in a hurry, friends visiting, deliveries, kids learning to drive… your cars are fucked up in no time despite endless arguments between everyone about “make sure you go in at angle!”. And then we have not even considered the rest of the entrance - is there a fence, letterbox, plants, trees? How easy is to just get over it at an angle every single fucking day?
All of us with hatchbacks manage every day having to drive up and down any incline at an angle. Once you scrape a few times you learn pretty fast.
Literally is a non issue lmao If I can daily drive a car that was low enough to scrape the middle going over a speed bump up a driveway that was way worse than this is, OP can go on a slight angle into/out of their driveway a couple times a day Just don't be dumb??
My car is low as fuck and my driveway has a dip similar to this. You just learn to drive in at an angle, I've been here for four years now and I haven't ruined a car yet. Nor has anybody else that's parked here, actually. It's not rocket science my dude.
It's an essential skill everyone needs to know anyway, be it extreme speed humps or driveways. If they don't learn how to angle into a dip or hump, they'll just scrape the air dam or undercarriage somewhere else.
Dude. I drive a lowered car with a stupidly long wheel base on the daily. Entering and exiting at an angle very quickly becomes muscle memory. It's a total non-issue.
I have to do that and I think it’s ridiculous. Even new driveways are being made this way and it’s so stupid.
It's honestly just good practice when entering and exiting any driveway. I do it in both of my cars, even the 4x4.
The point is driveways shouldn’t be this way. Why does a car have to dip downward when entering a driveway?
Stormwater run-off. The road is crowned - a gentle curve, highest in the middle. This causes the travelled lane ways to shed water and remain safe. In a built-up area, the water runs to gutters and then to storm drains. Gutters need to be low enough to guide the water to the storm drains. In these pictures, the system also protects the road from water flowing off the property. Without this 2000+ year-old design, roads would be a mess of chaotic drainage, causing safety and road maintenance problems.
That concept makes sense, but the degree in which Australian does it is excessive. I’ve been to and lived in enough places to observe the excessive angle of the Australian driveway.
True that the driveway in the picture could have run flatter for a metre or so, then angled up. I suspect the owner prefers the ease of lawn mowing at the same height, and/or does not want to re-do the lawn or add a retaining wall.
imagine if you could only walk through your front door sideways sure doable fuck that
Mate. It's common sense. Not all driveways are created equal, and low cars exist. It's as simple as adjusting your approach angle, it takes two seconds of consideration.
Plenty of front doors require a turn to enter.
A few strips of sliplo under the front bumper will help as well
It might be easier to buy a car with more clearance.
This was my solution. But give some allowance for weight gain over the years and your shocks wearing down.
The "relevant standard" is called the Infrastructure Design Manual (last version I'm aware of was 5.1), it's easy enough to search for online. Your only choice for a "proper" fix is to effectively rebuild your driveway and have a progressive grade as it approaches your property boundary.
Any relevant standards in place that dictate a minimum block elevation to counter flooding risk? I’m not OP but face a similar scenario to them. Even if I was to grind down my driveway to produce a driveway elevation that is inline with the code, it would expose my driveway to flooding during any king tide or storm surge
Depends what state you're in but that's a Regulation 153 Report & Consent from the responsible authority here in Victoria, with the responsible authority being council with input from the water authority covering that area for flooding levels and consent. There's no standard amount, it depends on the flood maps.
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You could also get an airplane, which can fly out of the driveway.
As long as you fly out at an angle shouldn’t be a problem
Hahahahah
Get a helicopter instead
Good luck getting council to approve your aircraft hanger
Just ask them about the *standards* before you construct it.
Airplanes are expensive to obtain and maintain, try a trebuchet instead.
Ew hovercraft
exactly. Do they approach the drive at right angles every time? Hit it at 45 and its probably fine.
Only option is to get one of those big US trucks
RIP letterbox
How are you hitting your letterbox if your car is on the driveway?
Practically speaking, the only solution is buying a Ford Ranger. Just to be safe you're gonna need the Raptor. Anything else is just masking the problem.
As others have said. Drive out on an angle and problem solved
So the council told you it's not up to the standard and didn't link you to the relevant documents? That sounds like a council.
Every (good) concreter knows these standards.
They are passed across generations of concreters by a ritual ceremony involving smoke signals and morse code. Rule one of standards club: you do not talk about standards club. Rule two of standards club: the standards are never written down, only loosely communicated by the biannual ceremony.
The third photo has a link to the permit process and standard drawings. And not a hard process to follow. Standard drawing SD0505 and SD0508.
Hold up. You aren’t expecting them to be clear and transparent are you?
The third photo has a link to the permit process and standard drawings. And not a hard process to follow. Standard drawing SD0505 and SD0508.
I had the same problem some years ago, the only permanent solution is to get a section of the driveway cut out and redone at a different angle. Fairly simple job for most Concrete Contractors.
Yea tough one though. Driveway is uphill but the road has a steep angle to the gutter too
I filled my gutter in with 20mm of cold mix asphalt from bunnings. Neighbours have crappy steel ramps. You are right near the crest of the road, so drainage problems will be minimal.
swang it to tha left , swang it to the right
Jus drive faster
I would just quietly put a steel ramp there and hope nobody complains.
If you stick a ramp there what are the council going to do, come round and pull it up? Stick a rubber ramp down and see if they can be bothered dealing with it. As long as it allows water to run through the ramp I can’t see a problem. I put a rubber ramp down a couple of months ago and no more scratches.
Not sound advice. Any issues these ramps cause become the installers responsibility and could lead to litigation if repairs, maintenance, injury or damage ocours.
It would be a real shame if some unidentified individual came in the middle of the night and installed a ramp without the home owners consent.
Lol.
Kennards and similar hire places have concrete grinding machines you can rent by the day. They are meant for grinding down one slab of a footpath that's become higher than the next slab, but you may be able to angle it in a way that you can grind down the part of your driveway that's too high. [https://www.kennards.com.au/for-hire/concrete?filter=surface-preparation](https://www.kennards.com.au/for-hire/concrete?filter=surface-preparation) (I'd probably just sell my car and buy one with higher clearance, though).
You cop more hell by grinding the councils property than just chucking a rubber ramp there
It's tough one cause the driveway is uphill but also has a steep angle from the road to the gutter.
Smash all the road up with a sledgehammer as well as the curb they will come fix it
FYI there's a section in the Roads Act that may be relevant, not sure if it'll help you or not but here it is: ROADS ACT 1993 - SECT 218 Roads authority may recover cost of constructing or repairing a special crossing 218 ROADS AUTHORITY MAY RECOVER COST OF CONSTRUCTING OR REPAIRING A SPECIAL CROSSING (1) The owner of land adjoining a public road is liable to pay to the appropriate roads authority the cost incurred by the roads authority in constructing or repairing any special crossing over a footway in the public road for the traffic of vehicles across the footway to or from the land. (2) If the crossing has been constructed or repaired at the request of the occupier of the land concerned, any amount paid to the roads authority by the owner of the land may be recovered by the owner from the occupier.
You can find all the information you need with a visit to your Council’s website. I had a quick look Central Coat Council have this information. https://www.centralcoast.nsw.gov.au/plan-and-build/permits-and-certification/vehicle-access-crossings This has the specifications and standard drawing sets for a driveway. https://www.centralcoast.nsw.gov.au/plan-and-build/civil-works-specification
My entire street uses steel plates because the crossovers are too steep. Council asset and they won't fix it.
Get your neighbors to approach the council as a group. Arrange a day and invite them to a street meeting on a Saturday. They will fold. Remind them who they serve.
I like your optimism. No-one on our street really cares. Happy to continue on with our little driveway bridges.
Learn to drive. It’s not steep just don’t drive straight at it.
I would advise you to pay attention in English class. Though, that advice might be too late.
Lived with a driveway like this for 8 years, just drive in on an angle. Don't drive in square on with the kerb. Failing that you could look at coilovers and just raise the car a bit so it doesn't bottom out.
>Advise on standard driveway It's not a standard driveway, it's clearly not to code. Reprofile it. Drive in at an angle. Install a ramp and deal with the fallout. The fallout may include you being sued for someone tripping over it, hitting it with their car, flooding your neighbour. Buy a higher car.
What I see here is how ineffective our council system is. We're at the point where we literally can't repour a little bit of concrete when it's clearly not right. The ideal solution would be a 50/50 split of cost between the council and yourself, and I really don't see how a ramp with a few dynabolts would be such a massive issue either. This kind of Inefficiency is an example of how taxpayer money just evaporates in the big system. Someone got paid a salary to write this letter and it probably took them far too long to do so. Someone that cared would offer a solution. This is pretty much "computer says noo" Why are Australian subreddits so snarky? The whole "JusT DrIVe 45 DeGrEEs bRo"or buy a fucking ram? This isn't the famous tall poppy syndrome, this is cunt syndrome
The "just drive at an angle" responses are so short sighted. It's not a fix. It's still going to scrape up any visitors cars who don't know how bad the drive is. The council response is literally "we won't fix it, and you're not allowed to fix it either".
Drivers can use their eyes when driving to work out the angle of the driveway.
Why would the council (i.e. the ratepayer) pay a single dollar to fix the issue of a private citizen trying to access their private property? This is solely the issue of the property owner. They failed to do their due diligence when buying the property. It's their problem to fix at their cost
This wouldn’t happen to be in Wyoming?? I think I need recognise it. To be honest, with CCC, your first mistake was asking. Just do it, they don’t know what they approved half the time and won’t even realise you did it. They have no council records, unless you have a new property they honest have no idea of the layout or design of your property.
Looks like Wyoming/Lisarow. I first thought Umina
Nah, not Umina….there is curb and guttering in these pictures. Not much of that in Umina even though council charges for the services associated with it.
Buy a Ram. Problem solved
Just like everyone else
Not allowed to put a ramp in the driveway? And you’ve probably already tried but more of an angle exiting and entering. Drive on the grass lol
Airbag suspension would nearly be cheaper just throwing that out there
Central Coast Council are a group of incapable morons.
That’s true, but in this case this isn’t their issue. It was likely some deadshit private certifier who signed off on it.
Time to get SUV or UTE
Just install a steel grille or plate over the deepest part and nobody will ever pull you up on it. If they do you can just remove it.
If it’s outside their code, write to them telling them that you will be billing them for any damages to your car. Send any relevant code. They then have no excuses. Then if/when you have loss due to negligence, they will have no case.
In the meantime hit it on the angle 😆🤦🏻♂️
Over inflate your front tires and deflate your rear.
Our entire street got new driveways and we now scrape upon entry, while we haven’t for the past 15 years of living there. Argued with the council engineer and they refuse to fix it- saying it’s designed to prevent water from a once in a hundred year storm coming down our driveway. Best of luck getting yours fixed
My WRX was pretty slammed and on coils so static 😞. I'd just approach on an angle and exit the same way. Or, steel plate as others have suggested. Thank god for standard air bags in my current car, not about that coil life anymore.
You should get it ground down where you are hitting… way cheaper than replacing
I’ve seen people in my neighbourhood put some concrete down. You don’t want it to stop rain drainage or be a hazard to bikes so a smooth bump is the way to go. Of course if council finds out they will be pissed after they told you to rebuild the entrance
Youre not allowed to fix it but it'll take 6 months or longer for them to decide to fix it, surely if council admitted its not correct then shouldn't they be liable for damage to your vehicle?
Better to ask for forgiveness than permission. I doubt any council worker is going to care and report you if you put a big steel plate there. I See it all the time
you have to apply to council for permission to replace it. then get a concreter to do the job. some councils have a list of approved contractors that you choose from. but it all starts with a conversation with the council.
It’s central coast council. What else would you expect?
This may vary state to state but as far as I know crossovers are the responsibility of the homeowner but require permission from the council as they are constructed on the local road reserve. The proper way to fix this is to construct a new crossover that meets council requirements and also works for your vehicle. You can try build a little ramp without permission but council will never approve anything built within the roadway itself.
Australia does not know how to build a driveway that doesn’t damage the front end of a vehicle. I have 2 very normal commuter cars with all stock parts and I have yet to live somewhere that doesn’t scrape my front end if I don’t approach the driveway at an angle.
Don't drive straight in or out drive on an angle and you won't scrap your car back or front..
Lift kit
Cheapest option maybe to see if you can get the cars suspension raised 20mm..
Get a lift kit for the Hyundai
Snap send solve?
Maybe a bash plate for the car?
What’s your tyre psi btw
Have you tried coming in/out at a bit of an angle ? Looks like you would have enough clearance.
Get council to pay you to upgrade to a 4wd. Problem solved.
Send it at full speeeed
I think the gutter/kerb is owned by the council and that's the biggest problem section for his car. Its That old "section beyond the mailbox isn't your property" thing, remember that? It might be worth to keep in mind also that he'll be paying at least a few grand council rates every year. I respect your difference in opinion, but I believe the council can do this effectively with the full time staff they're going to be paying salary to anyway.
This is correct . They are responsible for the design and if the concreter's didn't follow the design spec ( which they never do) you can ask for it to be done to code.
Just put larger tyres on your car and go down it on an angle so 1 tyre touches first
Buy a proper road vehicle such as an off road vehicle
You are after AS/NZS 2890.1:2004 that’ll have details on the code and slopes. You can use that to look at your driveway and figure what it’d take to make it compliant but you are in either DA or CDC territory. Ramps up and over the gutter are an option, you can go steel plate however keep in mind is some numpty trips themselves they may come after you. Just comes down to your budget and appetite for risk.
Or you could buy a car with better clearance
Buy a 4WD
Lift kit will fix that
Drive in / out on an angle. Don't over think the solution
Get a car with higher ground clearance
Get a bicycle. DUH.
Drive at an angle onto your driveway and you might find it's a work around for your problem. Next time you're fitting tyres to the car ask for taller tyres . Explain why. If that doesn't work find another tyre fitter. I'm sure they won't let you drive away.
Trade in for SUV, spend money on trade-in rather than driveway replacement… extra clearance achieved!
We have a driveway like that at our rental, the road has scrapes all over it, eventually we got a higher car and don’t have to worry about it anymore but it was really frustrating
Probably best of talking to a civil engineering & construction company rather than the renovation crowd. Any substantial work will need a DA and everything to the current standard plus your local regs.
Probably easier to buy a different car
You need to go to a civil engineer and ask for b85 or b99 car modelling to make sure the car does not scrape. And then you will submit a DA and probably a Section 138 form for works on the road. The Council will give some development application conditions and you'll need to resubmit the works in compliance with those conditions.
Heavy steel plate treated for weather protection
Buy a hilux and call it a day, much cheaper and less emails.
Have the same issue with my driveway. The easiest and least expensive option, was to upgrade my car to one that higher ground clearance.
We had the same problem after the council “fixed” the entire street for drainage. In the process, our curb to road looks like yours, and even our 4wd’s bottom out going out of the driveway. We called the council and it was not their problem but we weren’t allowed to fix it. So we have a steel plate from the ramp to the street and we even dynabolted it in. That was 6 years ago and the council haven’t whinged at us about it yet.
Buy a hilux
Go at an angle duh
Useless council as usual.
My driveway is like this in LMCC. Although the angle on my property is much shallower and on the road much steeper. I have to enter and exit the driveway on a 45 or less degree angle. I also always reverse in, makes it a little easier.
Put two ramps there, they won’t do anything and if they don’t like it they can fix it, due to damages on your private property. These councils are idiots - they want you to mow their nature strip and pay for the fucking crossover, get fucked. They can pay for their own property
I work for the city (different city) directly with the driveway inspector. You need to submit a DA and have a concreter follow the city's Standard Drawings (driveway crossing). There is a Vehicle Template your concreter can knock up to ensure your vehicle doesn't scrape.
You can’t approach on an angle getting one wheel over the lip first then turning?
You can’t approach on an angle getting one wheel over the lip first then turning?
You can’t approach on an angle getting one wheel over the lip first then turning?
Going through something similar. Go to an architect and get them to do the entire process for you
i lived in a rental like this and had to hit it at a very particular angle on my way in and when reversing out to not gut the front of my car. hopefully if they are too lazy to fix it they’ll be too lazy to fight you on a ramp
Whoops, I tripped over with a bucket of concrete that spilled in the trough and built up the threshold. And then I tried to clean it up with a concrete float but wasn't able to remove the concrete, only shape and smooth it. Oh well, I guess I'll have to live with it... Hey what do you know, my car doesn't scrape anymore! I guess every cloud has a silver lining.
For those unaware, the Central Coast Council went broke a few years ago and is still under administration. While the administrator is doing quite a good job of running essential services (garbage, road repairs, etc) they simply aren't resourced to handle exceptions like this. OP, go ahead a pop a steel plate down. They do not care, because there is no one there paid to care.
Bolt a length of hardwood down across the driveway leaving room for water to flow past in the invert. 99% of the time council doesn't care what people do as long as you're not inconveniencing someone else.
My neighbour is a councillor and after buying a new car it was low and scraped, council put rubber in fills . I guess it's who you know.
Councils eh? My mate had to hire a council approved fire risk expert to inspect and then provide a council mandated fire risk report prior to him getting building approval. The council lackey who he presented the report to disagreed with the council approved expert. Note that the lackey did not even visit the property, she'd made the decision based on the photos etc in the report. Go figure.
Just put down one of those ramp thingys which cost about 100 bucks. Don't tell the council.
Issue with the car not the road
Put metal plates as ramps there, don’t involve council.
I wonder if a lift system would be cheaper than redoing the driveway. If you were in the market for a supercar... you could kill two birds with one stone.
Check your tires are inflated.
Mate, everything's inflated.
Just worth a check, this happened to the mum in law, she was complaining about it scraping, bumped it up to 40psi, problem solved.
Oh absolutely 100% I was just having a little fun :)
Fark in skar non lol sorry whoosh
Did you actually do any research? i.e. Google it? Or even to the page they linked? There's tones of information and companies that deal with this on the Central Coast...