New parking signage at a major shopping centre in Melbourne’s west confused drivers, with many saying they simply had “no idea” what it meant.
The icons popped up this week in a number of the parking bays near the entrance to Coles at the Harpley Town Centre in Wyndham City.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Confusion over new signage in Melbourne carpark.
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The images are of the universally recognised icons of a man and a woman that are generally seen on the doors to public bathrooms.
On Monday, 7NEWS asked multiple shoppers who they believed were allowed to park in the designated bays.
“It’s different. I’ve never seen it before. I’m not really sure what it’s for,” one man, who had travelled to the centre with his family, said.
“I assumed it was for parents.”
Another man who parked in one of the spaces said he thought they were for a car that had more than one person travelling in it, while one woman assumed it was for couples with no children.
One driver thought it could be a standing zone for shoppers.
“I’ve got no idea what it means”.
The mystery was finally solved by the centre’s operations manager, who confirmed they were bays for the elderly.
“It can be a man or a woman. It’s actually meant to show somebody that’s a bit elderly,” Ian McKenzie said
“Not all elderly people have walking sticks and some people might be offended.”
New signs explaining what the parking bays mean will be set up in the coming days.
“Just hang on for a couple of days until we get the signage up,” McKenzie said.