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Tales of parking woes
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OPEN letter to councillors David Abrahams, Janet Grauberg and James King.
On October 9, 2006, I went with my partner to the Parking Office in Belsize Road and bought some visitors’ parking permits.
On Tuesday October 10, we parked a transit van which I had borrowed from a friend to help us move house the following day in the residents’ bay outside Beacon House, Hemstall Road, NW6.
At 2am we left one of the visitors’ permits in the window, with the correct bits scratched out for the following day. At around 11am I discovered that a parking ticket had been attached to the windscreen, despite the visitor’s permit being clearly visible.
I drove immediately to the parking office on Belsize Road. I parked in the nearest place I could see, which happened to be a loading bay, just around the corner. I went into the office, to find out what to do about this ticket which had been issued. I wrote a short letter, and along with a copy of the visitor’s permit, this was handed in to be faxed to the relevant person. When I returned to the van I discovered a second parking ticket. I again went into the office, and filed a second letter explaining the situation.
Since then, various correspondence has been sent to my friend who is the registered keeper of this vehicle.
At some point, after my friend reported he had received letters from Camden Council, I paid what I thought was the second ticket, though without admitting liability. I did this, to stop Camden Council continuing to hassle him. This morning, I have just heard from my friend, he received a letter threatening to send in the bailiffs if £155 is not paid immediately.
I called the Parking Solutions number, and was told either to pay £155, or go to court. As I did not want to repay my friend’s generosity in lending me his van by making him deal with a court, I decided to pay the £155 again making a note that this was without accepting liability.
I feel that I am the victim of an injustice, to the tune now of £205 in total fines paid to Camden plus the cost of the initial visitor’s permit plus the substantial amount of time which writing these, and earlier letters has taken.
ANDY WILLIAMSON
Ashfield Road, N4
• ON Sunday January 28 this year I stopped my car to in Kentish Town Road to use a cashpoint.
I was on double-yellow lines for no more than a couple of minutes. On February 14 a Penalty Charge Notice dropped on my door mat threatening me with a £100 fine, reduced to £50 if I paid within 28 days. The time I was caught by a camera is given but the length of time I was on the yellow lines is not given. To put down my length of stay as two minutes would have probably made council parking authorities look ridiculous.
A photograph of my car was also on the Penalty Charge Notice. It didn’t however show that my wife was sitting in the car which could cause a parking attendant to decide that I didn’t intend to park for any length of time. Say what you like about parking attendants they have to be better than some geek looking at a cctv screen.
WILSON JOHN HAIRE
Lulot Gardens, N19
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