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It’s only fair to tell us if it’s illegal to park
• THE other Sunday evening at 6.40pm, I received a parking ticket in Bedford Square, Bloomsbury, being parked on a single yellow line for which the sign-posted hours indicate that there are no restrictions on Sunday.
My crime was being parked adjacent to a dropped kerb. Had I noticed the dropped kerb, I probably should have avoided it, but – in any case – not intending to stay long (10 minutes), I gave not much thought to investigating the safety of the space any further.
When I asked the traffic warden why he had ticketed me, he laughed at me and walked off.
I followed him and asked him again and he laughed in my face and rudely invited me to read the ticket.
I told him I would photograph him if he continued laughing at me but he threatened to break my phone and invited me to hit him, repeating “go on then, hit me” in my face.
Quite frankly, I was sorely tempted – and I am not a violent person. I told him it wasn’t worth it and he verbally abused me as he hurried away. I wrote a letter detailing the circumstances and sent it in with my immediate payment. The date? April 1! Fool…
Camden wrote back to inform me that the behaviour of the warden and the issue of the ticket – which they upheld – are two separate events, which I accept.
There was, however, a complete lack of apology or sympathy involved and I was invited to write again if I wished to complain about the warden, which I really feel should have been treated as an internal matter immediately without my having to re-submit a complaint. I can’t be bothered, because they don’t care.
I broke the law and I have no excuse. However, I wrote in my letter that I had found the signage confusing, which was the reason why I had asked them to review the ticket.
My point was that, if one is not allowed to park next to a dropped footway at any time, then it should be marked with a double yellow line.
This particular infraction, incidentally, only operates in London, but I don’t remember the fanfare to warn us when it was introduced. I then rang Camden to ask to speak to someone in charge of road markings so that I could alert them to the confusing signals that they are giving.
I was told that it was a London Street Management issue.
After five times of going through the issue with different numbers, departments, and unsure people, street management informed me that Camden was responsible. I rang Camden back before Easter and left my name and number. No one has called me back.
Actually, I feel like buying myself an un-registered car from a dump, forgetting to purchase road tax or insurance, leaving it parked indiscriminately in the middle of Tottenham Court Road, where I feel sure I would be able to return to it safely un-ticketed up to six weeks later, rather than being so persecuted.
In our road, two residents have received tickets to my knowledge within the last year alone for having their cars parked with the front wheels in one residents’ parking bay and the back wheels in another, despite the fact that both bays were operational at the time and their residents’ permit was valid for both bays.
It just seems that the more that people try to conform to the laws that they become aware of, so Camden invents newer sneakier ways to extract monies.
To summarise, Camden, if you’re reading this: If one can’t park at any time in a certain place, mark it with a double yellow line!
Last year, my sister and her husband moved permanently to the south of France, fed up with the ever increasing financial burden levied by the UK.
When I visited her at Easter, I started making enquiries about a neighbouring property.
One day, I predict that there won’t be any law-abiding tax payers left in the UK.
Sad how life has changed, isn’t it?
ROBIN MACKAY MILLER
Constantine Road, NW3
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