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Still time to say sorry for ‘nursery’ parking ticket
• CONCERNING the article (Parking: time to say sorry, November 12), concerning the parking ticket I received at my daughter’s nursery, I would add that I have not received any apology – or even a response – from Camden Council yet.
Also, where they refer to “environmentally friendly means of transport” etcetera and that parents should use public transport to the nursery in West Hampstead, I would point out that I live two miles away, the nearest tube station is still about 10 minutes walk away and on the Bakerloo line.
For me to take this option I would need to change lines from the Northern line (about seven minutes’ walk) and so in total it would probably take me about 45 minutes to get to the nursery. The alternative would be two buses which would take about the same amount of time and yet the car takes about 10 minutes.
Being in the car also makes it easier for me to go Finchley Road tube station where I park to take the tube directly to my place of work near Farringdon.
Basically, public transport is a very bad option for me. Camden are just making any excuse they can come up with.
They also mention that they will give further training to their officers. What sort of training is needed to be able to tell the time?
If they can’t do something as basic as this then surely they should not be doing a job like that in the first place!
And last but not least they make no mention of reprimanding the officer concerned at all, do they?
Has he just blatantly got away with it?
The way Camden are treating the public is absolutely disgusting.
As if they don’t make enough money from us with parking permits!
Michelle Traverse
Fleet Road, NW3
Outrageous treatment
• I AM outraged on behalf of Michelle Traverse (Parking: time to say sorry, November 12).
I can’t believe the council’s mealy-mouthed response.
The bottom line is that the parking attendant involved lied on the parking ticket, with the potential upshot of the council benefiting.
I can’t believe the council take this sort of behaviour so lightly.
And I can’t believe the Tory/ Liberal Democrat coalition in charge at the Town Hall take it so lightly.
Their statement: “An error was made on this occasion with a ticket wrongly being issued before the time the restrictions began”, doesn’t even begin to describe what seems to have happened.
The ticket was issued prior to 8 o’clock with a time on it over 30 minutes later.
Whether committed in error or wilfully, such behaviour should be taken very seriously indeed by the council.
Officers and political leaders should be making attempts to find out whether this was an innocent mistake.
They should take action against the staff member, either via training or disciplinary measures, and they should be ensuring that this can’t happen to another innocent victim.
I’m glad we got rid of our car. Having read this story and the council’s response I would never ever trust them to charge people fairly again.
Sarah Hayward, NW5
Shoddy and complacent
• WHAT a shoddy, complacent response from Camden Council to your report on illegal car ticketing (Parking: time to say sorry, November 12).
The ticket was issued before 8am but timed at 8.35am.
The manager of the nursery on West End Lane commented this wasn’t the first time it had happened.
Yet all the council spokesperson said was that “an error had been made” and that there “is an Overground station within a short walk of the nursery” – one is understatement at best; the other an absolute irrelevance.
The council’s response seems to be just to shrug its collective shoulders.
I thought the Liberal Democrats and Tories running Camden were meant to be the champions of residents against encroaching parking regulations.
Certainly they spent most of the last local elections waxing lyrical about how things would change under their leadership.
Yet all we have is a record amount, year on year, being taken in revenue from parking fines. Where is their apology, their investigation, their promise to make sure this never happens again? What action is the council taking to make sure nobody else is issued such a ticket?
Who would have thought, on parking of all issues, that the Lib Dems and Tories would have been such a let down?
Mike Katz
Chair, Hampstead & Kilburn Labour Party
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