Car Parking Tickets:- a Step Too Far

Subject: Car Parking Tickets:- a Step Too Far
From: Alex Kemp
Date: Wednesday, 13 May 2015 20:54:57 +0100
To: Oliver Kemp, Micaela Kemp, Liisa Kemp, Davin Kemp

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In the UK, double yellow lines were introduced together with section 51 of the 1960 Road Traffic Act. Their presence at the side of the road means “no parking permitted”. British motorists have long complained that these lines--just like parking meters, which were introduced into the UK in 1958 and speed cameras, introduced in 1991--are cash-cows for the local authorities that administer them. We now have proof positive that some councils are deliberately moving legally-parked cars on to kerbs with double yellow lines, then fining the motorist.

Clair Morris, 33, has lived in Burton Road, West Didsbury, Manchester for 5 years. Last Thursday, 7 May 2015, she parked her Mazda MX-5 legally, as per normal, on Northern Grove (which is close to her home). Now, Clair calls her MX-5 ‘Tracey’, but that doesn’t sound like a good enough reason for what happened next, which she only discovered after returning to Tracey on Sunday morning.

Tracey was now on the opposite side of the road to where Clair had left it. A neighbour told Clair that they had seen a tow-truck move Tracey across to the other side of the road. Indeed, Tracey had a council notice under one windscreen-wiper saying “RE-POSITIONED BY THE COUNCIL”. Now, that is a touch disconcerting, but not nearly as disturbing as the double-yellow lines under the wheels and the penalty notice under the other wiper:

It seems that the council had plans to put double yellow lines under Tracey, but could not do that whilst she was parked on the unpainted curb. Blast! Bugger! Call in the tow-truck! Fortunately, there were already double yellow lines on the other side of the street, so she did not need to be towed very far. Then, there were probably 3 parking wardens positioned close by & equipped with binoculars. Ha! ha! ha! Fiendish council plan completed within minutes.

Clair contacted the council. BBC News contacted the council. Manchester Evening News‎, The Independent, The Daily Mail, The Daily Mirror & The Telegraph contacted the council. The council decided that “it’s contractors had made a mistake”.