Bexleyheath traffic warden gives coach a ticket while driver helps disabled passenger (From News Shopper)
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Bexleyheath traffic warden gives coach a ticket while driver helps disabled passenger
5:53pm Thursday 13th September 2012 in News By Tim MacFarlan, Bexley and north Kent reporter
The traffic warden first approaches the coach...
A "JOBSWORTH" traffic warden slapped a coach with a parking ticket while the driver was trying to help a disabled passenger onto the pavement.
Witnesses watched in amazement as the male warden ticketed the vehicle while it was parked in Townley Road outside Broadway Shopping Centre in Bexleyheath at around 1.45pm on Friday (September 7).
Glyn Browning, 61, was out shopping with a friend when she came across the driver of the red single decker coach helping a lady with her wheelchair-bound husband and their luggage.
The Harlington Road resident, who sent News Shopper mobile phone pictures of the incident, said the vehicle was parked on double yellow lines but in a place where Dial-a-Ride buses for the disabled often stop.
The retired help desk team leader said: "While there were illegally parked cars all around them this traffic warden decided to give the coach a ticket.
"There were cars pulling up behind the traffic warden and some behind the coach and he was ignoring them until people were shouting out for him to give them a ticket too.
"We were just totally amazed at what he was doing and the lady felt awful that the driver had got a ticket."
Are you the man, his wife or the coach driver involved? Did you see what happened? E-mail tim.macfarlan@london.newsquest.co.uk, ring 01689 885702 or tweet @NewsShopperTim
Comments(5)
goldenbroomboy
says...
6:53am Fri 14 Sep 12
If I were the driver I would appeal the ticket. whilst Bexley Council are unlikely to cancel the same, the Adjudicator may recommend that the ticket be cancelled given the circumstances. Whilst the same would not be legally binding on the council, they are unlikely to ignore the recommendation of an Adjudicator.
tj.kent
says...
9:08am Fri 14 Sep 12
Smart Cookie
says...
12:37pm Fri 14 Sep 12
Also the Council seems to be at fault because they are required to put on the street only CEOs that have been properly trained and understand what they are doing.
It is not permitted to wait on double yellow lines except that it is permitted briefly for the purpose of boarding and alighting and that includes sufficient time to assist an elderly or disabled passenger into or from an adjacent building.
A prompt apology from the Council is obviously required together with either disciplinary action and/or retraining of their staff.
How many other CEO's of this Council do not know the rules of what they are enforcing?
DrDBexley
says...
12:46pm Fri 14 Sep 12
Smart Cookie wrote:None of their warden's are trained.
Not only is this Civil Enforcement Officer self evidently a dimwit he doesn't understand the parking restrictions he is employed to enforce.
Also the Council seems to be at fault because they are required to put on the street only CEOs that have been properly trained and understand what they are doing.
It is not permitted to wait on double yellow lines except that it is permitted briefly for the purpose of boarding and alighting and that includes sufficient time to assist an elderly or disabled passenger into or from an adjacent building.
A prompt apology from the Council is obviously required together with either disciplinary action and/or retraining of their staff.
How many other CEO's of this Council do not know the rules of what they are enforcing?
I got a ticket for having one wheel 1/2 and inch off my drive once, but of course with a dropped kerb the pavement is then considered part of the highway as it's a crossing from the highway and so my car wasn't, as alledged, parked on the pavement.
I got another ticket for parking on the kerb, which I'll admit I was, but this time the warden put me down as being in a completely different road, which obviously nullified the ticket since the ticket stated I was illegally parked in "**** road", which I wasn't.
lets face it, they don't do it to enforce parking, they do it to make money so why spend the money you're making on ensuring you upgrade the warden from "monkey" level when most people don't fight the penalty.
Dangerous_1981 says...
11:08pm Thu 13 Sep 12