Residents refuse to pay fines in protest at parking rules - The Redditch Standard

Residents refuse to pay fines in protest at parking rules

Redditch Editorial 26th Feb, 2015 Updated: 18th Oct, 2016   0

A MAN who has received more than 100 parking tickets is refusing to pay them in protest at unfair restrictions he says is penalising him for living in his own home.

Azijur Rahman has lived on Mount Pleasant for 25 years and has never had a problem parking on the street until a parking bay was introduced on a stretch of road outside his house about four years ago, limiting parking to just 20 minutes between 8am and 6pm.

Mr Rahman said he had lost count of how many times he had been ticketed, particularly in the last 12 months, and has now stopped paying the fines in protest at how ridiculous the situation has become.

“On one occasion I went away and when I returned I had about 20 tickets on my windscreen,” he said.




“I’ve spoken to the council, I raised it with our previous MP, I’ve raised it with Karen Lumley who said she would sort it but nothing ever gets done.”

Neighbour Carrie Gibbs has been ticketed 11 times in the last eight months. She has challenged every one but without success and now owes several thousand pounds in fines and administration costs and has also been threatened with action by bailiffs.


But she is still refusing to pay as she says parking wardens are unfairly targeting residents who have no other choice.

The mum of three, who has a disabled son, said on one occasion she was parked on double yellow lines while trying to get her children and a car full of shopping into the house and forgot to display her blue badge. When the warden pointed it out to her she apologised and said she was about to do it but she was still given a ticket.

“I’m not saying I shouldn’t get a ticket but I’ve got nowhere else to go,” she said.

“We do feel like we are being victimised.”

Mount Pleasant is one of the areas singled out for action as part of a town centre parking strategy being developed by county council chiefs. But the pair believe urgent action is needed and are calling for a residents’ permit scheme to be introduced or as a temporary measure the removal of the waiting time restriction on the bays.

Jon Fraser, the county council’s community and customer liaison manager, said residents would need to contact their local county councillor to suggest changes to parking restrictions as there was a legal process which had to be followed.

“Having said that we would never rule out any suggestions without considering the proposals.”

Christine Baxter, Parking services manager for Wychavon District Council which runs parking enforcement on behalf of Redditch Borough Council, added if residents had evidence of unfair treatment they should contact them and they would investigate.

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