A driver slapped with a parking ticket while walking her dog has hit out at the charge because of her claims over poor signage.
Alison Myers was given a parking charge notice (PCN) by a Devon County Council parking warden while her car was on the city’s Gervase Avenue.
Ms Myers, who works for the county council as a family practitioner and so stated she would “not knowingly park in contravention of a parking restriction”, said she believed the bay she parked in was unrestricted due to a lack of signage.
The council contends that signage is present and suggests there was a sign “adjacent to the parking place” that displays the need for a residents’ permit and that the signage that was present is “in accordance with the relevant regulations”.
It also added a sign relating to the parking bays had been photographed each time a PCN had been issued.
However, Ms Myers said that when she spoke to a resident on the street, he informed her that one of the signs had been missing “for several years”, and that the remaining sign on the street is “hidden by the corner of a building”.
“As my photographs show, motorists entering or parking along this short street may not have adequate signage to make them aware that they are parking within a residents’ parking zone,” Ms Myers said.
“Without clear and visible signage, drivers could unknowingly park in restricted bays and subsequently receive a PCN.”
Ms Myers has challenged the parking ticket, but the county council has rejected that, and maintained that the fine needs to be paid.
In its letter to her, the council states: “It is the driver’s responsibility to be aware of all parking restrictions and abide by any parking restrictions that apply.
“As no valid permit was held or displayed, the council considers the penalty charge to be correctly and fairly imposed.
Parking within the area is for a resident that holds a resident parking permit. Often the council is contacted to report vehicles that park without holding resident parking permits.
“These residents have to pay for a parking permit for the area. When vehicles occupy parking spaces without a resident permit, residents become unhappy and other motorists, such as visitors to neighbouring properties, are often unable to park.”
While Ms Myers did not mention the missing sign in her initial challenge to the council, she has subsequently after speaking to the resident.
“But this unfortunately has made no difference to my case,” she added.
Ms Myers said the council’s letter states there was a sign “adjacent to the parking place… that conveys that the parking place is restricted to those who hold a valid permit”.
“This is factually incorrect,” she said.
“The sign that should be adjacent to my parking space is missing, as I’ve shown in my photographs to them.
“Consequently, the restriction was not adequately signed because there was no resident parking sign adjacent to, or facing, the parking place where my vehicle was parked.”
She added that where she parked there was “no sign to observe”.
“From the position where my vehicle was parked outside No. 6 Gervase Avenue, no resident parking sign is visible,” she said.
“Photographs taken from the location where my vehicle was parked clearly demonstrate this.
“The only remaining sign in the vicinity is mounted on the wall at the corner of No. 3. That sign is obscured from view when parked outside No. 6 because it is hidden by the corner of the building.
“It only becomes visible if a person walks further down the street to a position outside No. 3.”
Ms Myers added that the resident she spoke to said he had reported the missing sign to the council but no action had yet been taken to replace it, and that he would be willing to provide evidence at a Traffic Penalty Tribunal if the case went that far.
A DCC spokesperson said: “We are unable to discuss individual cases, but we can confirm that the residents’ parking bays on Gervase Avenue are signed in accordance with the relevant regulations.
“We are not aware of any missing signs relating to these bays.
“Since 2020, 16 Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) have been issued at this location. Seven of these were issued this year.
“The sign relating to these bays has been photographed in place on each occasion that a PCN has been issued.
“Anyone who believes a PCN has been issued incorrectly can use the formal appeals process on Devon County Council’s website.”
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