A mum-of-two said she has been hit with an ‘unreasonable’ £50 parking fine in Heaton Park.
Amanda Foxman, from Watford, Hertfordshire, visited the beauty spot with her her husband and their two children, aged 8 and 11, for a stroll. Having left her vehicle in the Garden Centre car park, the family came back to find they had been issued with a £50 Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) from Manchester Council for parking beyond the bay markings.
Amanda, who works for a management consultancy, said she had no idea she had used a prohibited parking space on June 3. “We were visiting the park with the kids to see the squirrels,” Amanda told the M.E.N.
“I had parked in what I thought was a standard bay spot and paid for my parking via the app. It was a really nice day but coming back to a parking fine wasn’t really part of the plan.”
Speaking about the spot she had parked in, Amanda explained: “There was a white line on the ground next to where I parked where the double yellow lines ended. I had thought this marked the end of the parking bay,
“The only thing I didn’t realise at the time is that the bay didn’t have a white T marking on the floor, like the other bays. But I wasn’t obstructing anyone, I wasn't causing any issues at all. There was nothing to say there was no parking.”
Amanda said she has since written to the council over the parking fine to explain the situation but the local authority has said it could not cancel the PCN because part of the vehicle was parked 'outside the bay markings', which is 'fully enforceable'.
The council said that the pre-existing signs and road markings at Heaton Park were designed as to 'not detract from the natural beauty of the Park by creating an urban "highway" style environment'.
“I think their response is absolutely nonsense to me,” Amanda added. “I understand they want to respect the beauty of the park, but I believe there still needs to be a sign or something making people aware that they will be fined if they park there."
Amanda said she is contesting the fine as she calls it ‘unreasonable’ and said she intends to formally challenge the penalty once the council submits a notice to owner (NtO).
“I’m refusing to pay the penalty because I think they’re being totally unreasonable,” she explained. “Had I parked on a double yellow line, I would accept that I’d done something wrong but I paid for a ticket on the app and I don’t feel like I’ve done anything wrong.
"I would be pretty surprised if I am the only person who has fallen victim to this. I feel like someone has just taken the opportunity to fine me because they know they can."
In a statement to the M.E.N, a spokesperson for Manchester Council said: "In all car parks administered by the Council there is clear signage indicating that motorists must park in designated bays in order for pay and display tickets to be valid. In cases where this does not happen enforcement officers may issue a Penalty Charge Notice to drivers.
"A person issued with an PCN can make an appeal to the Council if they do not believe it was issued correctly."
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