This was the surreal moment an Uber driver stopped on zig-zag lines outside a primary school to wash his car. Stuart Allsopp was driving past Littlemoor Primary School, in Oldham, when he noticed a white Toyota Prius parked illegally during school hours.
He captured footage after pulling over nearby, with the video showing the Uber driver washing his car's windscreen and bonnet. Mr Allsopp told the Manchester Evening News: "After I had parked up I saw they had astonishingly, decided to get out and clean their car whilst on the lines.
"Pulling up the wipers, spraying the screen, washing the lights. So this wasn't a pick up, this was sheer entitled arrogance."
Join our WhatsApp Top Stories and Breaking News group by clicking this link
After watching the bizarre car washing episode unfold shortly after 10am on June 5, Mr Allsopp sent the video to Oldham council. He hoped the local authority would be able to use the footage to issue a fine to the driver - but he managed to escape any punishment thanks to a legal loophole.
Mr Allsopp said: "I contacted Oldham council parking to submit the evidence and for them to issue a ticket and was given a word salad of a reply some hours later saying they would send someone to look. Several hours after the driver had gone. Pointless."
Mr Allsopp says he followed up the email to check if if the driver had since been issued with a ticket. He later received a reply, in which the council stated the incident would have had to be witnessed by a parking attendant in order for a ticket to be issued, and that the driver could not be fined based on the footage.
"The arrogant driver had got away with this because Oldham council can't be bothered to issue a ticket," Mr Allsopp added. "Is it any wonder people blatantly ignore zig zags?"
Oldham council confirmed it was unable to issue a penalty charge notice (PCN) to the Uber driver from watching Mr Allsopp's video. Under existing legislation, councils can only issue fines to drivers if issues are witnessed by enforcement officers.
By law, they are required to record specific information including location, contravention code, officer identification number and the PCN number which is automatically generated at the time. It means retrospective action cannot take place, but the council insists it will monitor the area closely in future.
Coun Chris Goodwin, cabinet member for neighbourhoods, said: “Irresponsible and illegal parking is taken very seriously by Oldham Council and our parking enforcement officers are out and about every day to tackle this issue as we know it’s important to residents. We do understand Mr Allsopp’s frustrations, given the pictured road user has clearly breached parking restrictions, and we are thankful for his efforts to submit evidence of this person’s wrongdoing.
“Unfortunately, however, we are bound by government legislation though as only a fully trained civil enforcement officer can issue a ticket at the time of a contravention, which prevents us from enforcing against incidents retrospectively. Our officers will monitor this area closely going forward though to prevent this from happening in future.”
An Uber spokesperson added: "The safety of our passengers, drivers and the general public is a top priority for Uber. All drivers who use the app are required to adhere to all national and local laws and the rules of the road, and we regularly engage with drivers to remind them of these requirements."
READ NEXT:
