Parking fight (From Penarth Times)

Parking fight

LAST May, I was helping out a friend, a Penarth shopkeeper, by collecting and delivering garments to her store - Frannie's, on Windsor Road. Penarth is notorious for its lack of parking spaces, especially in this particular area.

After parking perfectly legally, I believed - not on double yellow lines, disabled bays, zebra crossings, zigzags or residents' parking areas - I was surprised to find that I had received a parking ticket during a period of 10-15 minutes.

As there are no signs to suggest a criminal offence would be committed if one were to park in Windsor Terrace Lane I rightly felt that a mistake must have been made. I therefore filled in the back of the form with an accompanying letter of explanation and sent it off to Pontypridd.

To my amazement, the relevant authorities did not agree and instead sent me the date for a trial. After an adjournment the date was set for September 23.

On the day, I suggested to the prosecuting solicitor that this case need not proceed any further, but he apparently had instructions from the police to prosecute all (unsuspecting) motorists who park in Windsor Terrace Lane - where there are no signs or lines to inform otherwise.

Two traffic wardens were in Barry magistrates court all morning and one remained all afternoon. We both had to give evidence and be cross-examined, a process which took all day.

I was fortunate on that day to have bumped into a local Penarth solicitor, Jonathan Brierley, who agreed to help me, and after his expert, enthusiastic representation, the magistrates prevailed on the side of common sense and justice. The verdict was not guilty and we were awarded costs.

How much more expense will there be prosecuting innocent motorists of Penarth, many of whom could not give up a whole day in court?

Judith Palmer Ashby Road Sully