A pensioner visiting the UK for the first time in 60 years has been hit with a £60 fine for overstaying in a car park by just 11 seconds, sparking fury among drivers.
The driver who flew from Nashville, USA, received the penalty after parking in Margate's Lido Car Park during a nostalgic trip to Kent.
The driver had come to visit the Winter Gardens with her niece, reminiscing about seeing The Beatles perform there in 1963. However, her day was marred when she realised she had parked in the wrong location, the Daily Mail detailed.
The fine has sparked outrage among locals and tourists alike, with many questioning the fairness of such strict enforcement.
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Drivers had not visited UK in 60 years
GETTYThe driver stated: "We were just looking for the Winter Gardens and realised we needed to go further up the coastline, so had literally stopped the car, got out, realised our mistake, and drove further up."
The pensioner was dismayed to receive a £60 fine for what she thought was a brief stop. "It was a nostalgic visit for me and was totally ruined by receiving a £60 fine for pulling in and out of a parking lot,” she said.
She felt the signage in the car park was inadequate, stating, "I did not see any clear sign in the car park that something like this could happen. There should be a 10 or 15-minute grace period before issuing a ticket."
The pensioner attempted to appeal the fine but was unsuccessful. Concerned about the fee potentially rising to £100 while awaiting a decision, she and her niece paid the £60 upfront.
The fine was issued by car park enforcement firm ParkingEye, which uses number-plate recognition cameras.
The incident has sparked a debate about the fairness of such strict time limits and the clarity of parking signage in tourist areas.
Local residents have voiced their concerns about the parking situation. One person shared on social media: “There should be allowance of say five minutes. However if someone was a bit longer then there should be an allowance for that - say one minute.
“But if people overstayed the extra allowance on the allowance they should get an allowance on that - say 10 seconds - which should also have an allowance of say one second. Alternatively there is an absolute cut off.”
Someone else shared: “The whole parking management industry lives in the Wild West and runs on a barely legal but wholly immoral business model which maximises the opportunities and use dirty tricks to catch out the motorist and dish out parking charge notices.
“These tricks include 'app only' payment which blatantly discriminates against those without smartphones or who don't have the digital ability to download and use apps, dress up their parking charge notices to look like official fines, or penalty charge notices (which can only be issued by a local authority or the police) and worst of all, because they have this cosy agreement with DVLA.”
These comments highlight the ongoing debate about the clarity and fairness of parking regulations in tourist areas.
ParkingEye, the enforcement firm responsible for the fine, defended their actions. A spokesperson stated that the car park at Lido in Margate is monitored by ANPR camera systems and has “14 prominent and highly visible signs that give motorists clear guidance on how to use the car park responsibly".
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Pensioner fined £60
PAThe company explained that motorists are advised of 24/7 tariffs and payment options with the spokesperson adding that the motorist parked in the car park without paying and “therefore received a parking charge”.
ParkingEye emphasised their appeals process, audited by the British Parking Association. "The motorist did not provide any mitigating circumstances for failing to adhere to the terms and conditions of the car park and their appeal was rejected," the spokesperson concluded.
