A driver has been issued a £110 fine after leaving his car unattended for one minute while attempting to pay for parking. Zhangyu Wu, 55, said he was reading the payment instructions just metres away from his Toyota in Enfield when an enforcement officer fined him for being parked without payment.
The penalty charge notice (PCN) showed the warden had observed the car unattended for only one minute before issuing the penalty. Despite explaining the situation in person, Zhangyu was told he had to appeal the fine, which was later rejected by the council.
Driver's account of the incident
The business owner told Metro: 'It is awful and not fair. They do not have any common sense.' He added: 'Drivers should be given a reasonable amount of time to read the payment instructions.'
Zhangyu parked in an Enfield Council parking bay on Green Lanes just before 9am on June 9 this year. He said he had just stepped out of his vehicle and walked across to a parking sign when an enforcement officer walked over to his Toyota and fined it.
'I was just understanding how I was supposed to pay. The sign has lots of small letters,' Zhangyu said. He added: 'I was not trying to avoid paying, I was trying to follow the rules. The officer thought I was not a driver.'
Council's response and appeal process
The PCN shows the parking warden had observed his vehicle 'parked without payment of the parking charge' for just one minute, from 8.55am to 8.56am. The council said their officer did not see anyone at the nearby parking restriction sign. However, Zhangyu was recorded protesting to the warden at 8.57am, just seconds after the penalty was issued.
Zhangyu went over to the officer and explained he had only just arrived and was still working out how to pay. The parking inspector told him the PCN had already been issued and the only option he had was to appeal. Zhangyu wrote to the council with the same explanation but was told there was 'no grounds… to wave the PCN'.
The driver said: 'I don't understand. Is the council using this as a way to generate money? It is not fair. Anybody with a reasonable understanding should see this is not correct and should be cancelled.'
Ongoing dispute
While the fine had a discount rate of £55, Zhangyu refused to pay, so his sister-in-law – who is the owner of the Toyota – has now been formally sent a Notice to Owner to pay the full £110 fine. Zhangyu has now vowed to formally challenge the punishment.
He said: 'My point is not that people should park without paying. But my question is whether it is fair to issue a £110 penalty when someone has just arrived.'
Enfield Council defended their decision to issue a Penalty Charge Notice. A spokesperson said: 'A council Civil Enforcement Officer (CEO) followed procedure in this case, by remaining with the vehicle in question the whole time. No one was seen in the vicinity of the vehicle or at the nearby parking restriction sign, so the CEO issued a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) correctly.'
