Wirral’s Smart cars give tickets – for parking legally

Sep 23 2009 by Carrie Catterall, Birkenhead News

Wirral’s Smart cars are causing more controversy as disabled drivers receive tickets – for parking legally

DISABLED drivers are receiving parking tickets because Wirral Council’s Smart car can’t recognise blue badges.

The new ‘spy car’, which has taken the job of a traffic warden, uses a spy camera to photograph vehicles parked illegally.

The driver of the illegally parked car is then sent a fine through the post.

But the cameras haven’t been able to see onto the dashboard of some vehicles and disabled drivers who have displayed a blue badge and are parked legally have received parking tickets after being pictured by the Smart car.

John Cowley, 65, of Irby, has a blue badge because he is the driver for his wife Cheryl, an arthritis sufferer.

He received a ticket after his car was photographed.

The grandfather said: “The fact this camera didn’t see the blue badge on my dashboard is ridiculous and it means me and other disabled people could get tickets again and again for parking perfectly legally.

“When I got my ticket I had 14 days to pay £35 or appeal. If I lost my appeal, which can take up to 28 days, I would then have to pay £70.

“Luckily I won the appeal, but the letter that I received said I might not win it next time.

“I find the whole thing absurd and quite a trauma to sort out. In my whole 18 years of having a disabled badge, I have never had a problem with parking tickets until these Smart cars came along.”

Wirral Council have now assured the News that new procedures are in place to ensure that tickets are not issued to blue badge holders where the badge gives them exemption to park. A spokesman said: “We would like to apologise to any blue badge holders who received a ticket before these new procedures were in place.”

Last month a Traffic Penalty Tribunal also ruled that unless councils put up signs warning motorists that Smart cars are in operation, the tickets are invalid.