Could you please help me with some advice regarding a parking ticket? I am a disabled driver and hold a blue parking permit.
In April, I parked in a disabled space at a free railway station car park in Birmingham. On returning, I found a parking charge notice issued by a company called Vehicle Control Services (VCS).
The ticket said it was issued because a wheel was touching a yellow line next to the disabled space.
I read all the instructions and wrote an appeal letter, apologising if my wheel had touched a yellow line, which I could not confirm for myself, and asked if they would please treat my appeal sympathetically.
The paperwork said the company aimed to notify me of its decision within 28 days but also said: “If you do not hear from us within 28 days DO NOT ASSUME that your appeal has been successful.”
I had not received a reply when another letter arrived from VCS. It said that, as I had not paid half the fee in the required time, I owed £100. No mention was made of my first letter.
I have written again and have tried telephoning VCS but have been unable to speak to anyone or leave a message. I am finding the whole thing very distressing. AW, West Midlands
What has it come to when a disabled driver, who has parked in a disabled space in a free car park is issued with a £100 fine for leaving a tyre touching a yellow line? And is then ignored by the parking company?
This is not the first time that VCS has appeared in the Observer’s consumer pages.
I contacted Transport for West Midlands – the authority that operates the car park. It took up your case and I can report a happy outcome as the ticket has been scrapped.
“VCS has an excellent track record of dealing with appeals within the 28-day target and we have asked them to investigate why a response appears not to have been sent on this occasion. By way of an apology for the apparent delay, VCS has agreed to waive the penalty charge notice,” said a Transport for West Midlands spokesman.
He said the parking company had no financial incentive to issue penalty notices as the fines generated by the “considerate parking scheme” go to Transport for West Midlands and are reinvested in its park and ride facilities.
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