Pay and dismay ticket confusion

VICTORY . . . motorist Allan Gibson won his case against Oldham Council

SIGNS in a car park where drivers have been fined for buying tickets from the wrong machine were ruled inadequate nearly two years ago.

Three motorists have complained to the Chronicle in the last fortnight alone about Southgate Car Park at Gallery Oldham.

Furious drivers returned to their cars to find they had received a penalty charge - despite buying a ticket.

In each case they had used the ticket machine covering street parking, rather than a machine on the car park itself.

The council refused to quash their fines when they argued their honest mistake.

The Chronicle first highlighted the problem in 2004. Tthere is no barrier between street and car park and drivers naturally use the nearest machine. Thoses caught out complain the signs are too small.

But Allan Gibson from Moorside had his £60 fine quashed two years ago when he appealed to the Traffic Penalty Tribunal.

Adjudicator Shaun Cole ordered the council to cancel the charge in October 2010 and said: “I find that the signage was inadequate to bring to the attention of a motorist unfamiliar with the area the fact that there were two separate car parks.

Mr Gibson (66) said: “I was mad. If I had paid on the car park it might have cost me five pence more.

“It’s quite clear this is happening all the time. Oldham Council is obviously quite willing to allow this. It is a nice little earner.”

But Councillor Dave Hibbert - Cabinet member from transport - insisted the signage is clear.

Parking in Southgate Street is currently suspended due to Metrolink work, and the machine has been covered.

He said each case is considered individually, and there were other cases where the penalty charge had been upheld.






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