Disabled driver handed parking fine

A disabled driver from Canada has been handed a £70 parking fine even though he displayed his disabled badge whilst visiting Rochdale.

James Dent, a visitor from British Columbia in Canada, received a parking ticket when he parked at The Bridge in Norden - because he did not display a clock showing his time of arrival with his badge.

He explained: “I was parked on a double yellow line on the parking lot.  I was there just to say hello to one of the employees for a cousin that lives in Canada.  The parking enforcement officer observed me from 12.03 to 12.08 in an unmarked white car parked on Hutchinson Road.

“The parking attendant did not recognise the Canadian handicap badge, but said he realised it was valid. I do not want to make a big deal out of this, but the car was parked legally with a valid handicap badge.

"It takes a lot of effort to get this matter cleared up, and the fine of £70 is outrageous: Rochdale is the only place in England that I get a parking ticket.”

Andrew Storey, head of highways at Rochdale Borough Council, said: “Disabled motorists who park in areas with time restrictions are required to display a clock to show the time of arrival.

“Badge holders are advised to check the parking rules in the country they are visiting before travel and inform the police and local authority in advance.  We are happy to issue a clock, free of charge, to visiting motorists from overseas who make the appropriate application. 

“Anyone who believes they have received a parking ticket unfairly can appeal it."