Stop parking in parking bays! Yes really.

Mr Mustard has permission to blog this

nice motor

Look! a car with a parking ticket. Is it for parking with a wheel outside of the bay? which would be perfectly understandable as the bay is narrow and the car is wide. No. The London Council's CEO handbook says that an entire wheel should be outside a bay before a PCN is issued and that is not the case here. The car is parked such that all of the zig-zag is visible. The alleged contravention was this one:

Stopped on a pedestrian crossing or crossing area marked by zig zags in Golders Green Road.

Now do you think that this offence has been committed because Mr Mustard doesn't? There is clearly a bay marked out for parking outside of the zigzags and they only apply to the area between the lines, not across the carriageway up to the building line, as is the case with yellow lines.

For locals, this is near Woodstock Avenue.

Formal representations were submitted in response to the Notice to Owner saying that the alleged contravention did not occur.

The back office in Croydon agreed and cancelled the PCN which should not have been issued in the first place, thus wasting everyone's time.  This line appeared in the cancellation letter:

Although we have cancelled your penalty charge notice in (sic) this occasion, please be advised that vehicles are not permitted to park there and alternative parking should be sought next time. Mr Mustard suggests Potters Bar or Welwyn Garden City or anywhere else that gives you some free parking time. Hertsmere Council have it right.

So there you have it readers. You must stop parking in marked out parking bays in Golders Green or risk getting a PCN. Now tell Mr Mustard why shops are finding trading so tough in the London Borough of Barnet. Could it be that NSL's traffic wardens are completely out of control?

It is a good job that this case didn't reach PATAS as it looks like a sure fire case for costs to be paid for wasting the motorist's time, or the necessary "wholly unreasonable behaviour" by Barnet Council.

Yours frugally

Mr Mustard