Here’s a fine prize for fed up motorists (From Bucks Free Press)

Here’s a fine prize for fed up motorists

11:43am Friday 27th November 2009 in

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ONE of the many things that gets my goat is the way Parking fines are enforced in Wycombe.

So, in a brand new Backchat competition, I am going to offer a first prize of £25 for the reader providing me with the story of the most outrageous penalty ticket in the district.

I’m referring specifically to penalties enforced by Wycombe District Council since it took over warden duties in October last year.

Naturally, I have to declare I have my own personal gripe. I was fined in April in Priory Avenue, High Wycombe, after innocently buying a ticket from the wrong meter.

I foolishly crossed the road and bought the ticket from a machine in The Greenway almost directly opposite my car. My mistake was not to study the signs.

If I’d done so I would have realised Parking is significantly more expensive in Priory Avenue, and I should have used a meter in that road.

I was given a ticket which was fair enough on reflection because I’d underpaid, but the council appeals department steadfastly refused to accept my representations.

I find it infuriating that there appears to be no leniency for first-time errors when you have genuinely tried to buy a ticket. All around town I see drivers dangerously double Parking, blocking streets and causing havoc, but they all seem to get away with it.

I’m not alone in my fury. Last week, we reported on the case of Graham Enfield, pictured left, who was also fined in Priory Avenue.

He bought a valid ticket, but it flipped upside down on the dashboard, probably when he shut the door. He followed the appeals procedure, but has also been told he still has to pay.

The moral of this story is either to ensure you are superhuman and never ever inadvertently fall foul of the rules, or it’s: don’t take a risk and park in Priory Avenue.

* Send in your stories of Outrageous Parking Fines to Midweek, Station Road, High Wycombe, HP10 9TY or to scohen@london.newsquest.co.uk Normal competition rules apply and the editor’s indecision is final (probably).

* Alternatively, send me in explanations as to the origins of the term ‘Gets my goat’, which I used in the first paragraph. A pack of goat’s cheese goes to the best answer.