A LOCAL resident has called double standards on a traffic warden who parked in double yellow lines to issue parking tickets.
Working on Wescott Road to distribute parking tickets, the Civil Enforcement Officer (CEO) was photographed entering his white Ford, which was parked on double yellow lines.
Resident of the road, Dave McArthur said: “I pay for a permit to allow me to park where I live, but I received a parking ticket at 9.15pm on a Monday evening while on double yellow lines for 15 minutes as there were no other spaces available.
“I noticed though it seems fine for people administering tickets to park in exactly the same space on double yellow lines.
“I trust he’ll be paying in the 14 days like I had to.”
However, the law is slightly more lenient for CEOs than regular drivers. While not allowed to park on double yellow lines if there are other available spaces, they are allowed in some situations.
A spokesperson from Wokingham Borough Council said: “Civil enforcement officers are allowed to park in contravention when enforcing restrictions if there is no alternative.”
Back in 2015, Government Ministers called for an end to parking tickets, with a ‘common sense’ approach suggested instead.
The then Transport Secretary, Patrick McLoughlin, suggested that authorities should consider giving a verbal warning to a driver who has committed a minor parking contravention.
He suggested that drivers who find a traffic warden writing a ticket as they return to their car should be let off with a verbal warning.
When it comes to parking tickets, the Government has a mandatory 10-minute ‘grace period’ for drivers after their tickets expire.
