Saturday 22 October 2011

‘But I’m Special!’

Common sense went out of the window as a jobsworth parking officer dished out a ticket to a Bath charity boss on a mission of mercy who stopped for 90 seconds on double yellow lines.
Sounds like this newspaper has already made its mind up on who is in the wrong here, doesn’t it?
Cecil Weir, who is the funding manager of the Julian House, the city’s homeless shelter, was delivering a box of Christmas cards to the church’s big charity sale this week at St Michael’s Church, which is entirely surrounded by ‘no stopping’ roads in the city centre.

Mr Weir said he had parked for only a minute and a half and returned to his car to find a parking enforcement officer beginning to write out a ticket. The act of writing out the ticket took more than four minutes – three times longer than the car was going to be parked for in the first place.
Well, yes. Just as the act of clamping a car for being an obstruction means it’s there longer than it may have otherwise been.

But, so what? Should we not issue tickets? Even when they are fully deserved?
I fully admit that technically I shouldn’t have parked there, the loading bays were full and I pulled up right in front of them. I wasn’t blocking the road or anything,” he said.

I’m not looking for any special treatment….
Really? OK, pay the ticket and shut up, then.
…I just think it’s such a shame that discretion has gone out of the window.

“The purpose of having double yellow lines is to keep that road clear, but my car was there a lot longer because I got a ticket than if I could have just driven off after 90 seconds.

“I know these traffic wardens have a job to do, but it seems that they are driven by targets rather than common sense,” he said, adding that he would be appealing against his ticket.
Wait, hold on there…

Let’s have that bit above again:
I fully admit that technically I shouldn’t have parked there, the loading bays were full and I pulled up right in front of them.”
Well, that’s going to be one short appeal!

8 comments:

Captain Haddock said...

Sounds as if he opens his mouth only in order to change feet .. ;)

Mark Wadsworth said...

No, I'm special.

Captain Haddock said...

"and so is my ex wife"

Antisthenes said...

"driven by targets rather than common sense,”

A misuse of the words common sense as the common sense thing would have been not to have parked there in the first place. What he actually meant "was the nice thing to do rather than be driven by targets". However in these circumstances being nice is discretionary and determined by a number of factors, big boobs sometimes helps, even showing contrition and eaten humble pie. As I have big boobs of the over eating and not the female variety I always have to resort to the latter. You win some you lose some but life goes on.

Woman on a Raft said...

He should have put his hazard warning lights on. Everybody knows they mean "urgent dry cleaning to collect".

Tattyfalarr said...

"Don't put your finger in the fire, it hurts."

"Holy sh*t, that hurts !"

"Yep." :|

Anonymous said...

I have to agree with Antithenes.If I am working a male colleague we often let women off.We call it "playing the whammers card".If she has gone to all that trouble to grow a large pair then she should be cut some slack in minor traffic matters.
Despite what the public think I honestly have no targets to fill each day.If it's quiet it's quiet.
Jaded

JuliaM said...

"A misuse of the words common sense as the common sense thing would have been not to have parked there in the first place."

Indeed!

"He should have put his hazard warning lights on. Everybody knows they mean "urgent dry cleaning to collect"."

Heh! Mind you, just about the only indicator lights some EVER use...

"If she has gone to all that trouble to grow a large pair then she should be cut some slack in minor traffic matters."

LOL!