Taxi Driver Online

WALTHAM ABBEY: Taxi driver given parking fine while helping passenger aboard

10:54am Friday 3rd September 2010

A taxi driver from Waltham Abbey was shocked when he was slapped with a parking fine while helping a disabled passenger on board.

Nigel Skinner, who runs the Maxi Taxi service, which is based in the town, was loading a woman in a wheelchair onto the back of his cab in Ilford, while the engine was running, when two parking wardens gave him a ticket.

“I was at the back of the vehicle loading the lady in with her wheelchair and the traffic wardens were round the front,” he said. “When they saw what was happening they were very apologetic and said I should appeal.

"They said they would put a note on the ticket and it would be quashed, but that didn't happen.”

He said that Redbridge Council, which gave him the fine, were refusing to back down and had rejected his written appeal.

Mr Skinner was picking his passenger up from an access road near The Exchange shopping centre, where he said loading was allowed, despite double yellow lines.

“That's a good place for me to go and I'm out of the way and not causing anyone any problems,” he added. "The disabled bays were all full up and I would not have been able to operate the wheelchair lift from there anyway.

“I'm just a one man band – it's just me and my minibus doing the best we can and it's not very helpful when I get parking tickets for loading people onto the back of the bus.”

One of Mr Skinner's regular customers, Mike Ver Bruggen, who uses his service to take his disabled mother out, said he was angry with the council.

"My mother has suffered multiple strokes and sometimes taking her out does demand a suitable vehicle," he said. "(Mr Skinner) is helping someone like my mother to get some normality back into her life.

"He's working hard and he's doing a lot. He'll lose out from his own personal life to be there for people."

He added that the way the council had treated Mr Skinner seemed "clinical" and did not take into account how he was helping his community.

The Guardian has asked Redbridge Council to comment.

Source; guardian-series.co.uk - Waltham Forest Guardian

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Kind regards,

Brummie Cabbie.

Type a message, post your news,
Disagree with other members' views;
But please, do have some decorum,
When debating on the TDO Forum.

Take the council to Court under the DDA and give them a heavy fine

Very generous of them.

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IDFIMH

you can pick up on double yellow lines or so I am led to believe although I was given a b*ll^ck$ng by the police for dropping a passenger off in a loading zone last week

I think the council are being totally unreasonable here perhaps if the story appeared on local tv they might be embarrassed enough to back down

Ask the police exactly what the 'loading' bay is for, and then ask them to confirm what you are doing.

In short you are carrying out a lawful function in a lawful manner.

Just get a piece of paper, note their police number and make a complaint.

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IDFIMH

Not that I disagree with the sentiments already expressed by my esteemed colleagues regarding over-zealous wardens, but it might be a dangerous game if the above example were to be used as a defence (ie that the wardens should have realised that he was "about", due to the vehicle's engine running).

Mr Skinner could possibly be accused of not being in full control of his vehicle (with a disabled passenger possibly endangered!) and receive a ticket for that! (I believe there is actually an offence called "Quitting" that may cover it).

I DID the seargeant at the local p[olice station didn't understand the rules properly either !

Shock horror.

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IDFIMH