Good Samaritan taxi driver fined
Tuesday 15 March 2011
A Good Samaritan taxi driver was given a parking ticket while helping a disabled passenger from his car – and then branded a liar by the company who issued the fine.
John Tyreman works as a taxi driver for Whitby’s Harrison’s Taxis and had parked his vehicle in the railway station car park, close to the door of the Co-op, when the parking attendant pounced.
The car park has been a constant source of discontent among locals and tourists who have been hit with fines by the company who police it on behalf of Network Rail.
Mr Tyreman said: “It was a regular fare, and she needs some assistance. I have to walk her and support her because she’s severely disabled."
“She always asks us to walk her into Co-op because she always feels she needs someone to support her."
“I normally park at the car park in front of the railway and walk her into the supermarket, where she gets a trolley and can then support herself.”
When Mr Tyreman returned to the car he saw a parking official taking a photograph of his vehicle. The official then handed him a fine on the spot.
Mr Tyreman added: “So for doing your good deed for the day you get a ticket for £60. If you don’t pay within 14 days it’s then £90 and you get an administration fee on top, making it £140."
The Gazette contacted LDK, who manage the car park, and spoke to a legal representative named Mr Osborn, who refused to give his first name.
He said: “The only response I can give is he has been telling you a pack of porkies."
“The gentleman in question was gone for more than five minutes."
“I have photographic evidence of him returning on his own to the car park and he returned to the vehicle with his own shopping.”
With LDK suggesting there was no passenger at all and that Mr Tyreman had simply been doing his shopping, the only solution was to talk to the old lady herself.
The Gazette has learned she is Janet Smith, of Auckland Way, Whitby, and she said: “It’s awful, he wasn’t doing any shopping. I have to walk with a stick and I am very uneven when it’s not flat. He helped me out the car and into the Co-op.”
When the Gazette later called LDK back to get a further comment we were told Mr Osborn had taken the day off sick and that for access to the photographs of Mr Tyreman we would need his written consent, which he gladly provided.
LDK forwarded the photographs to the Gazette and they clearly show Mr Tyreman returning to his vehicle with no shopping, but also miss him helping Mrs Smith into the store. Mr Tyreman added: “I was away from the car for three minutes at most. He must have seen me pull up because it all happened so quick.
“In the time it took me to take her in and come out he must have been on the scene and if he did see me he will have seen we were linked arms and she needed help.
“All we want is a bit of common sense, I know where I was but I was not doing anything wrong.”
Mr Tyreman appealed the decision but this was immediately dismissed by LDK.
Source; http://www.whitbygazette.co.uk/news/loc ... _1_3180356
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