Edinburgh tradesman baffled after parking warden issues ticket after van breaks down
An Edinburgh tradesman has been left baffled after his broken down van saw him slapped with a parking fine.
Mathew McDonnell, who runs his own refrigeration and air conditioning business, was travelling through the city’s West End on Tuesday when he suddenly encountered a ‘major technical fault’ near Queensferry Road. But after managing to park it in a safe area on Learmonth Terrace, Mat soon learned this was just the beginning of his problems.
Speaking to the Evening News, Mathew said: “I found a spot to park so that I could call the tow truck and get picked up without blocking peak traffic. But then a traffic warden came along and started shaking his finger at me.
“I said it's broken down. I can't move it. The brakes aren't working. The steering's not working – it won’t start.”
The father of four said he was then issued with a parking fine despite telling the warden there was nothing he could do to move the vehicle. Mathew has since disputed ticket.
Mathew said: “I was actually on my way to Kwik Fit to get a puncture repair done and I thought well at least if I get there they've got the know-how and the tools to fix whatever's wrong. But just I was about to turn onto Queensferry Road, the ABS failure light came on. Right after that the steering and brakes started getting heavy and then everything went dead - lights, indicators, everything went off.
“The traffic was starting to get heavy and I thought I really don't want to be stuck here, so I turned down the side street into Learmonth Terrace, but it wasn’t easy to steer and the engine was starting to stutter.
“When he started printing the ticket I thought surely not. I said ‘what do you want me to do? It's immovable. Do you want me to try and drive a van I can't move it?’ But he just shrugged his shoulders and gave me a blank look – he didn’t actually say anything to me. It was just chaos.”
Mathew said he got in touch with Edinburgh council after the incident to complain. The council advised parking attendants must issue an on-the-spot ticket if they are unable to confirm that a vehicle has broken down. It added that drivers can appeal tickets by providing proof via its appeal process.
“I phoned the council customer service line and they were actually very helpful,” he said. “I asked is it council policy that if your vehicle has a major fault you should keep driving to a place where you're legally allowed to park? They said ‘well obviously you stop immediately wherever's safe’. I told them that’s what I'd done and just got a parking ticket for it.
“I was stressed enough sitting in the freezing cold for two and a half hours waiting on the tow truck coming - I couldn't even put the windows up on the van, so I was absolutely shivering.”
Mat added: “I’m just trying to earn a living and keep a house over my family's head and it seems like wardens just want to empty your pockets.
An Edinburgh council spokesperson said: “We would encourage anyone who has received a parking ticket which they feel has been unfairly issued to appeal it via existing channels.”