Council Mistake Leads to Car Park Full of Vehicles Being Ticketed in High Wycombe
A commuter in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, was left astonished upon returning to her vehicle to find that an entire car park had been ticketed due to a council error. The incident occurred on Monday at the Duke Street car park, where it was discovered that Buckinghamshire Council had mistakenly put up a small sign indicating that the car park was closed for “relining.”
Heleen Jalvingh, a local resident, arrived at the car park early in the morning, paid for her parking ticket through a mobile app, and parked alongside other cars already present. However, she noticed a lack of prominent notices in the car park, only later seeing a picture on Facebook of a small sign somewhere on the premises.
To her surprise, upon returning to her vehicle, she found a yellow plastic envelope affixed to her windshield, indicating that she had been fined. Feeling disappointed, Jalvingh expressed her concern over poor communication, suggesting that app-users should have received notifications through the app itself or seen clearer signage at the car park entrance.
In response to the incident, Buckinghamshire Council acknowledged their mistake and announced that all issued tickets would be canceled. Councillor Steven Broadbent, the cabinet member for transport, apologized for the inconvenience caused, explaining that only a limited number of parking bays were intended to be closed for the installation of electric vehicle charging bays, rather than the entire car park. The council admitted that insufficient notice was given to customers regarding this action and assured those affected that the tickets would be reversed, while those who had already paid would be refunded.
This incident serves as a reminder of the importance of effective communication and signage to avoid such errors and inconvenience for motorists.
