Echo photographer James Maloney, 34, from Fazakerley, who was given a fine after leaving his car for 12 seconds in order to correctly display a valid visitor's permit while parking directly outside his in-laws near Goodison Park
A driver called on the council to use common sense after he was hit with a fine for leaving his car for just 12 seconds to collect a parking permit.
James Maloney, a photographer for the ECHO, said he parked outside the home of his parents-in-law on Millman Road, Walton , at about 8.15pm on September 18 and popped in to collect their visitors? permit.
But when he returned just moments later he found a parking ticket on his windscreen.
James, 34, from Fazakerley , said: ?I imagine that Usain Bolt would have trouble getting in and out of the house quick enough to display a valid visitor?s permit within 12 seconds.?
He added: ?Quite how someone is supposed to display a permit without getting out of their car in order to get it from the householder is beyond me. I?d be interested in the council offering some clarity on this.?
The ticket showed an observation period of just 12 seconds ? although a council spokesman said that would not have referred to the time the car was left unattended.
The spokesman said: ?The penalty charge notice (PCN) was for an instant contravention.
?In effect this means that there is no observation period. The time on the notice noted as the observation time would actually be when all the details inputted by the civil enforcement officer are sent to the printer to issue the notice. This can take up to a minute.
?We issue instant PCNs in the football match zone to comply with residents? wishes. At various residents groups, in the past, we have been asked to be more robust in how we police the area, so contraventions are penalised to reflect this.
?Before an enforcement officer issues the PCN they check around the vehicle, including the inside, to see if the person may have had a resident?s permit on display, which could have fallen to the floor.
?They also record the tax details of the vehicle, and its location. This means that it can take in reality up to five minutes to issue the PCN once all the relevant information has been entered in to the hand held device.
?Our records indicate that our officers were in the street for 10 minutes, and they are very visible.
?As it stands, if he does not wish to pay the fine, he can wait for the Notice to Owner to make a formal statutory challenge to the issue of the PCN. If it is rejected again, he will be given details on how to make a formal appeal to the Traffic Penalty Tribunal.?
James said: ?The fine doesn?t bother me. It?s more the principle. I am more than happy to donate the full amount of the fine to a charity of Mayor Joe Anderson?s choice if the council decides to exercise a bit of common sense on this occasion.?
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