Fined for parking outside own home (From Times Series)

Fined for parking outside own home

1:37pm Thursday 26th June 2003 in News By Sophie Kummer

An outraged resident from West Hendon has been landed with a £95 fine after falling foul of a controlled parking zone on his street.

Tony Merakli, 33, who lives in Warner Close, was given a permit by Barnet Council when a new CPZ was set up in his road in September last year.

But unknown to him, the permit he was given did not entitle him to park his gold Granada outside his house in the restricted hour between 10am to 11am.

In March, he was fined £60 for parking in a bay in the CPZ area, and on Monday, the council's parking team sent him a book of evidence confirming that his permit was invalid for that spot.

Mr Merakli said: "It's ridiculous. I have a permit, but I've discovered the road outside my house needs a different permit. I never knew about any of this and they are saying that I still have to pay. Even though they are supposed to be protecting the residents' parking rights, something funny is going on. You can't park outside your own house and they are booking people who do."

He claimed two other residents on his street have also been left in the same situation.

Mr Merakli's representations to the council parking officers have gone nowhere, and he has been told he will still have to pay the fine, so he has taken the issue to an independent adjudicator.

The council was unable to comment on Mr Merakli's case, but a spokesman for the council said if he wanted to park on the road outside his house, he would have to apply, and pay for, the appropriate permit.

He said: "The council consulted extensively on the scheme when details of the proposed layout and operation of the CPZ were sent to each household."