An Isle of Wight man has been slapped with a £70 parking ticket whilst queuing to board the Cowes Floating Bridge.
Mark Searson was in the queue for the River Medina crossing — on the East Cowes side — when he left his car to get a bottle of water from the nearby shop.
When he returned, after only being gone for what he said was a couple of minutes, a parking ticket was waiting for him on the windscreen of his car.
Reacting to the news, Mark’s wife Julia has said it is common practice to nip out of your vehicle and either go to the shop or look at the crossing. She has said the parking warden watched her husband get out of the car and go into the shop before issuing the ticket — something the Isle of Wight Council denies.
Mrs Searson has noted that in the past you had to leave your car to go into the shop to buy tickets to use the Floating Bridge.
The couple phoned the Isle of Wight Council last week and were told the warden was within their rights because Mr Searson was parked on double yellow lines and the car was empty.
Mrs Searaon says she finds it hideous what the Council has done and argues they were not parked as it was in a queue and not blocking traffic.
Now, the couple is warning Islanders and visitors of what may happen as they do not want others to be caught out.
An Isle of Wight Council spokesperson said the ticket had been issued as the car had been left unattended, parked next to a tactile crossing point, not for the double yellow lines. They say any vehicle parked adjacent to or on a tactile crossing is liable for an instant penalty as it is a dedicated crossing place which is especially helpful for visually impaired people.
In this instance and at this location, the council says an observation period would have had to elapse before a PCN could have been issued. According to the council, the civil enforcement officer would have advised him to alter his position to keep the crossing clear if he had been around the vehicle.
Mrs and Mr Searson plan to appeal the ticket.
Appeal it and move on
They ain’t got nothing to appeal, THEY WERE IN THE WRONG.
Why was his mrs doodling about and not keeping an eye on the car whist his in the shop.
What if a disabled person was trying to cross at the designated crossing point.
Very selfish attitude, AND then, contact IE for sympathy !
The wardens are only doing there job.
Suck it up and take it on the chin.
Typical “Nazi” council, and yes they do lay in wait for you, hiding behind walls or buildings, seen it myself. They are sneaky and power crazed individuals who take delight in issuing tickets, there is no thought in what they do or care for why the driver maybe parked. Hope the person that issued that ticket doesn’t rest easy anymore, but probably will, the council look after their own kind.
jeeez…..BIT OTT THERE FELLA.
Hope you ain’t got no voodoo dolls ?
Do you know the use of a tactile crossing? Irs for blind people you melt so parking in lime with this your putting people in danger… get your head out your arse 😉
Actually, I’ve found traffic wardens in Newport and Ryde especially to be polite and helpful. A few times now they’ve given me advice on where you can park and for how long and how local shop workers etc get around the regulations by moving their car down the road every couple of hours or so.
Perhaps it’s only those arrogant or stupid enough to flout the law who have a problem with them?
My husband has been complaining to the council for two and a half years about a local resident, he commits two offences in one go, he parks three quarters of his car on the pavement preventing pedestrians getting past, so having to walk in a busy road, whilst the remaining quarter of his car in on double yellow bands.
Have you seen the Isle of Wight police page out of curiosity??? They have an article on this and the comments and responses are amusing! Basically it’s a case of passing the buck! People are asking for confirmation especially when the police have put it up lol! But still it seems it’s a case of …..
You can park there for days on end waiting for the Failing Bridge to make it across to your side if you are short of fuel. Can’t get food or drink, can’t go to the loo in case you get a ticket. The Searsons and every other Islander should charge the Council £70 every time there is a delay or cancellation of the service.
Many of these Wardens are not the brightest sparks, what happened to using common sense.
Don’t break the rules then and you have nothing to worry about, or better still, use a bicycle and there is no need for parking!
It sounds like the I O W council are trying to claw back loss revenue over the continuous breakdown of the white elephant
Let’s hope this council will claw back all the loss revenue paid out by the rate payers
A traffic warden of this type has to be of Low Intelligence and a High amount of Ignorance a Combination I suppose the Council deem Necessary for the job and can spot it quickly as they also have that same combination to acquire their job.
What person with intelligence would even consider being a traffic warden.
This really does not surprise me at all, these CEO’s are just a bunch of numbskulls that love the feeling of a power trip. Especially now they are wearing purple police style vests.
lowest of the low on par with drug runners
Likely thought the bloating fridge wasn’t running, as is the norm, and he was trying to pull a fast one.
Disgusting! We are told to keep hydrated in this heat, and this gentleman took his opportunity to do so while causing no inconvenience to anyone else. He couldn’t go anywhere! This is blatant entrapment by an opportunistic jobsworth.
Although I feel sorry for Mrs and Mr Searson, and they did nothing wrong, so should win the appeal, I’m just so glad the Floating Bridge had a day with no staff with Covid to close it down.
Has anyone paused to think why those tactile drop kerbs exist and thus why it is an offence to obstruct them?
Sorry, I am with the council on this one. If his wife was watching the parking officer, why could she have not gone to the shop, thus not leaving the vehicle unattended. I have personal experience of negotiating kerbs because of some thoughtless driver obstructing a dropped kerb crossing point.
Standing by for all the negative comments to that>
Yep, with you on this one grumpy old git.
Xxxxxxxx the lot of them ;(
Mercenary gits. I had a terrible experience with one who took great pleasure in giving me a ticket even in an exceptional circumstance. I have no respect for any of them at all. Lesser person syndrome for sure
Boooooo you lot of bum lickers!
Wife was watching… where was she. ?? Obviously not with the car, as then the warden would not have placed a ticket without talking to her/him… !!
I call bulls**t on this . . . I cannot believe the Floating bridge was actually working!
So wrong poor man so quick to slap a ticket on especially in this heat what next I would appeal .
Yet a council van parks on my road every night it’s way too big for the parking bays front or back tyres always into the next parking bay but the traffic warden always walks past it no ticket issued.
Yet when coaches park on Shanklin seafront for ages half on the pavement (causing damage that the taxpayer will have to pay for) and half on road causing obstruction to both, there’s not an enforcement officer to be seen. Simply can’t be bothered.
I’m sure GKN would have it on video if you ask them.
Expensive bottle of water.
I don’t see the problem. How else are the council going to pay for the flashy signs to tell us the floating bridge is working (or not).
The trouble with these stories is that we only hear one side.
I have a feeling that if we were ever to hear the full story it would be slightly different to that being told here. For instance, why did the driver get out of the car and go into the shop, why not his wife who, apparently, was with him? It would be more logical for a passenger to get out and go to a shop than the driver.
I’m going to guess – and it is only a guess – that the driver was intending to use the ferry but parked up and went to the shop first and THEN joined the queue. Unfortunately he got caught.
There’s no cheek involved…… double yellow lines are for safety reasons. Just don’t park there.