A DRIVING instructor has been fined £170 for waiting 30 minutes outside a student’s home before a lesson – and now he’s fuming.
Ken Spink thought he’d leave home early on October 8 last year to avoid the traffic.
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He knew roadworks were in place around Ipswich and wanted to get to his student’s home on time for their lesson.
The streets were empty and Ken ended up arriving outside the Winerack flats in Regatta Quay early and decided to wait half an hour for his student.
Unknown to him, his 30-minute stay “extends beyond either picking up or dropping a pupil off” offered by Total Car Parks and on Octber 15, Ken was issued with a £100 fine, with an offer to reduce it to £60 if he paid within 14 days.
Ken told the Ipswich Star: “I went into the car park and waited for my student, then gave a short brief of what we would be doing on that lesson, leaving the parking area with her driving the car.
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Clik here to view.
Clik here to view.
“When I received the fine letter, I contacted Total Car Parks to explain the situation and appeal their charge but it was rejected.
“I contacted my student to tell her what had happened, and to enquire who the manager was so I could telephone and explain that I was there for a legitimate purpose of meeting a learner student, who was a resident, for her driving lesson.
“I did not enter the area for any other reason other than to pick-up my student, and did not leave the car at any time, other than to exchange places to allow my student to drive.”
Tom Bartless, a senior property manager at EWS Property Management, which runs The Winerack, said the company operated a 15-minute “grace period” to allow for deliveries and visitors, which was being abused.
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“We were suffering from delivery drivers parking in our car park and making all their deliveries around the waterfront,” he told the Ipswich Star.
“Sometimes it could be hours before they came back.
“It’s also possible for residents to let management know that someone will be visiting and we can add that registration to the list of approved vehicles for that day.
“We think 15 minutes is reasonable; it shouldn’t take longer than that to pick up or drop-off.”
Ken, who says he’s in a “no-win situation”, claims his student had no idea about the parking restrictions.
The Winerack management sent Ken a letter offering to waive the charges in a gesture of goodwill – five days after the fine was issued.
A second letter was sent in December saying Ken owed Total Car Parks £170.