Disability parking permit withdrawn
Summary
Mary’s disability parking permit had fallen off her windscreen. As a result of her permit not being displayed, she received a parking fine. The Council was not prepared to review the parking fine. After we contacted them, they withdrew the fine.
What was the case?
Mary parked her car in a one-hour parking area. But as she has a disability parking permit, she was legally allowed to park for double the standard time. Glen Eira City Council issued Mary a parking fine inside of the two hours.
When Mary returned to her car, she noticed that her window was open and her permit had blown off the dashboard. Mary requested the Council review the fine because her permit allowed her to park in the area for up to two hours. The Council declined the review and upheld the fine.
Our enquiries
We contacted the Council and discussed Mary’s circumstances. This appeared to be an isolated event. Mary did not have a history of fines for parking without a permit on display.
We asked whether, given Mary’s entitlement to stay longer, the Council would review the fine again.
People can sometimes make mistakes, such as failing to secure a permit on their dashboard. In these situations, organisations should consider whether it is reasonable to penalise someone for a human error.
Outcome
The Council withdrew the fine on the grounds that Mary did have a disability parking permit.