Forty per cent of cancelled parking fines due to Haringey Council error

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Tue 2nd Sep 2008

Nearly 1,500 Haringey residents had their parking tickets cancelled last year after appeals found Haringey Council road signs, markings and traffic management orders were at fault, it has been revealed.

Information revealed by Haringey Liberal Democrats under the Freedom of Information Act shows that of the 8,096 tickets issued for offences at yellow box junctions 351 were cancelled and 1,051 out of a total of 21,159 PCNs issued by Haringey Council's smart cars were annulled due to incorrect signs.

The total number of cancelled tickets (1,402) represents 40% of the number of Parking Charge Notices (PCN) cancelled and over 5% of the total number of PCNs issued.

Cllr Martin Newton, Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Transport and Highways comments:

"These statistics are the tip of the iceberg and only reveal the picture for those penalty charge notices that were appealed and cancelled. Many motorists decide to pay up and take up the 'offer' of paying at a reduced rate and avoid the headache of appeal and possibility of a larger amount to pay.

"Out of seven yellow box junctions monitored by CCTV in Haringey, five of these had incorrect lines or signs and penalty notices were cancelled as a result. The Labour Council needs to play fair with residents and visitors and make sure all lines and signs conform to regulations and stop issuing penalty notices at junctions where they know they have got it wrong."