Smart car driver's fine for parking sideways in Stroud quashed

Vanessa Price was given a £50 ticket for not parking "correctly" in a parking bay in Stroud

A Smart car driver who was fined for parking at a right angle to the kerb in an on-street bay has succeeded in having the penalty overturned.

Vanessa Price was issued a £50 ticket in October 2013 for not parking "correctly" in the bay on George Street in Stroud, Gloucestershire.

But Mrs Price claimed her car had been "picked out unfairly".

Following a year-long appeal process, a parking penalty tribunal ruled in her favour and overturned the penalty.

Mrs Price said she had only been parked for 10 minutes in a 30-minute "limited waiting" bay when she was ticketed.

'Didn't like the idea'

"I often park my car like this and have never encountered problems before," she said.

"And other cars were parked over the white lines without the traffic warden issuing tickets.

"But he [the traffic warden] said he'd never seen a car parked like that before and didn't like the idea of it."

At a parking penalty tribunal, Mrs Price claimed there were no restrictions on the "manner" of parking in a bay as long as the car was within the limits of the parking place.

Finding in her favour, the adjudicator said he was "not satisfied that the contravention occurred" and directed the council to cancel the notice.

Jim Daniels, parking manager at Gloucestershire County Council, said they issue tickets to any vehicles "parked on the kerb" or that "stick out into the road".

"Sometimes tickets are overturned at an independent hearing, but this doesn't set a precedent for any other motorists," he said.

"People should make sure they park legally and safely."