A BUSSELTON business owner is “disgusted” with the City of Busselton after he was issued a parking infringement after just 39 minutes in a one hour parking bay.
Rick Hewson from Busselton Electronics and Tooling was shocked when he returned to his car before the one hour parking limit to find a ticket on his dashboard.
“As I own an electronics store, I have full video surveillance in and around the premises and I have footage that shows me arriving in the parking bay at 11.28am,” he said.
“Given that I went to move the vehicle before 12.30pm and noticed the infringement notice on my vehicle, I immediately checked my surveillance footage to check that I had not overstayed my one hour limit.”
Mr Hewson’s footage shows the parking inspector marking his vehicle’s tyre at 12.02pm before passing it again at 12.05pm, he then takes photographic evidence of the vehicle at 12.07pm and proceeds to issue the parking infringement.
WATCH: See the CCTV footage below.
“I am so unhappy about it, and if the City doesn’t do something about this then I will,” he said.
“It’s actually criminal and I want the parking ranger sacked.”
The City of Busselton’s director of planning and development services Paul Needham said the primary purpose of parking controls was to ensure equitable access to public car parking.
“The City has policies in place which guide staff in the administration of parking controls. Those policies guide the issuing of infringements where offences are believed to have occurred, and the reviewing of infringements where people feel an infringement should not have been issued,” he said.
Mr Needham said that if anyone felt that an infringement should not have been issued, they can ask that the matter be reviewed as there were circumstances in which infringements may be waived if it can be proved that no offence was committed.
“If, after having gone through our internal review processes, people still feel that an infringement should not have been issued, they are able to elect to contest the matter in court, provided they elect to do so within the time period allowed.”
Mr Hewson sent a letter to the City of Busselton last week disputing the parking fine and is awaiting a response.
“How many other people has this happened to?” Mr Hewson said.
“If this fine is not waived I will get a solicitor.”
Do you think parking is an issue in the Busselton CBD? Email tasha.campbell@fairfaxmedia.com.au
