Fined taxi driver makes appeal to town traffic wardens

Darryl Robson (64), who has been a cabbie for 20 years, was given a parking ticket as he waited two minutes on yellow lines in King Street for an elderly passenger at lunch time on July 24.

He appealed to the council but his case was thrown out and he had to pay a fine of £35, which was more than half the money he made that entire day.

Darryl told the Melton Times: “I got the parking ticket at the cafe opposite the cinema in King Street.

“I know it’s yellow lines there but most of my customers are elderly or disabled and it is difficult for them to walk very far.

“The council are saying to me that I need to make arrangements with customers to be picked up or dropped off where I won’t get a ticket, which means telling them to walk to the taxi rank.

“As we are not exempt from getting a ticket, most wardens give us notice before giving a ticket but this one didn’t with me.”

There are three taxi ranks in the town centre – four waiting spaces in Sherrard Street, two on Wilton Road near the public toilets and one in the layby off High Street.

Darryl added: “I only work during the day now and most of my passengers are elderly or disabled people.

"Having to tell customers who can’t walk that I can only pick them up where I won’t get a ticket is not very helpful to them.

“This fine was very expensive for me. As I said to the council, I earned £57 on this day but had to pay £35 for my parking ticket.”

On Darryl’s parking ticket, a spokesperson for Melton Borough Council told the Melton Times: “We would always advise taxi drivers to abide by the law and follow the road signage and markings in place.

"We are unable to make any further comment, as on-street parking regulations are the responsibility of the Highways Authority, which in this case is Leicestershire County Council.”