9 hours ago
I was fined for stopping in a bus lane when I thought I was going pass out but I was only there for a few seconds... something needs to change
An outraged man has spoken out after he received a fine for pulling into a bus lane when he thought he was going to faint.
Gareth Orrill, 43, started to feel 'dizzy and nauseous' as he was driving along Newcastle Avenue, in Nottinghamshire.
He has been diagnosed with a heart condition called Atrial fibrillation and has been on new medication for the past three weeks, meaning that sometimes he struggles with difficult side effects.
Mr Orrill decided to pull into a nearby bus stop to gather himself before continuing on his journey.
The 43-year-old claimed he only stopped in the bus lane for 'a matter of seconds', but still received a fine.
He said that the incidents should be monitored on a case-by-case basis and that an automated system for fining individuals is way of 'milking money' from drivers who do not want to put up a fight.
Mr Orrill said: 'I did pay the fine, but I am raising this as a concern. It was an emergency, and I felt very faint. My issue isn't with the restrictions in place. There needs to be a change in the system for how you can appeal this.
'There needs to be a manual aspect to it. Someone needs to look at it and judge it on a case-by-case basis. I was there for a matter of seconds.
'They need to look at the system; we need a website where we can look at the video of the parking violation and review it, instead of them just saying you were there and because you were fined, done.
'If you don't have to pay after 21 days, then it can escalate to a £100 fine that you can't defend easily.
'I think that people who block bus stops do need to be fined, but I have a problem with how hard it is to appeal the fine, as they give you two-thirds of an A4 piece of paper to write your appeal on. I am capable of driving, my medication allows me to drive, the side effects are what caused and I am allowed to drive on these.'
But Nottinghamshire County Council says it does provide an online portal for people to lodge their appeals in response to receiving a parking fine.
The spokesperson said: 'The rules for parking enforcement say that anyone who gets a Penalty Charge Notice (parking fine) must be given the chance to appeal it. This includes the option to appeal to an independent body called the Traffic Penalty Tribunal.
'Nottinghamshire County Council always gives people different ways to appeal, including using a secure online portal. There's no need to write and post a letter, and most people use the online system.
'Every appeal is reviewed by trained staff, who consider any special circumstances along with the evidence. Cases are also put on hold whilst appeals are considered and if we reject an appeal, we will always re-offer the option to pay at a discounted rate.
'We are now in receipt of correspondence from Mr Orrill and we will be directly responding to him shortly.'
A spokesperson for the British Driving Alliance, Ian Taylor, said: 'The authorities will have to know whether people are just trying it on by pretending to have a medical emergency, but if he was having a medical episode, then what on earth are the authorities trying to penalise.
'We have to apply a certain amount of common sense, judging cases on their merits.'
