We live in UK’s parking fine capital – council has fleeced us of £2million so now we’re taping over our number plates

FURIOUS locals have started taping over their number plates in the traffic fine capital of the UK after council officials raked in more than £2million from one street. London’s Barking Council dished out a staggering 33,440 penalty notices in the last financial year to drivers stung by restrictions on Station Parade. A staggering 33,440 fines have been handed out over infractions at Station Parade Credit: Ray Collins Some drivers have even taken to taping their number plates Credit: Ray Collins Only buses, taxis and emergency service vehicles have been allowed on the road since the council changed the rules in 2021 – but many motorists are still being caught out. Angry locals claim the changes have not been communicated clearly, signs are unclear and traffic wardens are behaving like “hawks”. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Michael Goldson, a delivery driver for pharmacists on the street, told The Sun: “It’s a disaster. I know people who don’t want to do this route because each side they get tickets. But we have to deliver to the pharmacies.” Under the changes, delivery drivers are not allowed along Station Parade and must approach shops from Cambridge Road rather than Longbridge Road. Delivery driver Michael Goldson racked up four fines in one week Credit: Ray Collins Angry locals claim the changes to Station Parade have not been communicated clearly and signs are unclear Credit: Ray Collins But Goldson, who moved to the UK from Jamaica in 1994, says he racked up four fines in one week because he had no idea. He also says there are time restrictions on delivery drivers in the area that are not made clear enough. The Sun could only find one sign with guidance on times for delivery drivers tucked away on a small path behind the high street. There were no signs offering guidance for delivery drivers on the Cambridge Road approach to the shops. Most read in The Sun Locals have branded traffic wardens “overzealous” in their eagerness to dish out fines Credit: Ray Collins The restrictions are causing problems with deliveries on the road, locals say Credit: Ray Collins Goldson added: “After 6am to 10.30am, and then 5pm to 7pm, there is a camera that picks us up. “I supply pharmacies in the town centre but it is a problem everywhere. I will do two trips in the afternoon.” On the high street a different van even had his number plate covered in black tape. A local grocer, Nurettin Erdogan, who is opening a new shop, insists the time windows for delivery drivers are not enough for local businesses. The Sun could only find one sign outlining permitted delivery hours on the street Credit: Ray Collins Barking Council has netted a whopping £2m from the road Credit: Ray Collins He told The Sun: “This time is not enough and it needs to be longer. “I have been fined outside these hours and everybody says it is not long enough. “I see it a lot. There is a huge problem with deliveries, lorries don’t have the space.” Another motorist, Dimo Stoyanov, says he was hit by an astonishing 11 fines in just a matter of days. Local shopkeeper Nurettin Erdogan says the delivery time windows are not long enough Credit: Ray Collins Traffic wardens in the area are “like hawks” and quick to dish out fines, a local tradesman said Credit: Ray Collins The HR advisor had been using his usual Vicarage Road car park and had no idea about a new rule that allowed drivers to access it from Cambridge Road but not the other direction, and vice versa. He told The Sun: “I was parking there for more than a year in around 2021 and I would always use it for work. “Sometimes I would turn left and sometimes I would turn right when I entered the street. “For one year I never got a penalty so it was very natural to keep going either way. Then one day I received two penalty notices saying that I had entered a street restricted for cars. The average cost of a ticket on Station Parade is £61 Credit: Ray Collins Station Parade is the parking fine capital of Britain Credit: Ray Collins “But they took about two weeks to send me the penalty. I thought that means, from that day, every time I turned right from Vicarage Field car park to Station Parade I got a penalty. “Then I went back to check and I could see new signs but for one year I’d been driving and it comes very naturally, so I wasn’t looking for new signs. “I saw one person spend an entire day warning other drivers on the road because one after another, hundreds of cars were driving into the road and this guy was like ‘stop, stop there is a camera!’ “I was a student back then so I didn’t have enough money and I just explained the situation, that I had been driving in that street for more than one year and I had no idea there were new signs or cameras. CCTV cameras loom over the street to catch drivers Credit: Ray Collins Locals have complained about unclear signs on the road Credit: Ray Collins “I asked them to cancel the penalties and I said I just don’t have the money to pay this. I think they were around £65 if I paid within two weeks, but if I don’t they would be £130.” Thankfully for Stoyanov, who has lived in Barking for seven years, the council cancelled – but he questions how many others didn’t have the same luck or didn’t think to challenge it. He added: “They cancelled and I think I was very lucky. They didn’t give a reason for cancelling other than on this occasion, they were cancelling. “I apologised and promised never to do it again, saying that after parking routinely for more than one year you don’t just look for new signs. “But after seeing people continuing to drive through the street even though there are signs, I assumed people were not aware of the changes. “The sign was also really tiny and on top of other, different signs. It was not easy to spot.” It appears many locals are not aware of the changes to Station Parade Credit: Ray Collins Barking Council is making huge sums from the cash cow street Credit: Ray Collins Locals also pointed the finger at overzealous traffic wardens they say are too eager to fine. One tradesman, who asked to stay anonymous, told us: “One of the main issues around this Barking area is that the road is quite congested. “Sometimes during rush hour with more vehicle congestion, it makes it very difficult for you to manoeuvre your vehicle in certain areas. “But the other issue is with parking: unless you have a permit it is difficult to find parking. “A lot of these bays are disabled bays but the wardens around the area are like hawks, the minute they see a vehicle in violation, they instantly issue a ticket for it. “It is quite a shame because at the same time this area is quite a deprived area so the income for a lot of people is not necessarily high. “A lot of people coming out, like Uber drivers and stuff, drop off passengers and I know they are allowed a settling down time but it’s how tolerant the parking attendant is at the time. “Some are okay while others are really sort of targeted. “Sometimes it appears they are commission based because of how eager they are to issue tickets. Van driver Narcis Vlasleanu said the restrictions are not helping people Credit: Ray Collins The changes to the road were introduced to reduce traffic in the area Credit: Ray Collins “I was done further down the high street. There is a sign there saying no permitted vehicles but the sign is so high up it’s not a clear visual spot. “I was done there just for taking a wrong turn. And funnily enough my navigation sent me down that road. “I took a wrong turn, but only until you’ve taken the wrong turn do you realise. There needs to be a grace period.” Narcis Vlasleanu, a van driver, said: “There needs to be a bigger signal for attention and the times need to be clear. “This makes money for the council. It does not help the people.” The council said at the time the plans were introduced to reduce traffic and create a safer space for thousands passing through the area. It cited 23 reported collisions and 26 casualties between 2014 and 2018, with the majority hurt being pedestrians. It insists consultation with locals followed an 18-month trial period. All business owners were consulted and sent leaflets outlining the changes, it added, and said the number of passengers passing through Barking Station had doubled in the past decade with 14.5million journeys every year. A spokesperson for Barking Council said: “All on street signage is compliant with the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions Act 2016…” “Drivers must enter Longbridge Road by taking a right turn from Salisbury Avenue, they cannot take a left turn as traffic in Station Parade is prohibited on a 24 hour basis… “Drivers must enter Longbridge Road by taking a right turn from Salisbury Avenue, they cannot take a left turn as traffic in Station Parade is prohibited on a 24 hour basis… “There are loading bays on Salisbury Avenue, Clockhouse, and on Station Parade near the station before the restrictions start.” Asked how motorists using taped over number plates is being policed, they said: “If the vehicle is travelling on street we cannot action at this time but would inform the police if we later see the vehicle on street.” They added: “The Council can only issue a penalty charge notice to offending vehicles, the volume of penalties issued is relative to the motorists who are not compliant with the regulations.” Comment now