I’ve been fined £1,000 for driving up a ‘residents only’ road during the school run… but I had no idea – it’s a joke | The Sun
A DRIVER has been left fuming after receiving almost £1,000 worth of fines for driving up a 'residents only' road after getting "trapped" in a one way system.
Karan Singh, 36, from South London was given seven £130 fines over the course of just two weeks, despite his claims that there was no clear sign telling him that the road was restricted.
Mr Singh hit out at Lewisham Council for slapping him with the fines, after they apparently arrived "in a bundle" on his doorstep.
The fines apparently covered offences between 5 and 26 September, but he says he received four on the same day.
He told the Daily Mail: "I am really angry. I feel like I have been trapped and what is worse is that there is no clear sign saying you can't drive up the hill in the direction you came from.
"You can drive down the hill but not back up it. It is not clear at all.
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"I eventually saw a sign warning about a camera, but it was bent backwards and around a post so it looked like it was no longer being enforced."
The disputed street reportedly had new restrictions placed on it in 2020.
Karan added: "Why did I receive four letters in one day for offences that took place on the 5th September and 16th September at the same time?
"If they had sent me the first one, I would have maybe paid it and never gone down that road again.
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"But I drove down it a further six times. Nobody would do that if they knew they were going to be fined. I feel I have been trapped into this."
Each ticket apparently issued him with a £65 fine, which would be increased to £130 if he failed to pay within 28 days, even if he was appealing them during that time.
Karan said that he had paid the first four fines, but felt "ripped off", and urged the council to reconsider the "unfair system".
He joked: "What do the council expect to happen…that some handsome re-wilding will take place because they have stopped traffic in one direction?"
The letter sent to him by the council said his car was caught on CCTV during the offences.
It said: "We have considered everything you have said in your representation including mitigation, but we do not feel that you have made grounds for cancelling the penalty charge notice."
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A Lewisham Council spokesperson said: "The restrictions in this location have been enforced by a camera for over two years and are indicated with clear signage and road markings, with the overwhelming majority of road users following the restrictions without any issues.
"We aim for any postal Penalty Charge Notice to be sent within 14 days of the offence, in line with Government guidance. The statutory requirement is for postal Penalty Charge Notices to be sent within 28 days of the offence."
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