Dyslexic driver’s £1k penalty over signs
A MAN with severe dyslexia has been ordered to pay £1000 of parking fines even though he couldn’t read enforcement warning signs.
Daniel Barclay, from Glasgow, claimed he couldn’t read the displays in a Dundee car park because of their text font and colour.
The 27-year-old argued that as a result he was unaware he was still required to display a ticket for parking there for less than hour – which was free.
Daniel was caught seven times in the City Quay car park between 2014 and 2015 by UK Parking.
Giving evidence at Perth small claims court yesterday, he alleged the tickets were deliberately removed by wardens before he returned to his car so he would have to fork out a late payment fee.
The fine was £100 – reduced to £60 if paid in under 14 days. Any delay in payment resulted in a further cost of £60.
Daniel told the court: “I have huge difficulty reading different fonts and colours – the text moves about on the page and I struggle to focus on specific writing.
“Work colleagues told me the first hour was free and I was not aware I needed a ticket. It is illogical to think I would not walk over to a machine to get a free ticket. I would never have taken that risk.”
“I think UK Parking make these signs hard to read to catch out people like me.”
Daniel defended himself in court and produced a medical report from Heriot Watt university describing how severe his dyslexia was.
Sheriff John Rafferty said: “Mr Barclay’s dyslexia was not enough to prohibit him identifying the terms and conditions. Receiving a ticket would have alerted him to an issue at the car park.”