Mum’s ‘emergency’ stop for daughter costs £110

Woman ‘flabbergasted’ at fine for bus stop drop-off

A MUM from Ruislip was fined £110 for stopping at a bus stop for just 25 seconds so she could drop off her partner, who was taking their desperate child to the loo.

Joanna Bird was driving home with her partner and daughter Lili when the five-year-old announced she needed to go to the loo ‘really badly’.

The 42-year-old bookbinder knew there were no public toilets in the area, and drove for more than a mile before her daughter told her it was ‘now or never’.

Miss Bird pulled up behind a string of other parked cars in Hatch End, north west London, after spotting a string of restaurants where her daughter could dash to the toilet.

Her partner, who was sitting in the back of the car with his daughter, quickly got out of the car and rushed around to get his daughter before taking her to a restaurant to use the facilities.

As soon as the pair were out of the car – in just 25 seconds – Miss Bird moved her car and went to look for a side street to park in.

Unbeknown to Miss Bird, however, her every action was being monitored by a camera operator, who clocked that she had stopped in the bus stop.

The operator recorded the ‘incident’ on camera and sent five still frames from the CCTV footage showing the ‘offence’ to Miss Bird, along with a fine demanding payment of £110.

The images from Harrow Borough Council show the black VW Golf pulling up at the end of the bus stop at 17.42 and 25 seconds, with its hazard lights on.

The five stills from the CCTV footage show Miss Bird’s partner, who asked not to named, and daughter dash out of the car, with Miss Bird zooming off at 17.42 and 50 seconds.

That is 25 seconds spent at the bus stop, meaning the £110 fine works out at £4.40 per second.

The ‘offence’ took place on a quiet Sunday evening (June 19) as Miss Bird and her family were driving home to Ruislip.

I knew it was a bus stop, but that wasn’t my biggest concern at the time and I wasn’t planning on parking there for any length of time”

Miss Bird said: “When I saw the restaurants I made a decision that I had to stop.

“I knew it was a bus stop, but that wasn’t my biggest concern at the time and I wasn’t planning on parking there for any length of time.

“I saw that other cars were parked on the same stretch, so it was safe to stop and I wasn’t blocking the road.

“My partner and daughter got out of the car as fast as they could and I was gone straight away and parked round the corner.”

She said she was ‘flabbergasted’ when she received the £110 fine.

She added: “It’s when things like this happen that you lose your faith in humankind - I can just see that camera operator rubbing his hands with glee as he saw me parking in the bus stop.

“I parked for a total of 25 seconds – it was an emergency, and I left as soon as I had dropped off my daughter and partner.

“If that’s worth a £110 fine then I’m a monkey’s uncle.”

She is appealing against the fine under the section headed ‘compelling grounds’.

Bosses at Harrow Borough Council say motorists can appeal against any PCNs.