Pregnant mum told to 'waddle faster' to avoid parking fine in Purley
A HEAVILY pregnant woman was reduced to tears by a traffic warden who laughed in her face and told her to "waddle faster" before slapping a ticket on her windscreen.
Outraged 25-year-old Adel Charles – due to give birth on Friday – parked her BMW 330 opposite Purley clinic and paid for an hour's parking for her final pre-birth check-up.
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Adel Charles with the ticket
But after returning four minutes late following the longer-than-expected appointment, the Purley mother spotted a warden by her car poised to issue a fine.
Miss Charles, of Selcroft Road, said: "I came out of the clinic and saw him at my car and waddled over as fast as I could.
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"When I got there I pleaded with him not to give me a ticket. He could see I was pregnant. I said to him, 'You could see me waddling over as fast as I could', and he just said, 'You should have waddled faster'.
"Then he just chuckled and drove off on his moped. That's when I started crying."
Croydon Council has responded by confirming that an investigation will now be launched.
The mother of one added: "It's disgusting. I understand they have a job to do and I wouldn't have argued if I was 20 minutes over, but as I understand it they are supposed to give you a five-minute discretionary period.
"I hope they feel ashamed of themselves. If he'd a shred of decency he wouldn't have given me a ticket.
"It was hard to tell how long I would be in the clinic, it only usually takes 20 minutes so I got the hour's parking to cover myself.
"And then being given this ticket and told to waddle faster, it's just very insulting, it's derogatory really, to use the word 'waddle' and then have it used back against me.
"You expect people to have a bit more common decency. I think it's an absolute joke. It just makes you have no faith in Croydon at all. They are ruthless."
Miss Charles's ticket shows she was due back at 11.06am in Whytecliffe Road North last Thursday and was observed by the warden at 11.10am.
The account executive, who has had complications during her pregnancy, was told by the clinic that her baby was "not engaging" after having blood pressure and the baby's heartbeat monitored.
"It was a huge setback and the ticket just added insult to injury," she added.
She will now appeal against the £30 fine but knows her chances are slim as only 0.2 per cent of fines handed out last year were successfully overturned.
Last week the Advertiser reported how drivers are being fined the equivalent of £16,113 a day by the council, generating a whopping £5.8 million revenue – up £300,000 on the previous year.
A spokesman for the local authority said: "The question of the civil enforcement officer's handling of the situation will be investigated."
Comments
by MFXPYRO
Thursday, January 05 2012, 11:38AM
“While I think laughing at her was unacceptable and he should have taken account of her pregnancy like a normal decent human being would have done (but then this is Croydon and they don't seem to employ people with compassion and common sense as parking wardens) if you read the article fully it says :-
"I said to him, 'You could see me waddling over as fast as I could',"
So to criticise him for using the word "waddling" when she used it first is a bit much!”
by roomster
Thursday, December 29 2011, 4:06PM
“If the lady looses her appeal to the council she should appeal to the parking ombudsman some 60+% cases that are appealed to the ombudsman are won. I've never felt that it is right for someone who had paid to park but arrive shortly after their time has expired should receive the same penalty as someone who hasn't paid at all. I always try to park in pay on exit car parks.”
by stemost
Thursday, December 29 2011, 1:08PM
“Every picture tells a story-- how much of the waddle was pregnancy and how much was lifestyle”
by LAFANTASTICA
Thursday, December 29 2011, 10:51AM
“And they almost certainly speak better English than most white yobs do.”
by LAFANTASTICA
Thursday, December 29 2011, 10:51AM
“But it would be used, as most of them are British.”
by Misterkipling
Wednesday, December 28 2011, 11:46PM
“I don't think any of Croydon's Parking Wardens would use the term 'Waddle'
Its not a word commonly used in Uganda”
by LAFANTASTICA
Wednesday, December 28 2011, 10:21PM
“Why did she only pay for an hour's parking? There is always the possibility that one might take longer. Whenever I have a hospital appointment, I pay for quite a bit longer than I actually need, just in case.”
by Krystal333
Wednesday, December 28 2011, 10:21PM
“I'm just loving the slant of this article! Miss Charles admits she was the first to use the phrase "waddle" surely she cannot then complain when the warden then uses it. The term 'laughed in her face' - did the warden actually do this? Ah, apparently he just 'chuckled as he rode off on his moped'.
Not the best written article is it really - a pregnant woman gets a ticket on her BMW and cries ..... is there anything I'm missing here?
I don't particularly like traffic wardens (having been caught myself a few times - sadly not in a BMW though) but, having seen the abuse they receive first-hand, Miss Charles really seems upset over nothing. Perhaps it's the pregnancy hormones ;)”
by msbloggs
Wednesday, December 28 2011, 8:48PM
“Only difference is croydonhippo car drivers like to use our pavements too, they dont all stick to the roads or the rules for that matter, goodness knows how half of them even passed there tests. So when I see a traffic warden stick a ticket on there car, I have to laugh, because you know the driver is going to moan about it.”
by croydonhippo
Wednesday, December 28 2011, 8:11PM
“msbloggs....if you would like to walk around more freely without the fear of getting run over then perhaps you need to spend more time in your local park....that is what parks and green open spaces are for.
As a pedestrian if you are having difficulty getting about i can only assume that it is a sign of how overcrowded the croydon borough is becoming.
Buses actually cause more traffic jams and road damage than cars do, firstly because they are constantly stop,start,stop,start, secondly because of their weight.
Most drivers like myself pay road tax, insurance costs as well as fuel duty which should be used by the government to maintain the condition of the roads, yet it's not spent on the roads.....i personally think that the government is using the revenue to boost the welfare state.
On a finishing note it is not just pedestrians to be considered.
pedestrians rule the pavements......motorists rule the road......fact of life...lol...”