An kind-hearted man has been left outraged after he was slapped with a parking ticket issued while he was helping a disabled pensioner at a charging station. Jamie Glass, 38, was asked to help by Hugh Munro, 74, at an electric vehicle point on London Street, Edinburgh, on Friday, March 14.
Mr Munro, who uses crutches, has difficulty lifting the charging cable to and from his Jeep Avenger. The pensioner had finished charging his car when Mr Glass pulled into an adjacent spot, only to find that his charging station was not functioning. Mr Munro asked Mr Glass for help with the heavy cable as the pair prepared to exchange charging spots. Mr Munro explained to EdinburghLive: “Jamie discovered it wasn’t working and I volunteered to give him my charging port if he could help me get out of the spot.
“For someone on crutches, the cable is quite heavy and I have to ask someone passing by to help me. I feel I’ve been persecuted by [the warden] making life difficult not only for Jamie but also for me.”
Mr Glass claimed he had been parked in the spot for only about 30 seconds when a traffic warden ambled over and slapped him with a ticket for not paying.
He told Edinburgh Live: “I thought it was absolutely despicable. The machine wasn’t working so I was unable to pay it anyway.
“It is common sense to help someone in need and I shouldn’t be penalised for that. Also, the machine wasn’t working. It was physically impossible for me to pay.”
In footage taken by Mr Glass during the confrontation, Mr Munro can be heard pleading with the parking warden, saying “this gentleman was trying to help me because I am disabled. He’s swapping over a place for me”.
Mr Glass can also be heard trying to reason with the parking warden, saying: “The machine is out of service.”
The warden replies: “I have to issue a ticket.”
Mr Glass retorts: “No, you don’t. You’re choosing to, and you’re not listening.”
Parking tickets in Edinburgh cost £100 and are lowered to £50 if the fee is paid within 14 days. Mr Glass has since appealed the fine but says he is concerned for other people, not just disabled people.
He said: “I thought it was unjust for me but I am worried about other people that couldn’t handle that situation. [The warden] was a bully and it was a terrible situation to be involved in.
“There are vulnerable people out there who don’t know how to deal with situations like this, the appeal process is so difficult.”
Mr Munro said the incident made him feel “small” and “very upset”, adding “What sort of attitude is that for people helping a disabled person? Anyone with one ounce of common sense wouldn’t have done this. Most reasonable people [wouldn’t do that], but obviously not this guy.”
Transport and Environment Convener, Councillor Stephen Jenkinson said: “We’re aware of a parking ticket being issued to a vehicle in East London Street and have received a challenge which will be fully investigated.”