A Penalty Charge Notice issued recently to a friend was a salutory reminder of the risks of taking your car to Waitrose Car Park in East Sheen on a busy day. He had his rear wheels over a small part of the yellow line, on the best camera evidence stationery for four seconds. Count that while moving slowly forward in your car.
Highly dubious and if you’re a Latin scholar de minimis you might think. But in the TfL mind probably banged to rights because his exit was not clear when he entered the yellow box.
How many ways are there to get caught by the camera highup at the western end of Waitrose East Sheen?
- Exiting Waitrose Car Park to go West
- Exiting Waitrose Car Park to go East
- Entering Waitrose Car Park
- Driving West to East on the Upper Richmond Road
Each has its perils. And to remind you again your exit must be clear.
BUT take 1, What if you drive out to go West and a car you have been unable to see speeds from the East and blocks your exit. You’re stuck, straddled across the yellow box.
Take 2. Wanting to turn left exiting the car park, you see a space in the inside lane into which you can properly exit. But a car which was in the outside lane nips into the space, you were planning to enter. You can no longer exit. You’re stuck.
Take 3. You are driving West wanting to enter the car park. The traffic lights to your left are at red so there is plenty of time and space to cross. But out of your sight to the right comes a slow moving buggy, for which being a decent driver you stop, allowing it to pass in front of you. Disaster – you are stationery in the Yellow Box. Your exit was clear but it is no longer.
Take 4. You are driving in a slow moving stream of traffic heading east and there is no obvious reason for it to stop so you anticipate that your exit should be clear. If the traffic did not continue its stream, everything would grind to a halt. For whatever reason, bus, lorry, pedestrian, the stream stops and you are caught a foot inside the box. Stuck again.
Note if you can put together some reasonable argument it is worth making an online representation. You might get lucky and in any event payment will be suspended. But realistically expect no mercy from TfL After all they are there to make money.
And if you think you do have a genuine case appeal to the Traffic Adjudicator. They are reasonable!
Imo the YellowBox would be better placed at the junction of Sheen Lane and the Upper Richmond Road. But perhaps TfL benefits more by trapping unwary Waitrose customers!
NB And don’t miss the second yellow box at the entrance to the Waitrose goods delivery entrance.
