The UK Bus Driver Ticketed For Stopping His Bus

A number of years ago, I subscribed to an online publication, The Bonehead of the Day Award. In many ways it mirrors the Darwin Awards, though in this case, most of the contestants live through the escapade. if nothing else, these snippets remind me that others face challenges, too.

Here is a sample from today's newsletter (copyright and subscription information below).

The Tale Of The UK Bus Driver Ticketed For Stopping His Bus At A Bus Stop And Much More People unfortunate enough to find themselves in Restricted Thinking Zones

Sometimes it seems that government employees in the UK will enforce every rule to its extreme, except for one, "use your head."  Take parking enforcers ...  please!

• Manchester bus driver Chris O'Mahony was handed an $80 (£40) parking fine, on the spot, for parking his bus, in a restricted area ... a bus stop!!  The enforcer even cut ahead of the people getting onto the bus to hand the driver the ticket.  Manchester City Council said they are sending the attendant for "retraining."
• A London truck driver, because of damage to the road from an earlier water main break, suddenly found that his 17-tonne truck became stuck when the front wheel suddenly broke through the pavement.  The parking attendant immediately rushed over and slapped a parking ticket onto his windshield, proclaiming "you can appeal."

• A man, thrown from his motor scooter in South London , while still lying on the road with a broken leg, was never-the-less immediately given an on-the-spot $200 (£100) fine for illegal parking.
• A man, held hostage in a bank robbery, when finally released, discovered that a $60 (£30) overtime parking fine was stuck to his windshield , despite police having told the parking attendants that the car belonged to the hostage.
• Two blood donations in one visit! While encouraging people to donate blood at the bloodmobile with one hand, Sutton via their parking attendants, were slapping parking tickets on the cars of those who did just that with their other hand.  The council did wave the fines while acknowledging that the attendant had made an error of judgment.

The article has more. 

The Times (of London)  4-Mar-08

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All materials written by Jerry Lerman are Copyright 2008 by Jerry Lerman.

Materials in the Bonehead Of The Day Award, until further notice, can be used in print and radio media so long as credit is given to "Bonehead Of The Day Award"