By Conor Sharkey
THE company charged with controlling parking in Strabane has defended its decision to knowingly ticket a St Vincent de Paul volunteer.
The volunteer was working in Strabane on Saturday afternoon. She popped into the St Vincent de Paul shop on Barrack Street leaving a note on her windscreen explaining that she was an SVDP worker and that she had gone briefly to pick up goods. Five minutes later she returned to find she had been slapped with a £30 parking fine.
The outraged woman is in the process of appealing the penalty. And speaking to the Chronicle on Monday, she described the incident as unbelievable.
"I was visiting homes in the town and I had to go to the shop to pick up some things. I left a note on the windscreen explaining that I was volunteer but when I came back out, the warden was writing me a ticket. She said she had allowed me five minutes but why didn't she just come into the shop and ask for me? I just couldn't believe it.
"You hear businesses ask why the town centre is so quiet. With the attitude of the traffic wardens, it's no wonder," the volunteer explained.
On Tuesday the Strabane Chronicle contacted NSL, the body charged with overseeing traffic control in Northern Ireland, to ask them to over-turn the penalty.
Director of Communications Tim Cowen said the company "sympathised" with the lady but added that the warden was right to issue the ticket.
"We have every sympathy with the important work done by charity volunteers. We will never issue a penalty notice to a car where the driver is present but it is not practical to go looking for drivers of illegally parked vehicles who are elsewhere.
"There was no evidence of loading or unloading on this vehicle so it is clear that it was illegally parked," he said.
Mr Cowen added that if the volunteer felt hard done by, she should by all means appeal the fine.
The incident has angered the Area President for St Vincent de Paul, Martin French, who described the attitude as "ruthless".
"This lady had made ten calls in the town and she came back to the shop to pick up goods to take to someone in need. She left her car for five minutes and got a ticket. It goes to show just how ruthless ticketing in Strabane can be.
"I would urge them to think again. This was a woman doing a service to her community.
"If there had been no notice on the car, I could have understood but it plainly stated she was a St Vincent de Paul volunteer. This was really scraping the bottom of the barrel," Mr French said.
