Parking officer's ticketing blunder

Their cars were at Orakei station's free park-and-ride allotment when the officer swooped, leaving them to find tickets on their windscreens when they returned. Photo / Doug Sherring

AT apologises after motorists parked lawfully at Orakei station slugged with fines that had to be waived.

Auckland Transport is apologising for an overly zealous enforcement officer who dished out infringement tickets to 24 motorists parked lawfully at a railway station carpark.

Their cars were at Orakei station's free park-and-ride allotment on Monday when the officer swooped, leaving them to find tickets on their windscreens when they returned by train from work and other business in central Auckland.

One commuter, who did not want to be named, said he always took advantage of free parking at the station and a one-stage train fare to Britomart discounted to $1.70c each way for Hop card users.

That beat parking fees of up to $20 a day in downtown Auckland.

But he was unimpressed to find a $12 infringement fee on his way home from his accountancy job, and could not understand why so many other motorists had received the same treatment.

"I got a ticket for exceeding 30 minutes there, but that's absolute nonsense because there is no [time limit] sign whatsoever."

Within half an hour of being contacted by the Herald on Tuesday, an Auckland Transport spokesman said the 24 tickets were issued in error and would be nullified.

"One of our officers got it wrong - he realised his mistake and first thing this morning told his supervisor who immediately had the 24 infringements waived," the spokesman said.

"We apologise for the mistake and an apology letter will go to all the affected customers.
"This was a case of human error and was dealt with swiftly by the officer who saw the mistake when checking the infringements he had issued."

The spokesman said 22 tickets were for $12 fines and two for $15.

Free 24-hour parking guarded by CCTV security cameras is available in 168 spaces at Orakei station, although there are also 10 with a time limit of four hours and several others for short stops to pick up or drop off rail passengers.

Although the parking spaces are often full by 7.30am, the popularity of driving to Orakei for free parking and cheap train travel to Britomart may lessen next year, once Auckland Transport makes it a two-zone rail trip likely to cost at least $3 for the 4km leg.

Monday's blue was not the only recent mishap for Auckland Transport parking staff at Orakei.

The council body quashed $40 fines issued to the owners of 27 vehicles parked on footpaths on two narrow Orakei streets after a petition against an overnight ticketing blitz last month gained more than 2000 signatures.

It also had to send apology letters to 237 motorists early last year after referring them to debt collectors without first issuing reminder notices for parking fines.

And in December, it apologised to almost 550 council-owned carpark users after mistakenly emailing their names and contact details to hundreds of other clients.