Just the Ticket

Just the Ticket

Just the Ticket

According to my ever reliable sources, (We’ll go with the official Durham University website and definitely not Wikipedia), there were a grand total of 15507 students in the 2007/08 prospective academic year. Given recent government grants leading to greater numbers of offers being made – leading to this author being housed in temporary accommodation in the first term, which quite frankly made a Romanian orphanage look luxurious, it is safe to estimate our numbers must be around 16000. There is no doubt in my mind that there must be at least double that number of traffic wardens in this town that we reside in.

I muse on this topic having recently read about the ‘phantom car’ – in other words the W-Reg Ford Escort which is believed to have been parked in a pay-and-display bay in Old Elvet Durham City since at least July 18th. As you can imagine this was a fiscal Christmas come early for our good friends in the neon jackets who recently announced the mystery motorist in question could face a fine of up to £7000. Makes my library fine of £30 look rather insignificant.

As you can imagine this case will have surely filled those slow Monday mornings down at the Tax office with vibrant conversation – one employee was quoted as remarking ‘surely this cannot be right. It’s a prime centre location. It’s not only illegal but losing revenue for the council’. When I tried to contact the Tax office regarding the matter, a man who’s self-satisfied tones reminded me of Jonathan off Spotify answered the phone and remarked that ‘it didn’t concern the local council immediately’ and whilst a further call to customer services proved more fruitful, I was left feeling that the council were giving me the cold shoulder – and that’s not just because they had turned my heating off due to a dodgy boiler.

Yet, much like Steve Kean, I was unprepared to give in despite the overwhelming lack of public support. I rang the ‘Parking Shop’ in North Road – presumably a place for those interested to compare the merits of reverse, forward, and parallel should they feel the need to and ironically the place where the car had been left outside. Having once again got through to the front desk and having had my mind polluted with an odd mix of 90’s pop and Diana Ross whilst on hold, I was informed by a supervisor that ‘we are not actually allowed to comment on that issue’. By this stage I realised it would be increasingly difficult to actually speak to anyone with regards to the W-Reg left in the Pay and Display spot – both the Council and the Shop in question were unprepared to comment.

So whilst this issue remains unresolved and the ‘phantom car’ remains outside the Parking Shop on North Road, perhaps as students we should all draw conclusions from this case. As I’m sure all have noticed who are lucky enough to drive around the metropolis of Durham there are attendants everywhere. From the confusion over the W-Reg and the lack of correspondence on the matter, it would appear that students should be vigilant at all times – paying a heavy parking fine could be far more complicated than originally thought. Understandably the council have a job to do and despite the fact that students are obviously better, safer and more environmentally friendly drivers than locals… it is highly likely that many of you will receive fines at some point this year.

Whilst I’m sure no student could ever afford to rack up a fine to the level of £7000, (yes even you, you Hatfield socialite with the new mini cooper and Dad who would rather go on Cribs with Josef Fritzl than vote Labour – it is the recession) even small fines under £10 are an absolute nuisance. At 80p an hour fines are easily achievable especially if a car is left somewhere before a big night. Not only will you arise in the morning with your dignity in tatters but there will be a large hole in your wallet as well.