Calls to “review customer care approach” following station parking tickets

Council Leader, Councillor Colin Lambert

The Leader of Rochdale Council, Councillor Colin Lambert and Castleton Councillor Pat Flynn have called on Northern Rail to re-think their “customer care approach” after 14 tickets were issued to cars parked at Castleton station on Tuesday (19 April 2011).

http://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/55434/anger-as-14-receive-parking-tickets-at-train-station

Councillor Lambert said Northern Rail need to try living in the “real world.”

He wrote:

Dear Northern Rail.

Try living in the real world.

These people are your customers and your customer service is applied with an arrogance and total disregard for your fee paying public.

You say you have recognised there is a problem but your solution is to punish your customers. You are happy to take their money on your trains but ignore the commuters’ needs to get to the station.

Please review your customer care approach.

Councillor Colin Lambert
Leader Rochdale MBC 
Councillor Pat Flynn, the Ward Councillor for Castleton has also written a letter to transport bosses.

She wrote:

As a councillor in the Castleton Ward of RMBC, I find the £50 fine for parking on the approach road to Castleton Station unbelievable. 

I understand there were fourteen so called offences committed yesterday, many of those with season rail tickets. 

This approach road has, as long as I can remember, been a commuter parking facility and the cavalier approach shown by your company does nothing to encourage people to travel by rail. 

Notices have been placed at the station gate, i.e. at the bottom of the approach road, but this is no use to those parking further up the road.
Reasons for the fines – “Was not parked in a designated area” and “Was causing an obstruction”. What or whom were they obstructing? 

I contest your reasons for the fines that these vehicles were causing an obstruction and as there are no double yellow lines in place, these parkers are doing no wrong, and from what I have seen from the parking ticket, no way of appeal is mentioned. 

I look forward to your reply. 

Regards,
Councillor Pat Flynn. 

Northern Rail declined to make any further comment.

Rev Ian Butterworth, one of the 14 to receive a parking ticket has also written to Northern Rail to contest it. His letter can be viewed by clicking on the document link below.

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