Dear readers, 

When I put pen to paper and address my thoughts to LPG, I am addressing my concerns to people who are more likely to remember what things used to be like in the dark, dark past of the 20th century.

Yesterday, after quite a search, I went out and found myself in front of a potentially free parking space, something I suspect that any driver would deem a rare opportunity in this day and age.  Many other parked cars were around the gold-dusted space and a no-waiting sign.  I know of them but have never had a need to really understand such a message until I found the sign ambiguous and felt that I needed some clarity before leaving my car.   One of the specified times stated on the sign had just passed, but I was still determining whether it indicated the restriction's beginning or end.    

Having recently become the owner of a basic mobile phone, a call to the non-emergency police might be the way forward.   They told me I needed to call Lewisham Council for clarification, so I did.  The council operator put me through to the highways service, who could not help either, but they assured me that Lewisham parking would have the answer and transferred me.  Surprisingly, the advisor there had no answers for me, although she offered her opinion before suggesting that I speak to the enforcement department.    I had, by then, been standing outside my car for some 20 minutes, but the whole point of the telephone call was not to speculate and get a definitive answer to my question from the people who knew.  I was then transferred to the enforcement section.

After listening to music interspersed with a recording that informed me that I was ‘number one in the queue’ for five minutes, I was cut off.  I called back and got the council's operator again, who allegedly put me through to their enforcement department for a second time.  I then spent another ten minutes listening to a recorded message telling me my call was important.  It also allowed me to give my number and get called back, but I am sure you can understand why that was an impractical option given the circumstances.  So, knowing I could not be that far down the queue judging by the call I had been cut off from, I chose to wait a little longer.  Ultimately, I decided to leave the car and make my visit, but I still felt that, as a Lewisham resident, I had a right to ask and get an official answer to such a question.  

I visited and returned to my car, but before I moved off, I realised that I had never actually disconnected the call before putting the phone back into my pocket.   The now familiar recorded message and music were still playing while the screen informed me that the call had been ongoing for one hour and three minutes up to that point.  

So, I am now waiting to see if a ticket will arrive at my front door. But I have to ask if any reader thinks that such treatment of a council tax-paying resident is acceptable. I was under the preconception that the council is supposed to be working to support its residents. Should our council tax not give us the right to be their priority? Was my call really important, and how long does it take to get past the number one spot in the queue?

When I got home, I checked what the internet said about the sign, but I am still trying to figure it out.

AM, Lee