AsiaOne : Other Cars Also Illegally Parked, Why Pick Mine ?

[g8crasher]

http://motoring.asiaone.com/Motoring/Drivers/Story/A1Story20100315-204727.html

Other cars also illegally parked, why pick mine? HE drives a car that costs more than $200,000 brand new - and is in a tizzy over a $30 parking fine.

Mr Wilson Ang, 23, feels he may have been unfairly targeted because of his car, a Mercedes-Benz SLK convertible.

He was given a ticket for not displaying a parking coupon. He alleged that other illegally-parked cars behind him weren't fined. :crazy:

Not only has he refused to pay the fine, he has written to the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) with an ultimatum: Respond to me within three days or "I will proceed to make the matter open to the public".

He later sent a copy of the e-mail, dated 28 Feb, to The New Paper, saying the URA had not responded. He wrote in it: "Are your URA staff biased over drivers with expensive sports car (sic)?"

Mr Ang, an assistant project manager at a construction company, had parked his black Mercedes in a lot along Circular Road, near Boat Quay, at 8.10pm on 28Feb.

He was there to buy dinner for his wife at a nearby Chinese restaurant.

He returned 10 minutes later to find he had been given a ticket for not displaying a coupon.

He told The New Paper: "I looked around at the other cars along the road and hardly any of them had displayed parking coupons."My car was the only one in the entire row of cars which had a ticket on it."

Mr Ang claimed that his car was the first in the row at the time. He said: "I came out of the restaurant and the entire street was dead quiet. There wasn't a single person in sight. "I don't understand why the parking attendant chose to give only me a ticket when there were so many others who had not displayed a parking coupon."

He said that because he feels "singled out", he does not want to pay the $30 fine. :fencing:

Another luxury car

"I don't know if it's because I was driving a nice car. If so, I don't understand why the luxury SUV behind my car didn't get a ticket. It costs about the same."

Mr Ang said he paid about $160,000 for the second-hand, one-year-old car two months ago. Why refuse to take responsibility when he is clearly in the wrong?

Said Mr Ang: "It's not that I'm not aware that I have broken the rules. I just don't feel that the authorities should be biased when they are issuing tickets. "I wouldn't have a problem with paying the fine if everybody else who parked without a coupon received a ticket too."

Mr Ang said he did not take a picture of the other cars which allegedly did not get parking tickets.

He added that the first thing he did upon getting home was to e-mail the URA, asking to have his fine waived.

He said he had asked the authorities for waivers of fines on previous occasions.

One incident, he said, involved a friend who had parked illegally along the road because he could not find a season parking lot.

He said: "I contacted the Housing and Development Board and they waived the fine quickly. I am hoping that URA does the same."

He added that he plans to stick to his guns, though the matter may eventually go to court.

He said: "I don't think they will bother taking me to court over $30. It's a waste of time for them."

I wouldn't have a problem with paying the fine if everybody else who parked without a coupon received a ticket too. - Mercedes SLK owner Wilson Ang.

Should Mr Ang just pay the fine and be done with the hassle?

Other motorists The New Paper spoke to were divided.

Mr Ho Wenjie, 26, an executive in a construction firm, feels Mr Ang's actions were not justified.

"He parked in a gazetted parking lot without displaying a parking coupon. He has committed an offence for which he has been suitably penalised, so he should pay the fine.

"The fact that other people did not get penalised does not relieve him of his obligation to display a valid parking coupon.

"If he is arguing that he has been unfairly penalised while others weren't, then he should blame it on his own bad luck, instead of trying to worm his way out of a parking ticket."

Lecturer Yu Boon Hee, 43, added that he felt Mr Ang should have displayed a parking coupon in the first place.

He said: "Why not just pay 50 cents for a coupon and have peace of mind"

:crazy:

"URA shouldn't entertain him, and should punish him, as a warning to other motorists."

But entrepreneur Carlene Ng, 38, said that if MrAng's claims were true, his claims would have some merit.

She said: "I think the parking warden is biased and that the respective units should look into the issue if he really was the only one who was fined.

"If it were me, I would also argue that others who are in the wrong should also have been fined."

Merc cars are 'easy targets' :whistle:

MOTORIST Wilson Ang believes he was picked on for having an expensive car.

But does being a Mercedes-Benz driver necessarily make one a 'target' for parking fines over other errant motorists?

Motorist Eugene Goh, 21, a student, said: "If the officer had to fine just one person, he would more likely fine the person who can afford to pay out of his pocket. That could be the driver of the Mercedes."

Financial consultant Aloysius Seow, 22, who drives a Mercedes, said he has been fined before, but is uncertain whether being a Mercedes driver makes him a bigger target.

He said: "I can't prove that it is a case of bias. We need to trust that the authorities are objective. "(Mr Ang) can't go about being particular or sensitive about such things. If he's still complaining that he was victimised, maybe he should just downgrade his car."

Another motorist, Cai Xiang Lun, 24, an undergraduate, said he felt a Mercedes could potentially be a more inviting 'target' for a parking fine.

He said: "A Mercedes is an expensive car; a status symbol. It could be a psychological thing that makes it a target.

"In any case, Mr Ang should pay his fine because he didn't display a coupon in the first place. It's his fault."

URA: Most pay up without griping :Cry:

MOST motorists pay their fines without complaining, said a spokesman for the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA).

"Over 95 per cent of motorists pay their parking fines by the first or second reminder notice.

"Those who do not pay up their fines after the third reminder and the final offer of composition are summoned to court. They form less than 5 per cent of vehicle owners who are fined."

The spokesman said that all appeals for fine waivers by vehicle owners are assessed and investigated.

The New Paper provided URA with details of Mr Ang's case, but it would not comment on details specific to his case.

Said the spokesman: "We consider each case on its merits as well as the supporting evidence provided to us. We will waive their fines if the appeals have merit.

"However, if URA investigates a case and assesses that there is no grounds for the appeal, then URA will require the vehicle owner to pay up the fine, failing which he will be summoned to court... The vehicle owner can then present his case to the court for consideration."

The spokesman said URA encourages all vehicle owners to always comply with traffic and parking regulations and to refrain from appealing against a fine unless there are reasonable grounds to do so.

"This is to avoid overloading the appeal process and to allow the authority to deal expediently in evaluating genuine appeal cases," the spokesman said.

This article was first published in The New Paper.

[Guest ehwwong]

definitely not from this forum.. i hope!

WAKE UP!!

PS: stupid, should take photo to support this claim.......

[Guest kinky74]

thank goodness i sold the CLK if not sure kena mark by the ticket officer......hahahha

Bro you finally come out to play ah

[g8crasher]

ehwwong wrote:

definitely not from this forum.. i hope!

WAKE UP!!

PS: stupid, should take photo to support this claim.......

Wah lau eh appear from nowhere siah.. still in China arh ? :whistle:

[Guest ehwwong]

always learking around lah..... just come back from germany...