Photo: Westminster City Council
A fast search online will prove that Westminster - an area of central London within the City of Westminster - is not the place where bad parking is possible. But this Russian BMW M6 owner seems to have a complete lack of interest in the city’s regulations, as he currently reached an impressive 60 fines for bad parking, with most of them remaining unpaid.
Busy traffic has become a major issue for European cities, a problem that turns parking places into a bar of gold for those who use their cars to go to the center. London is currently going through some crusade against those who fail to comply with the city’s regulations by taking advantage of their citizenship.
The BMW M6 in question here was repeatedly seen blocking a side street in a major West End shopping district, but thanks to his Russian-registered plate, he managed to get away with it so far. The driver also got away with the £6,780 fines ($10,292 at the current exchange rate) he has gathered this year alone. According to ITV News, some countries are unwilling to transfer the information regarding their bad drivers living abroad because they pass parking contraventions as a civil debt rather than a criminal offense.
In response, Westminster employs a foreign debt recovery specialist and is exploring ways of reducing its dependence on overseas agencies. Until they find a route, the city’s officials have sent a personalized letter to the bad driver in the hopes he will at least stop blocking access to apartments and businesses in Babmaes Street near Regent Street. It’s not clear whether or not there has been any response to the call, but the message seems quite severe.
“If you continue to park in disregard of Westminster City Council’s parking regulations, we shall have to take other more stringent measures to encourage your compliance. We are aware that your vehicle is not registered in the United Kingdom, and, therefore, you may assume that this excludes you from the possibility of prosecution. However, there are lines of prosecution the Council can follow that will allow us to transfer either a judgement or proceedings to a foreign court, enabling a more robust response including, but not limited to, the issue of a County Court Judgement and the removal of goods to the value of the debt. We are currently working with our legal team and also our specialist foreign debt recovery provider to introduce this process shortly.”
The BMW M6 in question here was repeatedly seen blocking a side street in a major West End shopping district, but thanks to his Russian-registered plate, he managed to get away with it so far. The driver also got away with the £6,780 fines ($10,292 at the current exchange rate) he has gathered this year alone. According to ITV News, some countries are unwilling to transfer the information regarding their bad drivers living abroad because they pass parking contraventions as a civil debt rather than a criminal offense.
In response, Westminster employs a foreign debt recovery specialist and is exploring ways of reducing its dependence on overseas agencies. Until they find a route, the city’s officials have sent a personalized letter to the bad driver in the hopes he will at least stop blocking access to apartments and businesses in Babmaes Street near Regent Street. It’s not clear whether or not there has been any response to the call, but the message seems quite severe.
“If you continue to park in disregard of Westminster City Council’s parking regulations, we shall have to take other more stringent measures to encourage your compliance. We are aware that your vehicle is not registered in the United Kingdom, and, therefore, you may assume that this excludes you from the possibility of prosecution. However, there are lines of prosecution the Council can follow that will allow us to transfer either a judgement or proceedings to a foreign court, enabling a more robust response including, but not limited to, the issue of a County Court Judgement and the removal of goods to the value of the debt. We are currently working with our legal team and also our specialist foreign debt recovery provider to introduce this process shortly.”
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