Lory encountered a parking meter malfunction while trying to pay for his parking spot on his way to a show at Forest National. Despite trying multiple times, the machine showed an error message and did not debit any payment from Lory’s bank account. Later, he received a €50 fine for non-payment, but upon explaining the situation to the officers, they confirmed it was a known bug. However, the fine was already encoded in the system and mightn’t be canceled. Parking.brussels denied Lory’s complaint and advised him to use a blue disc to indicate the parking meter concern, claiming it was mandatory to know and respect the Highway Code. Although Lory had never heard of this rule, parking.brussels stated that it was the driver’s responsibility to comply with the regulations.
On his way to Forest National, Lory wanted to pay for his parking but the parking meter malfunctioned, completely blocking the operation. A fine of €50 was awarded to him during the show and his challenge was refused. He pressed the orange Alert Us button to testify.
Mid-February, Lory goes to Forest National for a show. Compulsory car travel since our witness lives far from Brussels, he parks in a paid parking space managed by parking.brussels. Full of good will, Lory prepares to pay for her parking using a parking meter, but things don’t quite go as planned. “Everything was going normally, encoding of the plate number, parking time, etc…”he explains. “Then, when paying, the machine stopped, reset, and returned to the start of the operation.”
Lorry checks her banking application and sees that no payment has been recorded. “After verification, nothing has been debited.” So he repeats the process. “And there, surprise!”, he continues. “The parking meter tells me that my plate is registered in the system and that I cannot therefore register once more.” Our reader starts once more several times but the same error message is displayed, and his bank account still does not move. So Lorry gives up. “Too bad, the clock was ticking, we went to the show.”
“A known bug”
Then, second surprise: during his absence, Lory received a €50 fine for non-payment of his parking lot. Luckily, the agents are still around and the alerter catches up with them. “After my explanations, they told me directly that it was a known bug!”, he explains. They then try together to re-register the plate but the problem remains.
The officers sympathize, says Lory, but can do nothing more: the fine is already encoded in the system and it is impossible to cancel it. A complaint to parking.brussels is then strongly recommended to him by the agents.
But on the side of parking.brussels, the answer is categorical: no, this complaint will not be accepted. The company indeed replies that he should have put his blue disk to indicate the parking meter concern. A rule that Lory claims never to have heard of. “A malfunction can always happen, but here we are clearly on the abuse of power and dishonesty…”, he laments. In order not to have to pay an increase, Lory therefore ended up paying her fine but still hopes to find a compromise…
“Nobody is supposed to ignore the law”
“This answer is final”assures us of parking.brussels, which acknowledges that it “sometimes a parking meter is defective”. The Brussels regional parking agency believes that “no one is supposed to be the law” and confirms that our reader should have placed his blue disc. “Motorists are indeed required to know and respect the Highway Code, which provides that ‘in accordance with article 27.3.1.2° of the Royal Decree of 1 December 1975, when the parking meter closest to the “place where his vehicle is parked is out of order, all drivers are required to use the parking disc”, we are told. This law should have been assimilated by Lory although “the mention of this obligation on parking meters is neither mandatory nor systematic”.
parking.brussels
forest national
In conclusion, Lory’s experience with a malfunctioning parking meter may have cost him a €50 fine, but it has also shed light on an important requirement for all drivers to know and follow the parking rules and regulations in their area. While parking.brussels acknowledges that technical issues with the parking meters can happen, the agency emphasizes the importance of using a blue parking disc as an alternative in case of such an event. Nevertheless, Lory’s frustration with the lack of understanding and communication from parking.brussels highlights the need for better communication and clearer instructions for parking in Brussels. Hopefully, this incident serves as a reminder for all drivers to be aware of their parking responsibilities and for authorities to provide clearer guidelines and support for parking issues.
