Wednesday 23 January 2013

What happens if.....?

“38 year old male, throwing around his job title”

What happens if you park on a double yellow line?

You get a parking fine

What happens if you park in a car park and don’t buy a ticket?

You get a parking fine

What happens if you over-stay in a car park?

You get a parking fine

What happens if you park on or near a crossing?

You get a parking fine

What happens if you park anywhere where it says ‘No Parking’?

You get a parking fine

What happens if you park in an ‘Ambulance only’ bay?

You get a parking fine

Social status or job title does not exclude anyone from having to pay for parking illegally. Typically, at most hositals there are 4-6 ambulance bays outside a hospital marked in yellow or red lines with huge signs on the walls and the ground saying ‘Ambulances only’. It is perfectly clear and there for a reason......so ambulances with ill patients can park outside the A & E and get them into the hospital quickly and easily. Hospital staff, patients, relatives and members of the public have to use the ‘car park’. The clue is in the name! Patients or relatives or members of the public being dropped off or picked up can use the ‘drop off zone’. Again, the clue is in the name. It is very common for all the ambulance bays to be full of ambulances and throughout the day there is always a constant stream of ambulances coming and going. 

This particular day we were sat at our local hospital in one of the 4 ambulance bays. There were 3 ambulances including us, the only one free was the one directly outside of the doors which we typically leave clear if possible, incase a ‘blue call’ (critically ill patient) arrives. We were scoffing down our venting machine food and watery Maxwell House coffees when a brand spanking new, black, Mercedes SLK convertible pulled in and parked in the ambulance bay. A middle aged man in a suit got out, locked it and walked off.

“Excuse me, you can’t park there.”

“Yes I can.”

“No you can’t, it’s an ambulance bay.”

“I’m a consultant, I can park where I like.”

“No you can’t, it’s for ambulances, there is one on route here now.” (massive lie)

“I haven’t got time to talk to you, I have work to do”

With that, the pompous, arrogant, prat, walking into the A & E. Being rather hot headed, I couldn’t let this lie. I stormed into the A & E after him but he’d vanished. So, I took down his registration number and went to the reception.....

*over the tannoy*

“Would the owner of a black Mercedes, registration number LK60 BFU, parked in the ambulance bay please remove it immediately.”

After a few minutes, he had not appeared.

“Would the owner of a black Mercedes, registration number LK60 BFU, parked in the ambulance bay please remove it immediately.”

Still no sign.

With that, the receptionist  picked up the phone and called security. The security at this particular hospital also monitor the car park. He came outside, wrote out a ticket and slapped it on the windscreen. As her did, the alarm started sounding. Within about 30 seconds the self proclaimed consultant appeared. I was sat back in the ambulance by now and watched the argument unfold. He talked to the security guard like he was dirt on his shoe using such phrases as ‘do you know who I am’ and ‘I’ll have your job for this’. In an indignant last ditched attempt to throw his muscle power around he stormed to the front of my ambulance and started writing down the registration number. 

“This won’t be the last you hear about this.”

I wound my window down.

“There is a pay & display car park just over there, that you are welcome to use.”

“You’ve made a huge mistake.”

“Actually it’s you who is parked illegally, I did tell you when you parked it.”

“I’m a consultant here.”

“The sign doesn’t say Ambulance and Consultants only, don’t blame me”

With that, he got in and sped off, revving his engine as he went. What a tool! Funnily enough I never heard any more about it! I truly hate people like that, people who think they are better than others. People who treat people ‘below’ them without respect and with contempt. He may have spent years moving up the ladder and he may be a respected consultant. Unfortunately, that doesn’t give him the right to do what he likes when he likes. I don’t buy into giving respect when it has not been earned. I don’t care what his job title is, I don’t care who he is or how well respected he is professionally, he is still working for the NHS, he is still a colleague and he still has to abide by the same rules as everyone else.  A job title does not give anyone the right to talk down to or dismiss another person. Unfortunately for him, he chose the wrong girl to throw a job title at and despite his best efforts, I was the one who got to sit and watch him huff, puff and speed off in his rear wheel drive penis extension.

What happens if a consultant parks in an ‘Ambulance only’ bay?

He gets a parking fine

*smug face*

29 comments:

  1. That tale has made my morning! I've seen similar behaviour so often and it's just wonderful to hear of appropriate comeuppance!

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  2. FWD I believe.
    The "gentleman" is a knob, regardless. They exist in all walks of life, sadly. Nice car shame about the driver. It annoys me when the ooh dr vehicle parks in ambo spaces meaning we have to offload in the rain rather than under cover. Not for me but the patient. Taillifts are not the quickest of systems!
    Hope he realises the error of his ways ;)

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  3. Result! My pet peeve is taxi drivers or pts taxis parking in the ambulance bay at a major trauma centre. They get a rant too.

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    1. Aahhhhh taxis! Thats a whole other blog all together!

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  4. Result! My pet peeve is taxi drivers or pts taxis parking in the ambulance bay at a major trauma centre. They get a rant too.

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    1. I just started replying and realised its the same message!!

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  5. Well done! I would have loved to have seen his face! Pople like that drive me mad!

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  6. Similar event for me the other week, pulling In to hospital on blues with a ROSC on board, go to pull into the ambo bay and some irritating taxi driver pulls In front of the only way into the bay and despite me leaving my lights on (which I dont usually do once im at the hospital) blasting my sirens AND using my bull horn he still felt his fare was more important than my patient!

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    Replies
    1. After all these comments I must write a blog about taxis!

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  7. You get the same problem on the zig zags around school. Some parents seem to assume they are there to reserve them a space when they drop off their children (who do have legs, but seem not to know how to use them). It doesn't help to confront them - they just don't see why its a problem.

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    1. YES! Schools!! Happened yesterday! Drives me bonkers!!

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  8. Unbelievable nonsense

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  9. "rear wheel drive penis extension" - ha ha, oh so true. Suspect only a Pathologist could detect his real one.

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  10. This story definitely made my morning, and as an attempted rising blogger, I have to say this certainly was well written, and inspiring.

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  11. Love it! - I was a Traffic Warden in the '80's and got lots of 'don't you know who I am's'- Sometimes I did and sometimes I didn't, makes no difference if they were parking illegally with no valid reason

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  12. Love it! I hope he does try to take it further so that he can be told by someone higher up the chain what a total pompous arse he is.
    Having worked across the water I have to admit that I like their system over there: tow companies hang around the car parks and anyone who parks in the wrong place gets towed. Then they have the inconvenience of getting to the pound to get their vehicle back, and the $200 fine they have to pay to release it. They learn pretty quick!
    The ambulance entrances at our local hospitals are frequently choked with cars parked on cross hatchings, double yellow lines etc etc, abandoned so that the ambulances barely have room to squeeze through to drop off patients. If we had a towing system over here the same way they do elsewhere I'm pretty sure the rubbish parking would stop.

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  13. Hate this type of person too... It filters right down to those who park in parent and child spaces when they have no kids and those who park in disabled spots when they shouldn't. Worst off all, those who have a disabled badge and abuse it or feel they are entitled to ignore all road safety rules to park their car! Makes my blood boil.... better call me an ambulance. ;-)

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  14. Only one fly in the ointment.......hospitals are private property and they have no legal power to fine motorists. As much as you hate the arrogance of such people the only way they can receive a fine for a parking contravention is if it occurs in a public place where local authority civil enforcement officers can issue a Penalty Charge Notice.

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    1. My local hospitals car parks and grounds are all monitored by the local council and the hosital security can issue parking tickets for vehicles parked illegally or those whose tickets have expired. Only problem is that it means it's one of the most expensive hosital car parks in the country!

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    2. ASDA managed to fine me on their property. I did look into it and alas, they were able.

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    3. No ASDA cannot issue fines! You probably received a "Parking Charge Notice" Unenforceable, Don't pay them.

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    4. Yes, you're right, Asda have no right to 'fine' you but they do have a right to charge you for parking on their property. So I should have really said I was issued with a 'charge' but it felt like a fine! I did look into it because I'd heard there was an issue with PCNs but all the official information said, private companies are not allowed to clamp, they're not allowed to tow and if the ticket is unfair - don't pay it. However, if the conditions for parking were clearly displayed and you were in definite breach of them (which I was) - then it's a fair cop. It's not a 'fine' but it's a charge you're deemed contracted to pay.

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  15. Do not pay!! TCP cannot make you pay. "fair cop. It's not a 'fine' but it's a charge you're deemed contracted to pay." Complete rubish.

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    Replies
    1. By that logic - I must mention it to the next NCP I drive into.

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  16. I know how annoying that is. I've had so many people cuss me out because I tried to tell them that they are parking illegally that I've just quit telling people.
    I once saw some stuck up college age guy get in a woman's face and try to intimidate her for daring to tell him that he was illegally using private parking. He suddenly seemed a lot less interested in fighting when he realized there were witnesses.
    It's rather ridiculous what selfish, entitled people consider to be acceptable behavior.

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