Court Case Arises from Parking Ticket Error in Hamburg

In Hamburg, a peculiar legal situation is unfolding as a hospital employee faces court proceedings over a parking ticket, despite having followed all parking regulations. The individual, a dedicated cleaning staff member at the Altona Children's Hospital, has been employed there for two decades and relies on her car to commute to work due to limited public transport options during early morning hours.

On November 4, she utilized a mobile parking app to secure a permit for her vehicle, confirming her parking session started at 4:08 AM and concluded at 11:45 AM. However, just three days later, she received a notification from the authorities imposing a EUR20 fine for parking without a valid permit, allegedly recorded at 10:38 AM.

Prior to the introduction of resident parking regulations around the hospital grounds in March 2022, employees were able to park for free in the vicinity. Since the new rules were implemented, parking has incurred a charge of EUR3 per hour. The hospital's administration had advocated successfully for special permits for approximately 400 of its 1000 staff members who work in shifts, allowing them to use the designated VIATO Parking App instead of displaying a physical ticket.

On the day the employee parked, however, the ticket verification system failed to recognize her legitimate parking session. The Landesbetrieb Verkehr (LBV), the agency managing parking regulations, confirmed this malfunction when questioned. They acknowledged that a correctly registered user was incorrectly issued a fine due to technical difficulties in accessing the parking records.

After receiving the ticket, the employee submitted a formal objection in December, including her parking receipts as evidence. Despite this, the city has proceeded to bring her case before the Hamburg-Altona District Court, scheduled for a hearing at the end of March. The hospital's management has expressed their disapproval of the situation, highlighting the challenges faced by their staff.

The LBV has offered to provide testimony during the court proceedings to help clarify the circumstances surrounding the ticket issuance, but they also anticipate that the case may be resolved prior to the hearing. Meanwhile, the employee remains anxious, having not received any further information regarding her situation.