What initially seemed like a good idea to save on airport parking has ended up becoming an expensive problem for a tourist in Italy.
The driver, already nicknamed “the Mercedes trickster” in the local press, decided to leave his car parked in the Oriocenter shopping centre car park, near Bergamo airport, before going on holiday.
However, what he did not take into account was that the Highway Code also applies in these private spaces. Since the end of July, when he left his car, the vehicle has accumulated more than twenty fines on its windscreen.
The initial amount of each fine was £25 if paid within the first five days, but as most of them exceeded this period, the amount has risen to £35 per fine. The total amount is now around £850, a figure that could continue to rise the longer the owner takes to return.
The car, which cannot be removed as towing is prohibited in that area, is being monitored every night by local police officers. This measure was adopted by the mayor of Orio al Serio, Alessandro Colletta, due to the high number of vehicles in the same situation. According to the mayor himself, up to 300 cars per night were counted in the shopping centre car park. ‘Users are becoming increasingly uncivil, so we have decided to send one to three officers every night. This translates into between 50 and 60 fines per day,’ explained Colletta.
The regulations allow for one penalty for illegal parking every 24 hours, which has led to some travellers finding up to seven fines on their return from holiday. The mayor also stressed that most offenders are Italian, while foreign tourists tend to leave their vehicles in the official airport car parks or in private car parks in the area.
In addition to the fines, the “Mercedes smart alec’s” car has attracted the attention of other drivers, who have left messages written in the accumulated dust on its bodywork, with phrases such as “idiot” or “come back safe and sound”.
