The  fast paced world in which we live places time constraints on almost everything we do and it seems that McDonalds is no exception to this.  In early December, Peter Fernandes parked his car outside a McDonalds’ restaurant in Salford Crescent whilst he went inside for a lunch time business meeting.  A week later, he received a £75 fine for doing so.  Baffled by the penalty, Mr Fernandes claimed “I thought they must have made a mistake” and contacted the restaurant to explain that he had been inside at the time, but they insisted that no error had been made.  It appears that three months earlier, the restaurant had introduced a one-hour rule in order to stop commuters parking at the branch, leaving no room for genuine customers to leave their cars.

            Mr Fernandes experience in Salford was by no means an isolated incident as it seems that a number of the fast-food chain’s outlets have implemented a similar policy.  Many of the drive-through branches now limit customers to a maximum of 45 minutes to finish their food before issuing them with a £125 fine.  If motorists choose to ignore this penalty the fine is likely to escalate, leading to court action and bailiffs being sent out.  The forty McDonalds’ car parks which apply such a rule employ private companies, such as Civil Enforcement, to run a system which uses plate recognition cameras to log when people arrive and leave.  It seems that a number of other companies are following the example which the fast-food restaurant has set, as an elderly company from Wiltshire found out when they were recently fined by Tesco for taking too long doing their Christmas shopping. 

Rather than paying £125 for an hour of parking why not rent your own, secure space from 247 parking.  Simply fill out an enquiry form on this website for a free quotation. You will be surprised to find out how cheap parking in London may be!