You don't want to volunteer a time, only as long as necessary and necessarily a bit longer than the observation time, and you have the BB as evidence.
But 10 mins as in this case can be seen as reasonable by an adju
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Case reference 2250464004
Appellant Maimuna Jallow
Authority London Borough of Tower Hamlets
VRM GP24HFK
PCN Details
PCN TT59171456
Contravention date 18 May 2025
Contravention time 11:57:10
Contravention location Commercial Street
Penalty amount GBP 160.00
Contravention Parked resident/shared use without a valid permit
Referral date -
Decision Date 02 Feb 2026
Adjudicator Sean Stanton-Dunne
Appeal decision Appeal allowed
Direction
cancel the Penalty Charge Notice and the Notice to Owner.
Reasons
Mr Edrissa Cham has attended the hearing today as the authorised representative of the appellant.
Mr Cham says that he was collecting his 94 year old grandma and that, upon arrival, she was experiencing chest pains and acute breathlessness. He says that he placed her down in the correct position and provided her with inhalers until she eventually stabilised. Mr Cham says that the whole incident was less than 10 minutes and that he walked his grandma to the car with his brother when she was recovered.
The picking up exemption allows for a motorist to leave a vehicle where a passenger requires assistance. It is more likely than not to be the case that a 94 year old may need some assistance when being picked up.
I am satisfied that the purpose of the vehicle being parked was to collect a passenger. The fact that assistance then had to be provided due to an emergency situation does not alter the reason for the vehicle being stopped. I would not in any case regard a period of parking of 10 minutes to be excessive for collecting an elderly passenger and helping them back to the vehicle. I am satisfied on balance that the picking up exemption applies in this case.