Drivers baffled by 16 parking rules on road that's netted Haringey council £564,000 in fines

An "army" of parking attendants, backed up by CCTV, issue the equivalent of 33 tickets a day over the one-and-a-half-mile section of Green Lanes. The single stretch of road made Haringey council £564,000 in penalty charge revenues from illegal parking last year.

Drivers blame conflicting parking restrictions, which are different on each side of the street, and confusing signs giving three sets of instructions.

The Standard also found small pieces of paper wedged inside meters which give even more times when parking is permitted.

Traders say they are now forced to make announcements to their customers about when parking restrictions come into force and warn them when wardens descend.

Drivers trying to find a parking space on the busiest section of Green Lanes are confronted with a sign on each side of the road, dictating a combined 16 sets of parking times.

Those driving south towards Finsbury Park are told they cannot park between 7am and 10am on weekdays, while those heading north cannot park between 4pm and 7pm.

Parking is banned on Saturdays between 5pm and 7pm, traditionally the busiest time of the week for many of the Turkish-run shops. A separate set of pay and display instruction is also given for both sides.

Jo Abbott, of the RAC Foundation said: "Green Lanes is an arcane and complicated set of parking restrictions, and it seems Haringey council is deliberately exploiting the confusion to raise exorbitant revenue from parking fines.

"The council has a fundamental obligation to ensure that the parking arrangements are simple and clearly signed on the street, and they are unambiguously comprehensible. We challenge Haringey to demonstrate that they are meeting their obligations."

Birsen Tuna, manager of the Yasar Halim bakery, said: "The signs are very confusing. We've been to meetings and told the council, who listen but don't do anything about it."

Shefik Mehmet, 64, chairman of Harringay traders' association, said: "All day Saturday there is no parking and an army of traffic wardens wait to catch people. To add to the confusion the residents' bays and pay-and-display are all mixed up."

Haringey's wardens issued 12,302 tickets for the street last year, more than any other road in England and Wales.

A Haringey spokeswoman said: "The signs and instructions are standard and can be seen in other London boroughs along main roads. They comply with all regulations and we have few successful appeals in this area."