A council parking boss behind a controversial scheme to crack down on car usage dubbed a “war on motorists” once tried to quash tickets issued against him, according to reports. Seamus Adams, who is responsible for rolling out Lewisham’s “sustainable streets” initiative, came under scrutiny during his previous time at Tower Hamlets and Hackney councils. While prices vary, owners of the most-polluting diesel cars in Mr Adams’ south London borough now face yearly charges of more than £300 in a bid to encourage more people to walk, cycle or use public transport.

For those with non-compliant vans, the cost to reduce traffic and pollution could reach £750, locals told MailOnline. Mr Adams, head of commercial operations and development, came under fire for quashing three invalid parking tickets while he was in charge of parking at Tower Hamlets, The Daily Telegraph reported in 1998. Responding at the time, a spokesman for the east London local authority said: “The tickets he was issued with were technically invalid, so it was more an error of judgement than fraud against the council.

“He should have referred the matter higher up.”. Mr Adams was also accused in 2010 of receiving special treatment after being hit with a £300 parking fine when his Mercedes got towed away in Hackney. Although Mr Adams had an all-zones permit which allowed him to park anywhere in the borough, it was not displayed on the car’s dashboard, MailOnline said. His vehicle was slapped with a £60 ticket and was subsequently removed from St Thomas’s Square.

While Mr Adams - the ex-head of parking services at Hackney Council - paid the fine, he was not landed with the standard £260 towing fee. Instead, he simply called the tow truck and employees returned his car to where he had left it. Hackney Council admitted at the time Mr Adams missed the 14-day deadline to pay the ticket, meaning he should have been fined £120. A Lewisham Council spokesman told the Standard: “Mr Adams has been employed since 2020 and is an experienced professional.

“These incidents, from over 15 years ago, were related to invalid tickets and an error in displaying a permit. “At the time Mr Adams admitted to an error of judgment in terms of transparency in how they were handled.”. Residents in the Brockley and Telegraph Hill areas of Lewisham have slammed plans to create “sustainable streets” in the borough fearing they would have to pay up to £750 to park outside their own homes.

John Ohalloran, 54, a self-employed painter and decorator, said: “I have a diesel van and I’m now facing charges of £750 to park my van outside of my own home. “This is a war on motorists. There has been the bus lanes and the LTNs [Low Traffic Neighbourhoods] and now this. “It is a cash grab. Everybody is feeling the pinch at the moment.”. Peter Ryan, 79, who lives on Drakefell Road, added: “I really don’t want to end up in a situation where we can’t afford to live here anymore.

“There are a lot of objections to this issue. It doesn’t look like there is any advantage to it. “We have an ageing petrol car. We do not want that to be penalised. I am very concerned about this. People cannot afford these parking fees.”. Lewisham said its sustainable streets programme “is part of the council’s wider plan to encourage more walking and cycling in the borough, discourage shorter car trips within and through Lewisham, and help households who are increasingly finding it difficult to park near their homes”.