One fine Sunday morning in May I parked in Main Road Fish Hoek while I dashed into the bank to use the ATM. Five minutes later there was a ticket on my car for parking in a loading zone. The fine was to be R200.

It was obviously a mistake. There was no inconvenience to anybody. There was no danger to vehicle or pedestrian. People have always parked in these loading zones on Sundays and at night and if there was to be some change of policy surely there would be a warning and an explanation. A simple courtesy slip under a windscreen wiper would have done the trick.

That’s just good public relations. That’s how you build and retain good relations with ratepayers.

I dashed off an email off to the municipality, pointing out (rather briskly, I must admit) that the ticket was unreasonable and more likely to generate resentment than achieve any good purpose. I was asked to fax through the parking ticket and this, together with my note, would be used as my representation against the fine.

That done I forgot about the whole matter. I had no doubt that wiser City officials would sort it out, perhaps even have a word with the errant traffic officer about excessive zeal and how counterproductive it could be.

My attitude changed, however, when a “final warning” arrived in the post. Yes, they really wanted their R200. It was confirmation that it was all about money and not road safety or an attempt to protect the rights of delivery services because there are none at 10.30 on a Sunday morning in Fish Hoek or anywhere else.

Now R200 would buy a poor pensioner 30 loaves of plain brown bread, enough to last him for two months. And there are a lot of pensioners in Fish Hoek. All good soft targets!

Frankly, I wondered if it was revenge for a column I wrote on how the City was spending R150 000 on hopelessly overpowered motorbikes for the traffic department when they could buy more suitable machines for half the price.

But no, the manager of Pick n Pay also got a ticket, and I doubt he has given similar offence.

Now I strongly support vigorous road safety enforcement and I have even paid speeding fines (like a sinful 72km/h on New Boyes Drive) without a murmur.

It is now clear to me that we are not dealing with traffic officers. They are tax collectors. Do they get commission like the hated Roman tax collectors of old or do they just have targets to meet? I don’t know, but they are giving road safety campaigns a bad name.

They are undermining the credibility of the City and its law enforcement efforts.

They are destroying good relations between the public and officials.

Is this how the City works for you?