Match Day Parking Ticket - is this obvious to most people?

AMO

Hi all,

I like to think that I know when and not when to park in parking bays. Many have single yellow lines and you go to the side to see what the restrictions are which could be 'No loading between x and y' or 'Pay and Display' etc.

I parked in a single yellow line place with restrictions. However, those restrictions applied at peak times.

I just recently got a parking fine. (Sorry if the links to images are not so good - I don't know where to upload images)
http://img388.imageshack.us/my.php?image=03sq1.jpg
http://img397.imageshack.us/my.php?image=04vy3.jpg

Now from what I can tell, because this is a match day, Leicester City Council can put two signs either end of the street (its a loooong street) saying 'No Loading' which means that I am in trouble when I park somewhere in the centre not having noticed that sign and look towards the normal restrictions I don't realise I am not supposed to park where I am parking. If you stand where I park there is no sign within visible distance stating that I should not park there.

I objected to LCC and I got this reply:

I refer to your objection against the issue of the above Penalty Charge Notice. Your objection has been considered in accordance with the Council’s Parking Policies and the guidance and regulations made in accordance with Part 6 of the Traffic Management Act 2004. Having considered the circumstances detailed within your correspondence I must inform you that your objection has been rejected for the following reasons:-

Your vehicle was observed parked on a section of highway that has a no loading/unloading restriction in operation. This was due to a match day restriction in effect at the time of the contravention. This restriction was indicated by signs throughout the restricted area. Please see the attached photographs. The Civil Enforcement Officer observed that the vehicle was parked on the restriction during the hours of operation and issued a Penalty Charge Notice correctly.

I note that you submitted your objection within the discount period. I have extended the discount period for 14 days from the date of this letter to allow you to make payment at the discounted rate.

If payment is not received a Notice to Owner (NtO) will be issued to the registered owner of the vehicle, which allows the owner to make formal representations. The Council is obliged to consider representations to the NtO even though your objection has been rejected. The NtO that will be sent within 28 days will explain the process and grounds on which representations can be made.


If the formal representation to the NtO is rejected the registered keeper of the vehicle has the right to appeal to an independent Parking Adjudicator on Statutory Grounds. It is not possible to appeal to an independent Parking Adjudicator unless you have made formal representations to the Council and been rejected.

Please note all correspondence or enquiries with the Council must be in writing.

Has anyone been in a similar position? I would have thought that they could have put up signs where the parking bays are to say that one should observe match day signs located at the boundaries.

What is my legal position now and is it worth doing anything about it?

Or am I being stupid and its blatantly obvious that a 'No loading' sign a hundred meters away means that you can't park in normal parking bays as it changes the restrictions on match days.

Any help is greatly appreciated?

Thanx

AMO

Quentin

You will get more authoritative advice if you post your query at the pepipoo web site.

TiTheRev

I think the more important question here is 'Why were you at a Leicester game'? :rotfl:

Hintza

I haven't a clue.

But, what you will need to discover is if their signage at the entrances to these zones meets with the legal requirements.

Assuming it does then just pay it. The danger is you start to get over excited and put more time and effort into fighting it than the expense of a ticket warrants.

AMO

Hintza wrote: »

I haven't a clue.

But, what you will need to discover is if their signage at the entrances to these zones meets with the legal requirements.

Assuming it does then just pay it. The danger is you start to get over excited and put more time and effort into fighting it than the expense of a ticket warrants.

But is it reasonable to expect people to realise this.

I mean, if there was a match day sign at the entrance of the motorway and then you travelled down it a few miles and then got caught speeding at 50 miles an hour because of match day rules is that fair or would you just pay?

AMO

Hintza

AMO wrote: »

But is it reasonable to expect people to realise this.



AMO

You have a point but on these sort of signs there must be some statutory duty on how they are set up. OP needs to find out what that is and do they comply with them. If they believe not then fight them.

Conor_3

You have no defence. It is clearly signed. It is exactly the same sized text and font as the rest of the wording on the signage and is of typical size for parking restrictions listed under such a sign.

It is not their fault that you failed to notice the signs as you entered the controlled area or the ones that are placed at the beginning and ends of the streets they're on.

So obviously you're wrong when you say you think you know when to park or not to park in parking bays.

sarahg1969

Conor wrote: »

You have no defence.

I assume you know that they are allowed to use these signs in that case?

Can you point us in the direction of the specific authorisation that they have received from DFT to use non-prescribed signage?

And the bays are compliant too, I assume?

Quentin

Conor wrote: »

You have no defence.

It's because these threads attract this kind of amateur advice that people shouldn't bother asking here.

Use a specialist website for definitive advice - pepipoo in this case.

Conor_3

sarahg1969 wrote: »

I assume you know that they are allowed to use these signs in that case?

Can you point us in the direction of the specific authorisation that they have received from DFT to use non-prescribed signage?

And the bays are compliant too, I assume?

It's not non-prescribed signage.

Conor_3

Quentin wrote: »

It's because these threads attract this kind of amateur advice that people shouldn't bother asking here.

Use a specialist website for definitive advice - pepipoo in this case.

Pepipoo...a forum populated by.....amateurs.

FYI:

Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2002:
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2002/20023113.htm

Some of what applies.

"controlled parking zone" means either -

(a) an area -

(i) in which, except where parking places have been provided, every road has been marked with one or more of the road markings shown in diagrams 1017, 1018.1, 1019 and 1020.1; and (ii) into which each entrance for vehicular traffic has been indicated by the sign shown in diagram 663 or 663.1; or

(b) an area -


(i) in which at least one of the signs shown in diagram 640.2A has been placed on each side of every road; and

(ii) into which each entrance for vehicular traffic has been indicated by the sign shown in diagram 665;