Parking Ticket Query

MCCONNELL_2

Hi folks,

Hoping someone can help me.

Today i went into town and went into a car park, which has NO disabled bays, as i needed room to get out of the car I parked over 2 spaces and displayed my blue badge and also got a pay and display ticket.

When I got back to the car 45 mins later I had a parking ticket stating I parked over the white line.

I was going to appeal it on the grounds that I was being discriminated against because no disabled spaces in the whole carpark and the normal space are not big enough.

Thanks whoever can help xx

sunnyone

MCCONNELL wrote: »

Hi folks,

Hoping someone can help me.

Today i went into town and went into a car park, which has NO disabled bays, as i needed room to get out of the car I parked over 2 spaces and displayed my blue badge and also got a pay and display ticket.

When I got back to the car 45 mins later I had a parking ticket stating I parked over the white line.

I was going to appeal it on the grounds that I was being discriminated against because no disabled spaces in the whole carpark and the normal space are not big enough.

Thanks whoever can help xx

Who owns the car park and who issued the ticket?

mcconnell

The ticket was issued by Roads Service Northern Ireland. The car park is patrolled by National Car Parks (I think).

daska

There's a board dedicated to parking tickets where you'll get some good advice. Click HERE

Justice1_2

Hi McConnell,

I dont hold out much hope for you TBH especially with the roads service NI. I had two appeals recently with them, IMO, the appeal solicitors tend to side with the Road Service if you go as far as appeal. Complete waste of time.

What you can do at the start is ask them to reconsider their decision, that is done through Omagh Office.

Write to them and give your reasons why you feel the PCN was issued without justification, especially because there were no Diabled Bays. Once they reconsider they will advise you of the outcome, if they still stick to their decision its up to you wether to appeal or not.

NI dont even follow the procedures in the Roads Act, they have their own local regulations etc.

Have a look at this website, it may help

ticketbusters.co.uk

NAR

First of all MCCONNELL what carpark was it, as I'm sure other disabled drivers would benefit from knowing to avoid that carpark.

This bit you might not like. You parked in two spaces, thus depriving someone else of a parking space. Do you think that considerate? People rightly condemn able bodied drivers for parking in disabled spaces, but disabled drivers must not just "suit themselves" either. Sorry but I think the ticket is deserved because of your selfishness.

Invasion

If you're a wheelchair user, and you cannot get out of your car with the door only half open because you need to, say, get your chair out of the car, then HOW on earth is it selfish to park in two spaces? Would you have preferred for them to have had to have gone home because they were unable to get their chair out of the car? Silly question, of course you would, cos then they wouldn't have been being selfish...

I'm currently learning to drive and when I'm able to and am independent there'll be times I'll have to go home if I can't get a disabled bay as I won't be able to get round my car to get to my chair in the boot without using both crutches, which you can't do in a normal bay.

Don't judge people as "selfish" without knowing their circumstances, wanting to get out to go shopping isn't selfish in my opinion!

NAR

So accordinging to you a disabled person can park selfishly at all times?

OP's issue is that there were no disabled spaces in the carpark - that I agree is a disgrace and should be taken up with the relevant authorities.

However IMHO that does not give them the right to deprive someone else of a carparking space. Able bodied people have rights too.

daska

Assuming I've understood correctly and there were literally NO bays (i.e. it wasn't just that there were bays which were in use.) I started wondering about the DDA and whether it would apply. I couldn't find much info other than on the Mobilise website:

Take a look at this page about accessible parking.

Member Benefits include

Free Case Work Service: Our Information Officers successfully dispute penalty charge notices, fines and help to fight parking bay abuse.

No idea if they'll be able to help but worth a call?

daska

NAR wrote: »

So accordinging to you a disabled person can park selfishly at all times?

OP's issue is that there were no disabled spaces in the carpark - that I agree is a disgrace and should be taken up with the relevant authorities.

However IMHO that does not give them the right to deprive someone else of a carparking space. Able bodied people have rights too.

If the car park had put in an accessible bay (which it seems from the link in my previous post it is legally obliged to do) it would almost certainly have resulted in a normal bay being removed. So how is it selfish to achieve the same result on a temporary basis?

tbourner

Tricky one. I kind of agree with NAR, it's similar to an able bodied person going into a car park that was full, and therefore deciding to drive down the pedestrian high street and park outside a shop because it was 'unfair' that the car park didn't provide enough spaces.
OK so it's not exactly similar to that, but you get the idea. Just because something isn't done properly or isn't fair doesn't give you the right to break the law - you have to give up on whatever you were doing and argue the case for spaces to be provided.

Maybe if you'd bought 2 pay and display tickets?