Hospital car parks

blameyourelf

I've just started working in a hospital close to Glasgow. The car park at the moment is completely free; however from September they are bringing in a maximum 4 hour stay policy, which will no doubt be enforced by CP Plus, like some of the other hospitals in Glasgow that I've worked in. There will apparently be some 'permits' available, but clearly not to all 2000 staff! I predict that local residents are going to start getting annoyed at loads of hospital staff parking in their streets!

Obviously, having read this and other forums, and from personal experience, as well stories from staff in other hospitals (nurses/doctors with literally hundreds of unpaid parking 'invoices' and no repercussion as yet other than the standard trewothans solicitors letters) it seems that the clued up among us will be able to ignore the new parking regulations, and I guess with a few posters around the hospital/group emails others could be warned too.

Why, then, given the amount of publicity surrounding this, and the repeated guidance to ignore these parking tickets, do the NHS insist on bringing what would seem to be an unenforceable system into place?

Also seems to fly in the face of this statement by Nicola Sturgeon in 2008 when parking charges at most Scottish hospitals were abolished (scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2008/09/02091611). I guess it amounts to charging by the back door!

Coupon-mad

QUOTE
Why, then, given the amount of publicity surrounding this, and the repeated guidance to ignore these parking tickets, do the NHS insist on bringing what would seem to be an unenforceable system into place?
QUOTE


I guess because there HASN'T been much publicity - certainly not enough!

We all celebrated when Watchdog confirmed in May that PPC tickets are a scam and should be made into paper aeroplanes. But we are now pointing people towards a youtube link of that programme because most people won't have seen it, or have forgotten it, or not realised it applies to their case.

Apart from that, there have been very few newspaper articles since Martin put his advice in the News of the World a couple of years ago, telling people not to pay.

So I would bet that like many landowners, most NHS managers have fallen for the CP Plus hype - a promise of a 'free solution to their car park problems'.

If I were you I would park and never buy a permit, collect those bogus tickets. You'll get a lot of paper aeroplane-fodder slapped on your car and maybe some letters from Trethowans. The thing to be aware of is that occasionally Trethowans do try Court, I can't lie because that's a fact, they do sometimes try their luck.

If you've read enough to be confident then you'll be fine because a robust defence is available on pepipoo.com to anyone who is taken to Court by a PPC. Pepipoo forum link:

http://forums.pepipoo.com/index.php?showforum=30

If it would worry you too much then buy the permit but lobby the Hospital Trust Managers to stop using worthless parasites to carry out a protection racket on their land. Quote the statement by Nicola Sturgeon. And tell other staff who do get tickets never to pay them, put some posters up, put notes on any cars you see with tickets, etc.

mikey72

Can I still park in the staff car park if I want to do some shopping?

Coupon-mad

mikey72 wrote: »

Can I still park in the staff car park if I want to do some shopping?

No-one here condones taking up spaces on purpose, which are clearly for other users. It's common courtesy not to park in a staff space, disabled bay, parent & child bay on private land.

I wouldn't do it, but - like the OP - if I worked at a hospital which was dumb enough to employ a PPC and expect me to pay for a permit to work there I would certainly be tempted not to bother with said permit. I know PPC tickets are unenforceable and would not be bothered by Trethowan's sorry attempts at a simple Small Claim (I have seen some daft examples of their handiwork posted on pepipoo!). And yes, they lost.

taffy056

No parking charges at my local hospital trust, I believe the welsh assembly has decided that parking should be free at all hospitals in the principality, and unless I am mistaken that includes the staff, though I must ask a friend if that is the case.

super-cute

Because they are hoping and preying on the 'ones' that don't know.

Many many people still are not completely aware of the unenforceable 'invoices' that these private civil parking firms issue.

Say you have 500 people park in a private car park in a day, how many of those are going to know the loop?!
Lets be fair, lets say 250 know they can park there for free, but 250 also know they can't.

So they will be taking it 250 payments from those people, enough to consider the invoices a success in their eyes.

It is simple, a invoice stating it's a 'ticket' from a private car parking firm, is not enforceable by any means.
These type of firms use their bully tactics and false threats of legal action to force those who do not know there full rights into paying, when they have no right to pay or be made to pay.

split_second

this youtube link?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAIcdi9niHA

mikey72

super-cute wrote: »

Because they are hoping and preying on the 'ones' that don't know.

Many many people still are not completely aware of the unenforceable 'invoices' that these private civil parking firms issue.

Say you have 500 people park in a private car park in a day, how many of those are going to know the loop?!
Lets be fair, lets say 250 know they can park there for free, but 250 also know they can't.

So they will be taking it 250 payments from those people, enough to consider the invoices a success in their eyes.

It is simple, a invoice stating it's a 'ticket' from a private car parking firm, is not enforceable by any means.
These type of firms use their bully tactics and false threats of legal action to force those who do not know there full rights into paying, when they have no right to pay or be made to pay.

I'm glad someone pays though.
If no-one paid, I'd be forced to park in a scruffy car park, rather than a decent tarmac surface, in an area an town I want to be in.
You can't get something for nothing, but something someone else subsidises is nearly as good.

super-cute

mikey72 wrote: »

I'm glad someone pays though.
If no-one paid, I'd be forced to park in a scruffy car park, rather than a decent tarmac surface, in an area an town I want to be in.
You can't get something for nothing, but something someone else subsidises is nearly as good.

I agree with you.

Although, if we pay Road Tax, why should anyone have to pay to just 'park'?!

We pay taxes to use our cars, parking it is 'using' it.

Parking should not be charged, if it is, then Road tax should b deducted.

The invoices AKA 'tickets' are not worth the paper they are written on, the firm themselves know that, but long as they still have people bowing to their charges, they will keep employing a guy with a 'invoice' pad to man a car park preying for it's next un-expecting customer.

taffy056

Parking should be paid for if there is a charge to do so imo, the private landholder has a right to make a reasonable charge for use of their land, I always pay in the pay and display car parks, what i don't agree with is with hospitals and other public bodies charging for use of their car parks, tax payers fund these places, there should be no charges for the sick or people visiting them.

PPC though should never be paid as they are being ridiculous with their scam, I got ticketed once in Sainsbury in an almost empty car park, for my front wheel touching one of the lines in the bay, euro parking wanted £50 from me, they are completely beneath contempt, they will not get a penny from me, Sainsbury has lost about £7k a year of shopping and petrol from me a year because they refuse to answer a letter of complaint.

EllaKeat

It depends on what system they bring in though.....at my hospital in Durham, there are barriers in place, you take a ticket and pay at a machine before leaving. No pay, no barrier rise.