Parking ticket life is 1000 days !!!!!

rog2

If adequate Parking were readily available then, I'm sure that the number of parking tickets issued would fall dramatically - and the public perception of those people who need to enforce parking regulations would improve.
It seems, unfortunately, that local authorities think that 'penalty charges', along with the imposition of 'reduced' free parking times, are the magic answer to all of their problems.
To reduce the amount of 'free parking time', as they have done in our town, to a period that does not allow for ANY unforeseen hold-up or delay, then to rigorously impose penalties for even minimal 'overstay' is, in my opinion, more likely to be perceived as a 'revenue earner' than a 'safety measure'.
Given that dishonest practices in 'Parking Enforcement' have, already been proven - indeed have been the subject of several undercover TV exposures - it is hardly surprising that we, Joe Public, have very little empathy for this subject.
I sympathise with people like Olive Oyl - my wife was issued with a parking ticket, in a disabled parking space with the badge clearly displayed, as she was loading the wheelchair of the now 101 year old disabled lady that she, voluntarily, cares for into the boot of her car, after having taken her to see her solicitor. We did appeal and eventually - and only after several letters - were successful.
That Parking Restrictions are necessary, where parked vehicles would, otherwise, cause a potential safety hazard, is not in dispute. My dissatisfaction is with unnecessary parking restrictions and the often over-zealous manner in which they are enforced.

BAILIFFCHASER

How long till we have a revolt on parking fines like we have had with the bank charges ?

OliveOyl_2

Actually if a parking ticket is issued incorrectly, there is a route of appeal. (Though Rog2's route seemed unnecessarily long and complicated), I'm sure that my parents could have written a letter detailing their mistake and giving the number of the permit and KCC would have allowed their appeal.

Bank charges are different in that they took money not in accordance with their rules (i.e. took more than it could reasonably be said to cost).

rog2

BAILIFFCHASER wrote: »

How long till we have a revolt on parking fines ?

We won't, BC - The reason - we're British and don't do things like that.

When I worked in Paris, many years ago, there would be 'Parking Ticket Amnesties' - usually just before the Mayoral elections.

BAILIFFCHASER

OliveOyl wrote: »

Actually if a parking ticket is issued incorrectly, there is a route of appeal. (Though Rog2's route seemed unnecessarily long and complicated), I'm sure that my parents could have written a letter detailing their mistake and giving the number of the permit and KCC would have allowed their appeal.

Bank charges are different in that they took money not in accordance with their rules (i.e. took more than it could reasonably be said to cost).

Well if you look at it the same with parking fines.

OliveOyl_2

Not quite! The parking fine has an element of punishment to it.

I don't think the banks are allowed to punish us?

rog2

OliveOyl wrote: »

I don't think the banks are allowed to punish us?

I do agree that Parking Fines and Bank Charges are totally different, and I have no wish to take this thread off topic, but isn't it the 'punitive' effect of disproportionate Bank Charges that started the whole thing off?

BAILIFFCHASER

In theroy same thing. When we overdraw or a cheque is not allowed we get penalised by the bank. Same thing here if we do not park in the right place again we get penalised.

OliveOyl_2

But wrongful parking isn't just an inconvenience it can be quite serious as CFC points out. Certainly the bad parking in my town has caused mostly inconvenience to other road users/pedestrians but also some prangs and time wasting traffic jams.

Nobody "suffers" when you exceed your overdraft, you've broken an agreement, true, but you WILL have to pay it back (leaving aside bancruptcy etc) and you will also have to pay their fine. Nobody is "inconvenienced" by this, not even the banks.

A few years back parking and traffic offences were lifted out of being "criminal" !

malestrom07

Suggestion!

Parking tickets should result in 1 penalty point each, no financial penalty. So who's going to vote for that one? I suggest I may be hunted down and shot by "men from the dark forces division".

Parking tickets are nothing but blank paper fed into a banknote printing machine owned only by councils. They are completely disproportionate and account for billions of pounds of local authority revenue. They would not be so enforced without the revenue stream. However I would imagine that progression from Parking Attendant to Debt Collector would be a reasonable career move.