Car towed

Xiah

Hi this is my first post so sorry if it's a silly one!

I've parked on Vinicombe Street just off Byres road for months in front of the 'Drive in Clark-Fit centre'. This is an old building which isn't used anymore and i've seen dozens of people parked there before so I thought there wouldn't be a problem, big mistake! I parked there Friday night to find my car gone on Saturday morning (30/11/2013).

I found out that my car was impounded and to be told the fee was £180 which would increase by £20 daily. Needless to say i've begrudgingly paid the fee to have my car released but I think towing me was slightly unjustified. I'm not blocking anything or anyone as the building is totally abandoned and at worst I thought a parking ticket would have sufficed.


The double yellows that go straight along the road but not around the curbs which lead all the way to the building, which lead to me thinking that the previous owner has owned the small part of land in front of the building.
There is a company that is still open next door which the owner parks outside of every day and they have never had any problems.
There is a no waiting sign up, but this is located on the other building and i'm unsure if this is what will leave me unable to challenge this fine.

Below is an image of where I was parked

imageshack.us/photo/my-images/577/llvg.jpg/

Any advice is more than welcome but I think I maybe stuck having to pay this fine

peter_the_piper

Pepipoo.com for you.
Its likely that the yellows effect is right up to the wall, the road in is probably a concession to the business and they don't own it.
I'm curious about the wording in the OP, you've paid the tow fee, have you not paid the fine?

Xiah

That sucks big time
Paid it all off as one, which was a total of £180.

HO87

OP's Imageshack Link

GSV Link

You might have been off the road and the yellow lines may well have effect from the kerbside up to the building frontage but you may also have been considered to be obstructing the footway which crosses the bellmouth (which is directly opposite the junction of Cranworth Street with Vinicombe Street).

spacey2012

Yellow Lines extend back as far as a clearly defined boundary.
This includes over private land and this is case law as per court of appeal.

No clearly defined boundary = parking ticket, even on your own land !
Thanks judges !

wiogs

As I understand it the double yellows do apply right across the width of the pavement so as they say "it is a fair cop".

As for the building being unoccupied there is nothing to say that someone would not still have required access and maybe that is why your car got lifted.
There are plans for the building to be developed so perhaps someone required access?

Still places locally to park for free. (if slightly further away)

Coupon-mad

Xiah wrote: »

That sucks big time
Paid it all off as one, which was a total of £180.

Everyone is right that DYL apply from boundary to boundary an don the face of it you might seem to be bang to rights.

BUT!!!!

It is a total no-brainer, you must ALWAYS appeal to the adjudicator, any Council tow. After all if this was only a normal DYL restriction (not a no loading restriction too, not an obstruction) then a hasty towaway is often unjustifiable, when a PCN would do the job of communicating the restriction.

Go to pepipoo, post a pic of your PCN (both sides please!) on a new topic. In fact first of all, search the pepipoo forum for the phrase 'no-brainer' spelt like that and you will be amazed at all the Council tows being successfully appealed:

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

Anyone who doesn't appeal a tow all the way, has more money than sense, and you would be appealing for the whole amount back. The success of these appeals on pepipoo is better than appealing a PCN (and that's about 90%). With towaways, full refunds happen in almost every case helped by pepipoo posters!