Vinci - shall I just pay it?

Umkomaas

In Wales, where hospital parking charges are (mostly) outlawed, one hospital I know, now regularly having numerous groups of 4 cars rolling up at 7am - 8am in the morning, three park up and their drivers jump into the 4th car, returning between 5pm and 6pm. Parking at the hospital has, since charges were banned, gone from very difficult to virtually impossible.

Parkers are required, via signage, to take and display a free ticket with times showing, but there is no monitoring and no avenue to enforce anything.

Erection of exit barriers for a free car park is likely to be cost ineffective.

Not a real solution in sight, other than their current plans to build further parking space, which will no doubt encourage further rogue parkers. Obviously a PPC would be no solution - rogue parkers eliminated quickly, leaving the legitimate parkers - the sick, dying, bereaved, chemos, new Mums, emergency cases etc - for the PPCs to salivate over!

4consumerrights

Lolaboo90 wrote: »

They want £20 or £8 if paid in 14 days. I believe it's a ticket from Vinci. For the sake of £8 shall I just pay up immediately? My dad seems to think they won't bother enforcing but I've never had a ticket before and I'm wary.
Thank you for your time.

If this figure is correct which is a surprise as they are going above and beyond their mandatory 40% reduction and indeed it is cheaper than one of the hospital sites managed by TPS, consideration should be given to pay this.

However, I would still be tempted to complain to PALS for the valid reasons supplied by the other posters. I would half be tempted to appeal within 14 days stating that if the appeal did not succeed than any appeal to POPLA would cost VINCI more in their AOS fee as a member. If the appeal is done within 14 days then the charge is normally held at that level.

I would also add that there is scope for hospital appeals that these are not classed as relevant land under the realms of POFA, as NHS sites are indeed government owned whether centrally or with individual NHS trusts with tax payers propping up the system.

nigelbb

4consumerrights wrote: »

I would also add that there is scope for hospital appeals that these are not classed as relevant land under the realms of POFA, as NHS sites are indeed government owned whether centrally or with individual NHS trusts with tax payers propping up the system.

The 'not relevant land' ploy won't fly unfortunately. It's not sufficient that it's publicly owned. Here is the relevant section from POA 2012:-

3 (1) In this Schedule “relevant land” means any land (including land above or below ground level) other than:
(a) a highway maintainable at the public expense (within the meaning of section 329(1) of the Highways Act 1980);
(b) a parking place which is provided or controlled by a traffic authority;
(c) any land (not falling within paragraph (a) or (b)) on which the parking of a vehicle is subject to statutory control.

A hospital car park is neither a highway nor a parking space provided or controlled by a traffic authority nor is it subject to bylaws.

Dr._Shoe

pogofish wrote: »

I'm entirely unconvinced with that line of argument - in fact the only times I've heard it put forward in any seriousness have all been where a PPC (usually Vinci) has been attempting to justify their predatory activities at hospitals.

Actually my local hospital, The Royal Berkshire, springs to mind. It is served by a frequent bus service which would work out much cheaper than parking in the town centre if parking was free.

Many London hospitals are easily accessible by public transport too and if parking was free at these then this too would be cheaper than paying for parking and the congestion [strike]tax[/strike] charge.

I do get your point that a large number of hospitals are not so conveniently placed for either shoppers nor workers other than hospital staff though.