Parking Ticket

The_Old_Bag

Sorry to bend your collective ears, but I am absolutley STEAMING:mad:

I parked my car in local council run free car park. It was fairly packed, so quite pleased that I actually managed to find a space, and even more pleased with how I managed to get my car in nicely given how badly the cars on either side were parked.
I managed to get my car smack centre of the available gap, leaving room for both other cars to get into their vehicle and drive away no problem.

Came back half an hour later to find most of the other cars gone ( school run) - and a parking ticket stuck on MY windscreen.
My crime - my car was straddling the white line of the parking bay !!!!!!

I eventually tracked down the wardens, and just about managed to keep my temper in check, explained, that I thought I had done nothing wrong.
Although polite they would only say I had to make an official appeal to the council in writing, once a ticket is issued they cannot cancel it etc etc.

But come off it, everyone knows that there is no chance what-so-ever that the fine will be waived.

The wardens said that "I took a risk" parking outside the bay - the fact that I was parking in a Free Council car park, following the pattern of the parked cars already there is irrelevant. Apparently I shouldn't have parked in the 'space' even though it was a car sized space in the middle of a row of parked cars. Well in future if there is not a clearly marked space available for me, I will drive elsewhere and spend my money in some other town.

Then councils wonder why shoppers ignore City and town centres and use out of town shopping centres instead - we are fed up with being treated as criminals, and paying huge rates bills for no facilities.

Rant over :cool:

sarahg1969

Before you do anything else (and certainly before you pay!!) get yourself over to the forums on www.pepipoo.com for some sound advice.

There is no guarantee that this ticket is enforceable. The wording must be correct, and the signs must be correct also.

Bolton Council have recently found themselves in a sticky situation for this very same thing. They issued hundred of tickets to people parked on the lines in bays. But the signs did not warn the drivers that they had to park "wholly" within the space. Therefore the tickets were unenforceable.

Sarah

ETA - I always park straight, even if the car next to me doesn't. I took great delight a few months back, watching my boss get into the passenger side of his car and clamber over the seats!!!

The_Old_Bag

One of the annoying things is that before now I have parked exactly in the middle of the parked bay - and ended up having my registration number announched over the tannoy to move my car, as the driver of the vehicle parked next to me - hanging over the white line - couldn't open his door !!
Thanks for the advice, I will certainly check it out.
My ex owes me £2k in maintenance arrears, is pressurising me to sell the family house so he can have 'his' money - I had only parked there to go and visit estate agents as I have to face up to the real threat of being kicked out of my home !! - and I come back to a £30 ticket - just what I need !!
Do those big 4 wheel drive vehicles get a ticket every time they park anywhere - because they usually hog 2 spaces all to themselves

Sorry, still feeling livid.

Nenen

The_Old_Bag wrote: »

I eventually tracked down the wardens, and just about managed to keep my temper in check, explained, that I thought I had done nothing wrong.
Although polite they would only say I had to make an official appeal to the council in writing, once a ticket is issued they cannot cancel it etc etc.

But come off it, everyone knows that there is no chance what-so-ever that the fine will be waived.
Rant over :cool:

I really empathise OB... horrid thing to happen. However, in my experience it is possible to get fines waived (or at least reduced) ... I've done it twice!
1) Drove to a new town for the first time in my life...meeting a friend for coffee and shopping. After getting hopelessly lost and unable to find car park I found some parking meters and paid for 2 hours. Met friend, drank coffee... shopped... so far so good! 10 mins before time on meter was due said goodbye and went to find car.... spent next 45 minutes trying to find the side street I parked in! :eek: I had totally lost my bearings and wandered round close to tears getting more and more desparate! Got back to car to find warden just sticking fine on windscreen... horrified and in floods of tears i explained what happened. he advised me to write and explain to council... don't know if I got somethng for comedy value but I wrote a long explanation and got a letter back saying I only had to pay half!

2) Was going to the dentist and drove to a fairly local car park I had used many times before (had always been a 'pay-on-exit' type). In mad panic as late for appointment and terrified of dentist i failed to notice the large signs up saying it had changed to 'pay and display'. I rushed off and returned to find ticket... couldn't understand it until attendant explained! Again i wrote to council and explained and they let me off half!

I like to imagine I brightened some poor local authority worker's dull day so much with my tales of woe that by writing a rather pathetic and groveling letter their tears of laughter got me off half!

Chesnut1

The_Old_Bag wrote: »

!!
Do those big 4 wheel drive vehicles get a ticket every time they park anywhere - because they usually hog 2 spaces all to themselves

Sorry, still feeling livid.

While I agree that the parking wardens were wrong to give you a ticket I am livid at your accusations to 4x4 drivers. I own two Landrovers (for my work with the disabled and my horses) I have NEVER had a parking ticket and I always park correctly in the bays. On many occasions I have had to get supermarkets to ask the owners of very small cars to please move as my elderly grandfather is not capable of clambering over seats. Infact 99 times out of 100 if I have to abort going into a space it is because someone selfish in a small car is straddling the lines. It is not the size of the vehicle it is how you park! and this comes from a woman diriver yes us who do not know how to park Hummmph

chipmunk

Chesnut1 wrote: »

While I agree that the parking wardens were wrong to give you a ticket I am livid at your accusations to 4x4 drivers. I own two Landrovers (for my work with the disabled and my horses) I have NEVER had a parking ticket and I always park correctly in the bays. On many occasions I have had to get supermarkets to ask the owners of very small cars to please move as my elderly grandfather is not capable of clambering over seats. Infact 99 times out of 100 if I have to abort going into a space it is because someone selfish in a small car is straddling the lines. It is not the size of the vehicle it is how you park! and this comes from a woman diriver yes us who do not know how to park Hummmph

I agree. My husband and I drive a Shogun (not one each:rotfl: ) and always make absolutely sure that we have parked within the lines, not least because we have come back to the car to find small dints/scratches where one of these errant parkers has tried to get into their wonkily-parked vehicle and hit our car with the door:mad: . We've actually been walking back to our car and seen someone deliberately do this! They got the sharp end of my hubby's tongue, I can tell you!

We also find that, in particular, small cars seem to drive in at an angle and stay there making absolutely no attempt to straighten up and, I am sorry to say, they are usually driven by females:rolleyes:. No wonder us girlies get a bad reputation.;)

RadoJo

It definitely IS possible to get fines completely written off if you have a genuine case, and it sounds like you do. Most traffic wardens seem to be armed with cameras these days, so contact the council and ask if they have any photograhic evidence of your 'misdemeanour'. Even the most red tape-tastic council will bend under the force of overwhelming evidence, so that could be worth a try.