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Congestion Charge 24hr window - please help break this down for me!

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  • System
    System Posts: 178,346 Community Admin
    10,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    edited 26 January 2019 at 12:22PM
    And over and over again it is people who live in the area and already know how it works who tell us that it is simple.
    I live 250 miles north. I've only been in it once, managed to work it out.

    Basically steeldoc's problem is that they don't feel they have to exercise personal responsibility and everything that goes wrong in their life is everyone else's fault. It is funny that as a person who does exercise personal responsibility I've never had any of these woes.
    This is a system account and does not represent a real person. To contact the Forum Team email forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com
  • ,travels over the crossing to Gatwick, and fails to find an internet cafe within a few hours

    There are many internet access points at Gatwick, both in in the terminals before going through security and in the air side area.


    Even if the internet couldn't be accessed, a phone call from Gatwick would suffice for making payment.
  • steedoc
    steedoc Posts: 43 Forumite
    Please I beg you - will someone explain why they have given me 14 days to pay my penalty at a reduced rate?

    In other words, why don't they just say, you have 24 hours to pay the reduced rate, and after that it is the full rate?

    Could it be because the judge ruled that 14 days is a fair period to pay, whereas 30hrs is too short?
  • AdrianC
    AdrianC Posts: 42,189 Forumite
    Eighth Anniversary 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Why do you have 14 days to pay a parking ticket at a reduced rate?
    Why don't they just let you park there for 14 days without giving you a ticket...?
  • steedoc
    steedoc Posts: 43 Forumite
    There are many internet access points at Gatwick, both in in the terminals before going through security and in the air side area.

    Even if the internet couldn't be accessed, a phone call from Gatwick would suffice for making payment.

    But there is NO GOOD REASON we should be forced to jump through hoops for these common thieves known as TFL. There is no ethical, technological or logical reason the window should be limited to 30hrs, as opposed to, say, three days. Which is ample time.
  • steedoc
    steedoc Posts: 43 Forumite
    AdrianC wrote: »
    Why do you have 14 days to pay a parking ticket at a reduced rate?
    Why don't they just let you park there for 14 days without giving you a ticket...?

    Q1: Because this adds urgency to the process, meaning that more people are likely to pay immediately. Also, because it's a fair amount of time for someone to make a payment.

    Q2: If they so wished they could add a new ticket every day, and then give you 14 days to pay each of those tickets. That would be acceptable. We should be ticketing people who don't pay for parking in advance - that's how parking works.


    The key point here is that they do allow 14 days, because they realise this is a sensible timeframe for someone to go on the internet and type in their creditcard details.
  • AdrianC
    AdrianC Posts: 42,189 Forumite
    Eighth Anniversary 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Strange how the 14 day window for a reduced penalty makes perfect sense when it's for something you agree with, but must be proof that something you don't agree with is completely wrong.
  • steedoc
    steedoc Posts: 43 Forumite
    "Analysis" :rotfl:

    It could be much clearer than a weird attempted analogy involving Gatwick, Dartford and China. You clearly use a different dictionary to most people if you think that's analysis and that you'd "appreciate" people's thoughts.

    Back to the more serious matter of the penalty, it would make sense to borrow the money and pay promptly rather than see the penalty increase. The level of the penalty is less than an amount you'd have to find if you had a couple of tyres needing replacing, a coil spring go, an exhaust fall off, etc etc., any of which could happen at any time and for which you'd have to find the money if you wanted to stay on the road. You've got your MOT due at the start of April so there may be things need addressing there.

    Thanks for reminding me about getting my MOT done. All in all it's an expensive time
  • steedoc
    steedoc Posts: 43 Forumite
    edited 26 January 2019 at 3:57PM
    AdrianC wrote: »
    Strange how the 14 day window for a reduced penalty makes perfect sense when it's for something you agree with, but must be proof that something you don't agree with is completely wrong.

    Adrian, it stands to reason that 14 days gives people ample time to sit down at a computer, pull out their credit card and pay what they owe.

    Whereas, 30hrs (as it was in my case), is a very short window, especially in the context of a one off visit to stay in London overnight, when you don't know the rules and assume you can pay 36hrs later when you're back home.

    You will say, I shouldn't assume, but that's wrong, individuals assume things all the time in the course of navigating society. People with the power to reach into my pocket should be acting reasonably and in all good faith and fairness. Likewise, individuals should take responsibility to make basic checks. This is the social contract
  • AdrianC
    AdrianC Posts: 42,189 Forumite
    Eighth Anniversary 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    steedoc wrote: »
    Thanks for reminding me about getting my MOT done. All in all it's an expensive time
    MOT's £50. Hardly that expensive.

    Unless, of course, your car is in poor enough condition to fail - in which case, it's the repairs that have been left until they could be ignored no longer which are expensive.


    Hmm... There's a pattern emerging there, isn't there?
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