Parking stories in the News/media

Coupon-mad

An 'exempt' car which is used to transport mental health or disabled patients has been slapped with a hefty fine as the row over parking at Royal Oldham Hospital continues:

https://www.theoldhamtimes.co.uk/news/24050240.oldham-hospital-exempt-mental-health-car-hit-fine/

The vehicle itself is used by the mental health care provider across all of the trust's sites to transport people who could be potentially disruptive and/or unsuitable for transportation in a conventional car or ambulance.

A photograph of the ticketed car shows the vehicle had a sign, which read: "Pennine Care Trust Vehicle, exempt from parking and permit charges", while a yellow enforcement notice had been stuck on the passenger side.

The notice comes as the company, Open Parking, is allegedly no longer accepting new NHS parking permits which can be applied for via The Northern Care Alliance.

NHS nurses and staff at the hospital are continuing to campaign for free parking within hospital grounds for workers after several claim to have been hit with parking fines.

Staff say they have been unable to obtain an NHS permit, which is provided by the Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust, after the trust met its "quota" - which has been denied by the trust.

Named and shamed:

Open Parking

Royal Oldham Hospital

The IPC, who unashamedly prop up this trash

patient_dream

Coupon-mad said:

The BPA must be so proud.

The BPA is NOT what we think ?   Nor is it what government think

It is now run by the COUNCIL OF REPRESENTATIVES WHO APPEAR ON THIS FORUM ON A DAILY BASIS

It should read " GOVERNMENT SHOULD BE SO PROUD"

Coupon-mad

People caught out by faulty Helston parking machine still getting fines

Verena said a lot of people in the town have reported being done over at the site because the buttons did not work properly:

https://www.cornwalllive.com/news/cornwall-news/people-caught-out-faulty-helston-9036928.amp

She said: "I made sure my cousin entered the right registration number and we got a bank statement showing that we had paid the £2.30. But some of the buttons were not working on that machine and would not allow you to enter your registration number properly."

Verena said said she used the private car park countless times before but never had any problem until recently when Birmingham-based Initial Parking took over the running of it and installed different machines. Verena said she was not the only one to be caught out...

Clever innit? Instal crappy keypads on allegedly dodgy machines and watch the money roll in.

Nice work, Initial Parking.

The BPA must be so proud.

Coupon-mad

Next up, ex-wheelclampers Excel Parking:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12983165/amp/Parkinsons-disease-parking-fine-tremors-download-app-pay-ticket.html

"A DISABLED pensioner claims to have been given "zero minutes" to buy a parking permit before being slapped with a £100 fine.

Derrick Walker, 73, was handed a hefty penalty charge for taking too long to register on the car park's app but claims that nobody could reasonably do so in the time allowed.

"I have no confidence in anything that Excel Parking does."

Excel said it was "satisfied" that he had breached their terms and conditions and that the signage on the site stated that customers have five minutes to purchase a permit ... An Excel spokesperson stated that Mr Walker had not directly contacted the company to lodge an appeal and that, therefore, the costs had "naturally" increased.

Really, Excel bosses?  Hilarious.

Joke costs to fund your yacht, mansion, cars and horses.  Is that what Excel 'excel' at?

Weill surely see the £70 'extortion' exposed and removed by the DLUHC this year.

Snakes_Belly

Coupon-mad said:

Next up, ex-wheelclampers Excel Parking.

Sincerely sorry to link to the Scum: 

https://www.thesun.co.uk/motors/25381529/disabled-pensioner-zero-minutes-parking-fine/amp/

"A DISABLED pensioner claims to have been given "zero minutes" to buy a parking permit before being slapped with a £100 fine.

Derrick Walker, 73, was handed a hefty penalty charge for taking too long to register on the car park's app but claims that nobody could reasonably do so in the time allowed.

"I have no confidence in anything that Excel Parking does."

Excel said it was "satisfied" that he had breached their terms and conditions and that the signage on the site stated that customers have five minutes to purchase a permit ... An Excel spokesperson stated that Mr Walker had not directly contacted the company to lodge an appeal and that, therefore, the costs had "naturally" increased.

Really, Excel bosses?  Hilarious.

Joke costs to fund your yacht, mansion, cars and horses.

Weill surely see the £70 'extortion' exposed and removed by the DLUHC this year.

According to the DM he had five minutes but because he has Parkinson's his hands were trembling and he was paying on app so took longer. 

I have emailed the journo at the DM and mentioned this forum so we may see a post. He surely will be covered by the Equality Act as he would require extra time to pay especially when using an app. 

I am sure that in time some of these claims will end up like the Post Office debacle or like PPI. This man is already ill with a progressive, debilitating illness and now he has the stress of this claim to contend with. I wonder how SRS sleeps at night?

Coupon-mad

No idea, I agree.  Astonishes me people think it's OK to rip consumers off to enrich themselves.

The Government removed the clamps but not the wheelclamper mentality.

Coupon-mad

The Peel Centre Gloucester named and shamed yet again.

When will retail park agents wake up and smell the coffee that they don't need a parking firm in most places and certainly not this notorious 'scam':

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/shopper-hit-100-parking-fine-31926238.amp

"When I called they said that I am responsible to ensure that none of my passengers leave the site I am really not sure how this is fundamentally legal?"

I mean - come on. This is a joke set-up.

I will loudly applaud the first retailer that tells a deluded 'PPC-partnered' site agent that they won't lease a unit until the infestation of an aggressive parking firm ends.

ANPR - or this sort of aggressive predatory ticketing on foot - has no place at retail parks.

Ocean Parking named & shamed.

Absolute joke of a retail park brought into disrepute.

The BPA must be so proud.

Coupon-mad

Fruitcake said:

foden11 said:

Council apologises for incorrect planning approval at car park

Edward Barnes - 12h ago“absolutely terrified to shop in town another one smart parking this time mot sure how to put the whole story on

React

"Labour leader of Wirral Council, said she felt the fines regime imposed by Smart Parking amounted to a “theft” on businesses and residents and that Smart Parking undermined plans to regenerate Liscard."

Update: money talks.

The moneygrabbers won:

Community 'gutted' after controversial cameras that fined thousands allowed to stay

https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/community-gutted-after-controversial-cameras-28458067.amp

Smart Parking applied for retrospective planning permission in 2022 for the cameras but this was unanimously rejected by Wirral Council. This was appealed and upheld by the Planning Inspectorate on January 9 meaning the cameras will stay.

A local business owner had provided statistical data “suggesting that since Smart Parking began and the ANPR cameras were installed, the number of visitors to the shopping centre has significantly decreased.” Liscard councillor Daisy Kenny said they had also demonstrated a decrease in footfall of 25 to 29% between 2019 and 2022.

However the inspectorate said despite the correlation, “this could be the result of a number of things, most notably the Covid pandemic and its lasting effects, the current cost of living crisis and a general shift towards online shopping.”

While it agreed some people may struggle with parking technology and not visit Liscard as a result, the Planning Inspectorate said: “The number of such people is likely to be so minimal that they do not have a discernible effect on the vitality and viability of the town centre.”

So:

Did the Planning Committee bother to ask for evidence of the supposed problem that ANPR was said to be addressing: 'endemic parking abuse'?

Doesn't look like it.

Looks like they swallowed whole, everything Smart told them... sigh...

...and apparently, evidence of footfall decreasing and thousands of families, elderly and disabled people boycotting the retail park and being reportedly 'unfairly ticketed' by cameras (without planning permission) counts for nothing, because (according to the Planning Committee) 'such people' are insignificant and seemingly not useful or wanted in the Wirral town centre.

BPA - you must be so proud.

Enjoy the odd small battle your ANPR PCN-churning machine 'rip-off' merchants might win, and your mutual back-slapping jollies & sports cars while you can...

Some good people here (and likeminded organisations and individuals elsewhere) will wipe that smug corporate grin off the faces of the ANPR firms and the trade bodies (oh wait, they are interconnected).

It'll take a while but you'll be restricted in the end.  I don't know how some parking firms, DRAs and bulk legals sleep at night with what they do to individuals and communities.

Half_way

And heres one from the Sheffield Star about Excell at East midlands Airport

https://www.thestar.co.uk/business/excel-parking-sheffield-firm-sues-driver-east-midlands-airport-medical-emergency-4486032

Excel Parking: Sheffield firm sues driver who pulled over for medical emergency at East Midlands Airport

Mr Patel refused to give in and had his say in court

Mr Patel said he believed a medical emergency involving a child would be accepted as a reason to drop the case

But VCS - a wholly-owned subsidiary of Excel Parking in Sheffield - continued sending letters with new costs, and threatening debt collectors and legal action.

Eventually, the figure rose to £255 and he was warned he faced a further £220 in solicitor’s fees, plus other charges, if he lost.

Coupon-mad

Which features a defendant poster from this very forum!

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/80547997/#Comment_80547997

VCS were on a hiding to nothing!