Parking stories in the News/media

Car1980

It perfectly straight forward

Kaizen is obviously commenting from the perspective of never having to collect his new born baby and knackered wife from a maternity ward.

It's not like picking up a parcel from the post office mate 😆

Coupon-mad

Kaizen2024 said:

It perfectly straight forward: 1) the driver parks in the car park along with everyone else 2) the patient is formally discharged, they can remain at the bed or similar after discharge 3) the driver collects the car from the car park and moves it to the pick-up point 4) collects the patient (there will be no delay as they have already been discharged) and drives off. 

Say what now?

He has to go up and down in the lift (a typical fourteen floors or whatever) twice, to avoid a parking charge he has no idea he's risking?

What's the patient pick-up zone for then? Only to be used after paying to park, for fear of getting ripped off by some scum ANPR firm that normal people have no idea about until the scam PCN arrives?

As @Car1980  points out, that isn't how mothers and babies are discharged. I've done it four times (years ago but the 'baby leaving hospital' protocol is still pretty standard).

Even if the new Mum (& baby) has already been discharged, she's not standing there waiting and raring to go. The car seat still has to be checked, which requires staff to be happy the baby is safe. Even after discharge it takes time to be allowed/ready to actually leave...

...and what if mum has had a caesarean? What if she needs a wheelchair which requires a midwife to specially call a porter to help because Dad is carrying the car seat with their precious baby cargo in one hand and his partner's bags in the other?

Flipping heck, I could hardly walk after my caesareans! What if she's in pain or just needs the loo and/or to grab something to eat or a soft drink to take with them, to keep her going on the journey home after waiting all morning to be seen/discharged? What if they realise they've left a bag behind or they feel daunted and want reassurance from a nurse that the baby is warm enough before they emerge? What if baby needs a quick feed or nappy change?

The Dad can't just nip in and whisk his wife & baby away, skipping out together like gambolling lambs without a care in the world!

  

Your reply shows just how far removed from the real World the parking industry is.

It's shocking... but I think you're serious.

Your words are reminiscent of the words of the notoriously poor judge HHJ Saffman in that ludicrous appeal case, where he let himself be steered by Excel or VCS' legal rep into saying that it would be perfectly OK ("if perhaps inconvenient", LOL!) for a motorist to LEAVE THEIR CAR SOMEWHERE (where exactly?) outside of a no stopping zone, walk into the restricted area first on a recce to read the signs, then return to the car and leave.

How we laughed! It was unreal. And if everyone did that, there'd be abandoned cars and people loitering all over the place.

Coupon-mad

Umkomaas said:

Kaizen2024 said:

It perfectly straight forward. The drivers 1) parks in the car park along with everyone else 2) the patient is formally discharged, they can remain at the bed or similar after discharge 3) the driver collects the car from the car park and moves it to the pick-up point 4) collects the patient (there will be no delay as they have already been discharged) and drives off. 

All so simple when failing to recognise the human reality of these situations, and when the unedifying pursuit of someone's money is all that is cared about. 

Shameless and shameful!  Shocking. I'm sure the MHCLG will add this to all the obvious reasons to bring this out-of-control, heartless, sector into line.

Well said. 

nigelbb

Kaizen2024 said:

Pick-up points are not intended for parking. The operator was correct to issue the charge and decline the appeal as users should only pull into the facility when their passenger is ready to be picked up i.e once the patient has been discharged and is ready to leave (which was perfectly within the drivers control). Otherwise, the area would be clogged up with people loitering inside depriving others from benefiting from the facility.

Not only should they not have been "fined" because of the delayed discharge beyond the motorist's control but according to the report he wasn't responsible anyway because of the legal principle of promissory estoppel.

"After a delay while discharging his partner and son, Mr Boughton was over the time but claims he was reassured by a receptionist that the parking wouldn’t be an issue." 

Nellymoser

Nellymoser said:

NCC1701-A said: Holy Moly!!!

Woman charged £4,586 for two-hour car park stay
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwy683260zzo

3wks passed and the woman's money was still not refunded. As soon as she contacted the media the money was in her account the following morning. It's an absolute disgrace she had to turn to the media for this to happen.

Solicitor firm gives their account and says why this case matters 

https://noblesolicitors.co.uk/how-sarju-patel-of-noble-solicitors-helped-overturn-a-4586-parking-fine-and-spark-national-outrage/

"The Bigger Picture

As the media coverage made clear, this case is not isolated. Across the country, people face similar treatment, wrongfully fined, ignored when they complain, and left to feel powerless against companies that seem untouchable."

The parking industry cannot dispute this factual evidence which shows a motorist was treated unfairly. And it's not the first time widespread media coverage and public outrage has been needed to force parking firms and their ATAs to respond and implement a correct action. 

Ralph-y

how did it get to £4,000+ 

Nellymoser

An anomaly with a parking charge in the car park Savills said.
The woman paid by card at barrier exit of car park...£4586 was taken from her account.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwy683260zzo

ParkingMad

Kaizen2024 said:

It perfectly straight forward: 1) the driver parks in the car park along with everyone else 2) the patient is formally discharged, they can remain at the bed or similar after discharge 3) the driver collects the car from the car park and moves it to the pick-up point 4) collects the patient (there will be no delay as they have already been discharged) and drives off.

I am pretty certain any mother who has had an anaesthetic can only be discharged when the staff know that the person collecting them has arrived in the maternity ward with the car seat for the baby. After this they need to wait for a porter with a wheelchair for the mother. Then they have to wait for a lift to get from the maternity ward to the pick-up zone. The porter might also be needed to help transfer the mother from the wheelchair to the car.

So if the father is stuck in the queue waiting to get into the main car park, no-one is going anywhere!

Time2Go_25

Another council falling for ANPR.
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/car-park-charge-introduced-cameras-113000771.html

Coupon-mad

pdel61 said:

Another council falling for ANPR.
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/car-park-charge-introduced-cameras-113000771.html

"Automatic number plate recognition cameras (ANPR) will be used to fine motorists that haven’t paid a soon-to-be-introduced charge at a car park.

Liberal Democrat-led Didcot Town Council has voted in favour of introducing charges to Civic Hall car park in Britwell Road. Three companies put forward their proposals to operate the ANPR cameras in the car park."

Who fancies telling the journalist and the councillors that using ANPR this way is illegal under the Deregulation Act?