Parking stories in the News/media

Coupon-mad

I often find Parking Review is hard to find as a link, can anyone find the whole Publication for January?

Look on the left at the thumbnails:
https://www.transportxtra.com/publications/parking-review/news/72755/parking-community-finds-strength-in-numbers

Parking Technology Awards - Transfer 360

Sustainability Innovation - District Enforcement

Special Award - Simon Renshaw-Smith

Parking Team of the Year - Excel Parking Services

No award for the worst suit?!

Most inappropriately plunging neckline?

Most smug rich person?

Most angry looking bloke in the audience?

Snakes_Belly

Not a very classy looking bunch. What's with the chap wearing the red braces? Is he trying to channel the Gordon Gekko look. 1987 wants those red braces back.

Is this meant to be a black tie event? The phrase "money does not buy class" springs to mind.

Umkomaas

Grimsby or Florida for your hols?

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/man-gets-penalty-notice-car-28881782?int_source=amp_continue_reading&int_medium=amp&int_campaign=continue_reading_button#amp-readmore-target

"A man received a penalty notice from a car park in Grimsby while he was parked in London Heathrow airport.

Dean Graham travelled with his wife to Florida, US and left his vehicle at the Holiday Inn Express near the airport hub}.

"A spokesperson from Civil Enforcement said: "Due to an error during the analysis process, one of the characters in the vehicle registration mark was misidentified leading to the parking charge being issued to the incorrect registered keeper}.

So that makes it all ok, CEL?

Source: NoToMob Forum

patient_dream

Coupon-mad said:

Not much comment needed from me. I'm sure you can all see right through this piece:

https://www.transportxtra.com/publications/parking-review/news/72754/parking-on-private-land-it-s-time-to-face-facts

Featuring Will Hurley...

There's that twisted interpretation of that same old trotted out statistic again.

It's a big joke, a scam industry awarding themselves with a line up of the Dirty Dozen. It's certainly not BAFTA

As you say, it is a twisted interpretation which is now into protection mode. Hurley should meet the CEO of the BPA AND SWAP fabrications over a pint

Rishi, the PM who approved the new code will know full well that government cannot afford another mistake by allowing a scam industry to operate.

And for those of you want to know about Sir Greg Knights bill
https://gregoryknight.com/campaigns/delivering-fairer-parking/

WE CAN ACCEPT NOTHING ELSE

patient_dream

Just to add a bit of humour 

Big 'rat' and fries! Rodent is spotted crawling over chair in McDonald's restaurant

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11626825/McScurry-Rodent-filmed-crawling-chair-McDonalds-terrified-customers.html

Wonder what they will call the rat ... UKPC or MET

Snakes_Belly

patient_dream said:

Just to add a bit of humour 

Big 'rat' and fries! Rodent is spotted crawling over chair in McDonald's restaurant

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11626825/McScurry-Rodent-filmed-crawling-chair-McDonalds-terrified-customers.html

Wonder what they will call the rat ... UKPC or MET

It looks small for a rat. Looks more like a house mouse. 

Coupon-mad

Any idea who the new parking firm is that the staff fear, at Swansea Morriston Hospital?
https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/swansea-morriston-hospital-car-parking-25969591.amp

I found that the old PPC was Total Parking Solutions.

I'll hazard a guess at ParkingEye or SABA.  If so, then the staff are right to be afraid.

ParkjngEye are a PCN machine and IMHO they would love a flawed system based on 'e-permits' that no visitor will know about until it's too late.

And SABA used to be called Indigo, who wrecked the peace of mind of nurses at UHW years ago.  So they have form for suing NHS staff and throwing a barrister at the case.

Coupon-mad

Another completely deluded pub was convinced by some slick pitch about their "state of the art ANPR parking management system..." to bring in Smart Parking:
https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/pensioner-hit-ridiculous-100-fine-25969410

...as always, it was because (according to Smart Parking's standard rubbish spiel) "Over the years the car park at the Welcome Inn Pub has suffered from parking abuse, meaning genuine customers were struggling to find places to park."

Haven't we heard that ten thousand times before from Smart, and ParkingEye & co who ALWAYS trot out that line?

How exactly do parking firms know about these complaints?  Doubt they are even true and if they are they could easily be staged (false) complaints engineered by a rogue parking firm to create the problem...

Coupon-mad

And here we have a clever ruse by NCP of charging £27.65 for seven hours and a VERY similar £27.95 rate for overnight parking.  Perfect...

What could possibly go wrong for drivers?!
https://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/fed-up-frederick-pays-2765-8030060.amp

The driver had no idea of course until a PCN was reportedly sent TWO MONTHS LATER to his Lease firm, who stupidly just paid it and added £30.

So, including the £30 admin fee, the £60, and the initial money he spent on parking meant this victim spent a total of £117.50 to park for 24 hours.

When the newspaper spoke to NCP they actually said this (hmmm...hands up who accepts this as true?):

"This is the lease company’s internal policy which NCP have no influence over. Vehicle Lease companies usually contact NCP with the name and address of the driver of the vehicle so we are able to communicate with the driver regarding the PCN, but it also gives the driver the opportunity to appeal the PCN with NCP, or with an independent appeals service called POPLA (Parking On Private Land Appeals) which we absolutely welcome.

"NCP have a fair appeals service and although on this occasion the car park terms and conditions were breached for underpayment (Parked for 20 hours 55 minutes when the paid tariff meant Mr Brownson could only park for 7 hours), if Mr Brownson had been given the chance to appeal by his lease company common sense would have prevailed as it’s clearly an honest mistake."

Pull the other one, it's got bells on..

Coupon-mad

Loads of news articles today:
https://www.nottinghampost.com/news/driver-given-nottingham-car-park-8024204.amp

Ticket machines not working, no-one answering the so-called 'Helpline' and when drivers got back to their cars they ALL had tickets.

"Helen is currently trying to appeal the fine from the car park, which is operated by CPS Midlands Ltd, but says it is a difficult process. She said: "You're not allowed to email anything to them which is strange, you can't email anything if you want to do an appeal and everything has to be done in writing.

I had taken a video of the machine saying that it was out of order, but they wouldn't accept that so I had to take screenshots of it and print them off and send them, but then they emailed me back the reply" {telling her to pay up...quelle surprise}.

However, campaigners said Helen had been 'treated in a shabby manner'. Brian Macdowall, a spokesman for the Alliance of British Drivers has said: "This is sadly typical of the war on the motorists, the motorist is an easy target. This customer is being treated in a shabby manner and without any consideration for the circumstances in which she found herself, namely the out of order parking machine.

"I would suggest that she complain. This really is a bad example, absolutely shabby treatment."

Hmmm...who exactly does Brian think she might be able to complain to?  Clueless!  

Where on earth might you find a proper private parking tickets campaign group when you need one..eh, Nottingham Post?!