Parking stories in the News/media

Coupon-mad

Next we have a story about Napier Parking, for (reportedly) continuing to threaten a specialist mobility transport firm's driver for the 'heinous crime' of picking up elderly disabled persons from a theatre:
https://www.ipswichstar.co.uk/news/23286983.ipswich-driving-miss-daisy-appalling-wolsey-parking-fine/

"Rob Gibson, a trustee at the Disabled Advice Service in East Suffolk, commented: "This is appalling.  Driving Miss Daisy Ipswich provides a great specialist transport service for people with mobility problems.

"For the safety and security of their often vulnerable passengers, they naturally need to get close to the location where their customers want to go and it takes more time than usual to ensure their passengers are safely dropped off."

Of course the reputedly useless 'kangaroo court' of the IAS found against the appellant.

How about cancelling the PCN, eh, Napier?  No?  I've never read a single positive article about Napier so their response is hardly a surprise.

Of course, the new statutory Code of Practice says a parking period is a time "excluding instances where the driver has stopped to enable passengers to leave or enter the vehicle".

Never mind that, eh, given the out of control parking industry has blocked the new Code.  Perfect, eh.  Throw money at it and stop it so you can carry on.

Nobody here on this forum will miss the more rogue PPCs when they're gone...nobody will miss either the IAS nor certain notorious IPC & BPA firms, some of which seem likely to drop like flies under the new regulatory regime.

Coupon-mad

Take a bow, Excel Parking for continuing to be seen by their own reported conduct to be ignoring the new incoming statutory Code.  Especially its clear 'keying error' rule that says ALL keying error PCNs in future will see charges cancelled because the burden of risking a huge charge for a human error should not fall upon the consumer:
https://www.northwaleschronicle.co.uk/news/23290792.gwynedd-man-registered-parking-fee-bangor-vehicle/

Paid for the wrong vehicle on an app?  That'll be £100.  Kerchiiing!!  Better than clamping, this racket.

Both the BPA and IPC appear to be kicking that can right down the road and haven't moved to incorporate ANY of the new Code's clauses (that we've noticed) except the complaints procedure.

Big deal.  One tiny clause adopted.

Anything that loses their members the ability to rip people off has so far (seemingly, unless there's a sea change very soon) been ignored.

Quelle surprise.

Half_way

NCP  planning permission, signs, and a conservation area?

https://www.gazette-news.co.uk/news/23297755.ncp-facing-legal-action-colchester-council-signage/

 Has anyone tipped off the council regarding advertising consent?

daveyjp

Half_way said:

NCP  planning permission, signs, and a conservation area?

https://www.gazette-news.co.uk/news/23297755.ncp-facing-legal-action-colchester-council-signage/

 Has anyone tipped off the council regarding advertising consent?

I pointed my Council planning enforcement team to a car park of a listed building which is now inundated with ANPR and at least 30 parking signs.

9 months later they have responded saying they won't take action as no harm has been caused.

Le_Kirk

daveyjp said:

Half_way said:

NCP  planning permission, signs, and a conservation area?

https://www.gazette-news.co.uk/news/23297755.ncp-facing-legal-action-colchester-council-signage/

 Has anyone tipped off the council regarding advertising consent?

I pointed my Council planning enforcement team to a car park of a listed building which is now inundated with ANPR and at least 30 parking signs.

9 months later they have responded saying they won't take action as no harm has been caused.

Yep but if you try to renew the windows in a listed building they would be down on you like a ton of (reclaimed) bricks!

Half_way

And another planning permission issue, this time smart.parking are throwing their toys putt if the pram
https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/firm-told-remove-controversial-cctv-26172019?int_source=amp_continue_reading&int_medium=amp&int_campaign=continue_reading_button#amp-readmore-target

Its a shame that the lack of advertising consent hasn't yet cropped up.
If fines could be levied by councils for that it may be worth chasing up

Coupon-mad

Driver charged £100 by i-Park Services for the non-error of keying in 'O' instead of '0' (a clearly unfair PCN that the IPC told the world a while back - and instructed their members IIRC - should never be issued):
https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/mum-slapped-100-parking-fine-26224661

"A defiant mum has said she's 'not paying a penny' after being slapped with a £100 fine for entering the 'wrong' number-plate details when paying for parking. Eileen Povey, claims she made a 'genuine mistake' when she entered a 0 (zero) instead of an 'O' into the ticket machine.

Eileen said she was 'shocked' to be presented with a £60 fine after paying the 50p charge to park her car in Church Road car park in January. The Tesco customer service manager says she is 'ready to go to court' after her appeal to parking company I Park Services was unsuccessful."

Coupon-mad

Not sure we saw this one in December?

Asda forced to climb down after blaming 'boy racers' for imposing an unworkable 30 minute shopping time limit:
https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/black-country/shoppers-outrage-after-facing-70-25653800.amp

"Asda shoppers reacted with anger after discovering they faced a hefty £70 fine for parking more than 30 minutes at a 24-hour store. Customers visiting Asda Queslett, were left shocked after noticing a change in parking restrictions for late-night shopping. 

The new rules meant anyone visiting the store between 10pm and 6am had just half-an-hour to grab their shopping - despite the store being open around-the-clock on weekdays. Members of the public took to social media to share their outrage, with some left so angry they threatened to boycott the store and 'shop somewhere else'.

A woman said: "What about shift workers who, for example, finish work at 10pm and want to do their weekly shop? Do they have to do a trolley dash so they don’t get fined? Madness!!"

Asda said parking rules were changed following complaints of misuse at the store. 'Boy racers' are said to treat the car park as a 'race track' at night, causing 'awful' noise, according to customers.

Really?

Really?! 

Hmmm...isn't it funny/fishy how these Supermarkets always trot out the same excuses for inflicting short time limits to catch out more customers:

"boy racers"

"misuse"

and

"customers complained that some drivers were abusing the car park" 

It's almost as if the PPC writes these scripts/excuses for them.

Almost as if the imaginary customers who complained are...well...imaginary.

Almost as if someone who has something to gain is just "making it up" in these cases, in order to persuade the Supermarkets to reduce free parking time limits so more PCNs can be issued.  Invent a reason then tell the client that the time limit needs reducing to encourage footfall - LOL!

Why do the big Supermarkets continue to fall for this dross?

Coupon-mad

Another one, take a bow G24 for reportedly screwing up the intended free time limit (ho hum, what's the betting that the 3 hours that G24 forgot it's meant to be, will soon be reduced due to imaginary customers complaining about "misuse" and "boy racers" at Dunelm!).

"A RAFT of parking fines are set to be refunded after drivers reported receiving tickets for staying less than the maximum permissible time."
https://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/23323300.nonsensical-parking-fines-issued-dunelm-weymouth/

"Graham Brake, 57 and from Bridport, said he was issued a fine after staying for 144 minutes despite the sign ‘clearly saying’ the maximum allowable stay was three hours.

Mr Brake said: “I went in to get a coffee and sit in a lovely environment and then I’ve got a fine that ruins it all. On top of all I have got the indignity of having to try and resolve it.

“It’s nonsensical, it really is. The sign clearly states free parking up to 180 minutes: on the fine ticket we received it says we were there for 144 minutes and it’s up to me to go through the nonsense process of getting it sorted."

Coupon-mad

And take a bow ParkingEye and DCBL for making a student think he's being pursued by bailiffs after he appealed but is now getting the usual hamster-bedding £170 inflated demands:
https://www.wiltshiretimes.co.uk/news/23311616.student-hit-170-fine-parking-wiltshire-college/

The mother of a Wiltshire College & University Centre student says she is “appalled” that young people are being 'punished' for trying to learn.

Michelle Gray says the college should not be imposing £100 parking charge notices on students who are trying to gain further and higher education qualifications to better themselves.

Her son received a letter on February 1 from Direct Collection Bailiffs, acting for Parking Eye, demanding the £170 and threatening court action if he does not pay.

Mrs Gray, said: “I am appalled by Trowbridge College letting parking enforcers Parking Eye ask children for money regarding parking fines when they are in education.

“My son has to travel from Swindon to Trowbridge by car. He parks at the college car park and registered his car number plate in September.

“Even though he registered his car he is still receiving intermittent parking fines for £100 when he parks.

“He’s 18 and trying to make something of himself.  Something should be done about it. People should be made aware.”

A College spokesperson said: “We are sorry to hear that one of our students has received a fine from Parking Eye for parking at our Trowbridge campus.  Now that we are aware of the situation, we are working with Parking Eye to resolve the issue for the student concerned.”

CANCEL IT THEN!