Parking stories in the News/media

MothballsWallet

Boat_to_Bolivia said:

Snakes_Belly said:

Further to my post above.

Interactive Voice Response (ICR) technology is the pay by phone option to an app but it  does not regognise accents. 

So not really fit for purpose!

Yet Google Assistant can understand my wife's accented English no problem...

MothballsWallet

Coupon-mad said:

Gove seems to be taking some positive steps, perhaps prompted by the letter and deadline for response sent to the DLUHC by Clive Betts...a letter which only contained one useful thing: the need to avoid digitally discriminating against older drivers:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11943019/EXCLUSIVE-Dont-force-elderly-use-parking-apps-Gove-pleads-councils-meters.html

Suggests some urgent DLUHC conversations about Clive Betts' letter may have been taking place.  Hopefully, the DLUHC prove themselves to be less easily taken in by PPC World than the weak Committee was in 2021 where Betts ended up mainly repeating the crap raised by the four PPC 'outrageous scam' apologists.

As I may have mentioned previously, Ms Zarah Sultana (our MP) has been very active regarding trying to stamp out what she refers to as "digital exclusion", i.e., pushing everything online rather than being possible by phone, in person or post.

Half_way

Coupon-mad said:

Euro Car Parks named and shamed for ruining the peace of mind of locals and evening traders and restaurants, etc, by reportedly continuing to say they will charge people £85 for parking more than 10 minutes after 6pm:
https://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/23458176.braintree-sainsburys-parking-saga-continues-fine-warnings/

This is despite it not being Sainsburys wish, and Sainsburys had assured Councillors who raised concerns earlier this year, that free parking after 6pm would be restored, which helps support the high street and businesses.

Did no-one  tell ECP?  Or didn't ECP like losing lucrative rip-off charges and pushed back?

As ever, the tail looks to be wagging the dog and the local high streets suffer.

It is quite possible this retail car park might have only got planning permission years ago if they did allow locals to use it.  We've seen that eroded loads of times by ANPR money-grabbers.

PPCs seem to think planning rules are there to be broken, yet are intent on charging people up to £100 a pop when the PPC's own made-up rules are 'broken'.

If Sainsburrys have said that free parking had/has been restored, then couldn't this be seen that they, through the actions of their agents have no just cause to access RK data from the DVLA

patient_dream

Half_way said:

Coupon-mad said:

Euro Car Parks named and shamed for ruining the peace of mind of locals and evening traders and restaurants, etc, by reportedly continuing to say they will charge people £85 for parking more than 10 minutes after 6pm:
https://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/23458176.braintree-sainsburys-parking-saga-continues-fine-warnings/

This is despite it not being Sainsburys wish, and Sainsburys had assured Councillors who raised concerns earlier this year, that free parking after 6pm would be restored, which helps support the high street and businesses.

Did no-one  tell ECP?  Or didn't ECP like losing lucrative rip-off charges and pushed back?

As ever, the tail looks to be wagging the dog and the local high streets suffer.

It is quite possible this retail car park might have only got planning permission years ago if they did allow locals to use it.  We've seen that eroded loads of times by ANPR money-grabbers.

PPCs seem to think planning rules are there to be broken, yet are intent on charging people up to £100 a pop when the PPC's own made-up rules are 'broken'.

If Sainsburrys have said that free parking had/has been restored, then couldn't this be seen that they, through the actions of their agents have no just cause to access RK data from the DVLA

I agree with you ... in the article one lady said ..

"“I am not happy to have received a letter from Euro Car Parks informing me that my parking in the car park goes against their parking rules and being threatened with an £85 fine."

What right do EURO have, using the DVLA database to send out what seems to be sales letter and nothing to do with a parking ticket ?

What will the DVLA do as this is abuse

Fruitcake

Coupon-mad said:

Gove seems to be taking some positive steps, perhaps prompted by the letter and deadline for response sent to the DLUHC by Clive Betts...a letter which only contained one useful thing: the need to avoid digitally discriminating against older drivers:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11943019/EXCLUSIVE-Dont-force-elderly-use-parking-apps-Gove-pleads-councils-meters.html

Suggests some urgent DLUHC conversations about Clive Betts' letter may have been taking place.  Hopefully, the DLUHC prove themselves to be less easily taken in by PPC World than the weak Committee was in 2021 where Betts ended up mainly repeating the crap raised by the four PPC 'outrageous scam' apologists.

Following on from this, a survey of how many keystrokes it takes to pay by parking app has been carried out.

Look which PPC came out bottom with 226 stokes. Luckily it's only APCOA, but the others aren't much better.

APPalling! Why baffled drivers in the UK have to tap their phone up to 226 TIMES... just to park their cars (msn.com)

Coupon-mad

Watchdog are about to do a piece on the One Show.

They are asking for stories about parking apps; cases featured could be resolved and expose a real issue:
https://twitter.com/BBCWatchdog/status/1646490659572809728?cxt=HHwWgICwnYGiwdktAAAA

See new Tweets

BBC Watchdog

@BBCWatchdog

Do you use parking apps in car parks? 

We want to know how you're getting on with them. Love them? Convenient? Or Confusing? Frustrating? Prone to mistakes? Let us know!

Get in touch watchdog@bbc.co.uk 

Coupon-mad

Fruitcake said:

Coupon-mad said:

Gove seems to be taking some positive steps, perhaps prompted by the letter and deadline for response sent to the DLUHC by Clive Betts...a letter which only contained one useful thing: the need to avoid digitally discriminating against older drivers:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11943019/EXCLUSIVE-Dont-force-elderly-use-parking-apps-Gove-pleads-councils-meters.html

Suggests some urgent DLUHC conversations about Clive Betts' letter may have been taking place.  Hopefully, the DLUHC prove themselves to be less easily taken in by PPC World than the weak Committee was in 2021 where Betts ended up mainly repeating the crap raised by the four PPC 'outrageous scam' apologists.

Following on from this, a survey of how many keystrokes it takes to pay by parking app has been carried out.

Look which PPC came out bottom with 226 stokes. Luckily it's only APCOA, but the others aren't much better.

APPalling! Why baffled drivers in the UK have to tap their phone up to 226 TIMES... just to park their cars (msn.com)

Another article including a person with a Euro Car Parks charge that they 'will appeal' (and will lose), and another person who caved in and just paid £250 when a court claim arrived, that they thought was a CCJ:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/money/cars/article-11987323/The-drivers-ripped-rise-daylight-robbery-parking-apps.html?ico=mol_mobile_home

In both cases, the app had failed.

PLEASE SEE THE ABOVE POST ABOUT BBC WATCHDOG WHO ARE LOOKING FOR CASE STUDIES ABOUT HOW PEOPLE ARE BEING DISADVANTAGED BY FLAKY APPS.

I'll admit now...I refuse to use parking apps myself.

patient_dream

OK, I know this is not the latest news, but for newbies it is an insight of how we have got to the current poor state of affairs

I assume that government and the Dept of Levelling Up read this thread, they should do

Rishi Sunak approved the second reading of the Bill introduced by Sir Greg Knight MP, and you can read what he said here. Later the Bill was placed into law and confirmed in the Queens speech

The parking industry objected and now want a JR (Judicial Review)
This placed the new code of practice on hold and we are now waitibg for a further consultation ?  AND WE WAIT, WE WAIT, WE WAIT
This is NOT rocket science and one must wonder if the Department for Levelling Up is just another ghost ship department of the current government that is basically all mouth and no trousers

As Rishi has told the country he wants transparency and fairness, it is about time he puts a bomb up the backside of Mr Gove MP, Department for Levelling Up 

Every day, the great parking scam gets bigger and is of severe danger to the public 

Read what Rishi said .... the situation has got worse

READ HERE
https://www.parallelparliament.co.uk/mp/rishi-sunak/debate/2018-02-02/commons/commons-chamber/parking-code-of-practice-bill

Of course you are at liberty to contact Rishi Sunak direct or via your MP

Coupon-mad

ParkingEye - for God's sake stop!

Taxi driver is given a parking fine while delivering emergency bloods to hospital

https://metro.co.uk/2023/04/20/taxi-driver-hit-with-parking-fine-while-delivering-bloods-to-hospital-18642384/amp/

Gary appealed the fine but it was rejected on Tuesday. He was told he had 14 days to pay £35 before the cost rose to £70, so his wife paid the fine on Wednesday.

He added: ‘I’ve never had anything like this before, I’m delivering blood, I’m working.  We’ve got people’s records and bloods, I don’t think we should be parking in pay and display spaces to transport them, especially when it’s an emergency.’

ParkingEye said Gary parked in a ‘no parking zone’... A spokesman for the company said:

 'ParkingEye has partnered with Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust for five years to significantly improve how its car parks operate.'

Yep, what an improvement.

Sterling work.

Their directors must be so proud as they swan up to their (unrestricted) office car park in supercars and park sideways...

Coupon-mad

Here we go again, only this time ParkingEye have cancelled a £100 'fine' issued against a shopper for the heinous crime of returning to a retail park to spend more money:
https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/imperial-retail-park-shopper-outraged-8366709.amp

"When contacted, Imperial Retail Park Hartcliffe, Bristol, said that the car park had come under new management which had seen the rule being enforced. But, he said, affected motorists can request fines to be cancelled."

Right.  Why have the rule, then?

And why does a retail park think these are fines?

Nice of them to publish this though:

Requests to cancel a fine and a screenshot of the parking fine can be emailed to:

enquiries@imperialretailpark.com