Charge Notice- picking up while stopping for pedestrians at Bristol Airport

citizen674907605

Hey there, people. Sorry to revive a thread not touched since march but I feel my circumstances are a little different.

I got a CN from Bristol airport, issue date 11/7/22 so its gone up to £170 now. This was just due to being busy and forgetful. I also think that if it went to court I'd win.

The scenario was:  I was picking up a friend on a wednesday night, quite late, about 10 ish. My friend knows my car but didnt know the airport or where pickup/dropoff is there.. 

I drive up to a zebra crossing to let a big crowd of people , families, kids etc. to cross toward car parks and in that crowd was my friend. I see him and try to yell to explain to go to the pickup area because i could see the dreaded surveillance van just on the other side of the zebra crossing through the crowd of people. He couldnt hear me from the far side of the car. He did just get in my passenger seat. Which I was annoyed about but I was powerless to do anything.

Surely enough the damn van took pictures of my plate through the crowd and issued me a fine.
My friend walks to my car just as the last of the crowd passes and gets in the car, but the whole time he's in front of my car so i cant move.

Was I supposed to run the crowd over?
Was I supposed to run over my friend?
Was I supposed to reverse out of the airport grounds?

I'm struggling to see how they could win the case. All of the CCTV photos depict my car stopped at a zebra crossing, with humans directly in front of me.

If any light can be shed on this to reassure me I'll be a bit more at ease. I really cant afford this fine, my finances are the worst they've been in years right now.

Grizebeck

You havent been fined

Umkomaas

Let's see the photos please. 

Fruitcake

It is not a fine.

Plan A is always to complain to the landowner, their managing agent, and your MP.

Don't expect a response from the former who are a foreign investment company.
Don't expect the management company to side with you, despite the number of complaints they have received about their sub-contractor, but you should still make the effort.
Do make the point in all your complaints that the vehicle was at a zebra crossing where the driver was legally required to stop. Remind them of the following that all happened at Bristol Airport: -

VCS lost in court when they issued a charge to a keeper when their car was stopped at a car park entrance barrier, and which was outside the area where VCS are contracted to operate.
VCS lost in court when they issued a charge to a keeper when their car was stopped at a roundabout give-way sign, and which was outside the area where VCS are contracted to operate.
VCS were forced to cancel a charge they had issued to a keeper when the car was stopped at a Stop sign.
VCS were forced to cancel a charge when the car stopped in the drop off area slip road which is outside the area where VCS are contracted to operate.

If your complaints fail, then appeal to VCS using the template in blue text from the NEWBIES. Add a one liner that VCS's own photographic evidence showed the vehicle was stopped at a zebra crossing with people in front of the car preventing it from legally moving.
Add another one liner that the alleged event occurred on non-relevant land where airport byelaws apply and the keeper cannot be held liable, and that stopping in an emergency is not a byelaws offence.

citizen674907605

Grizebeck said:

You havent been fined

Cheers but not sure what this means.... i have many letters saying i have been fined. Information like this is useless without backup information...no?

citizen674907605

Fruitcake said:

It is not a fine.

Plan A is always to complain to the landowner, their managing agent, and your MP.

Don't expect a response from the former who are a foreign investment company.
Don't expect the management company to side with you, despite the number of complaints they have received about their sub-contractor, but you should still make the effort.
Do make the point in all your complaints that the vehicle was at a zebra crossing where the driver was legally required to stop. Remind them of the following that all happened at Bristol Airport: -

VCS lost in court when they issued a charge to a keeper when their car was stopped at a car park entrance barrier, and which was outside the area where VCS are contracted to operate.
VCS lost in court when they issued a charge to a keeper when their car was stopped at a roundabout give-way sign, and which was outside the area where VCS are contracted to operate.
VCS were forced to cancel a charge they had issued to a keeper when the car was stopped at a Stop sign.
VCS were forced to cancel a charge when the car stopped in the drop off area slip road which is outside the area where VCS are contracted to operate.

If your complaints fail, then appeal to VCS using the template in blue text from the NEWBIES. Add a one liner that VCS's own photographic evidence showed the vehicle was stopped at a zebra crossing with people in front of the car preventing it from legally moving.
Add another one liner that the alleged event occurred on non-relevant land where airport byelaws apply and the keeper cannot be held liable, and that stopping in an emergency is not a byelaws offence.

Thanks so much for your detailed reply, Going to go through all of this and collate all pertinent info. cheers

citizen674907605

Umkomaas said:

Let's see the photos please. 

Ill scan them. give me some time as the scanner is buried in the dining room

Coupon-mad

citizen674907605 said:

Grizebeck said:

You havent been fined

Cheers but not sure what this means.... i have many letters saying i have been fined. Information like this is useless without backup information...no?

None of your letters say it's a fine.

it is a private invoice for alleged breach of a term. It's not a penalty or fine.

The back-up info is in the Announcement thread 'NEWBIES PLEASE READ THESE FAQS FIRST'.

Trainerman

citizen674907605 said:

Grizebeck said:

You havent been fined

Cheers but not sure what this means.... i have many letters saying i have been fined. Information like this is useless without backup information...no?

It is not a fine, with the force of law behind it. It is an invoice for a claimed breach of contract, so therefore cannot be enforced until it has been to court and a judge finds in their favour

Fruitcake

citizen674907605 said:

Umkomaas said:

Let's see the photos please. 

Ill scan them. give me some time as the scanner is buried in the dining room

If you go to the PPC's website as if you are going to pay (but obviously don't) you should find ALL the electronic copies of photos the scamera car took. You can scan and redact your VRM if you wish, but you should also be able to upload them electronically to redact, which may be easier.
I find Paint 3D that came with my Windows PC perfectly adequate for simple tasks like this.

I forgot to add that in your complaints you should include the fact that the scamera car bears the legend, Road Safety Unit, which is a breach of the CCTV CoP states covert surveillance is prohibited unless the camera system tells you for what purpose the images will be used.

This is one of the scamera vans used at BRS.




Seconds after I took this photo, the hypocrite of a driver stopped on a double red line directly underneath a no-stopping sign.

Grizebeck

Where does the letter say you have been fined?