ANPR on free car park - grace?

B789

Sea_Shell said:

So it's completely independent of Morrisons in a way, that they don't, for example, to check CCTV and record you walking away and won't (or can't) prove that you never set foot in the shop!!

How would they know who is in the CCTV footage? Unless you state you were the driver and the CCTV shows the driver, they have no way of knowing who anyone is. I'm assuming that you are appealing as the RK. They don't have some magic database with matching photos of every person in the land to use for identification purposes.

Sea_Shell

I just wondered what resources they are likely to throw at enforcement.

Not many by the sounds of it. 😉

As, in theory, they could use CCTV footage to track the car (and driver) parking and then leaving the car-park on foot and not returning until over 2 hours later....in a Big Brother way.


But then it's not a murder enquiry 😉


Anyway, the OP was just a "what if" question.  It hasn't happened...yet. 😉 

Sea_Shell

Do ECP usually give an automatic grace period?  10 mins?

Are you highly unlikely to get a ticket for 2hrs 8 mins (for example)?

Coupon-mad

They MUST allow ten minutes, yes.  It is mandatory in the BPA CoP.

But always avoid 'PPC scum signed' private car parks anyway. Park on street wherever possible.  Failing that, use Council car parks only.

B789

Sea_Shell said:

As, in theory, they could use CCTV footage to track the car (and driver) parking and then leaving the car-park on foot and not returning until over 2 hours later....in a Big Brother way.

Overthinking! Even if they could record the driver leaving the site, appealing as the Rk still wouldn't give them anything. But, as you suggested, it is not a forensic criminal investigation. It is just an ex-clamper thug scammer trying to extort money from gullible, overthinking victims.

Sea_Shell

Coupon-mad said:

They MUST allow ten minutes, yes.  It is mandatory in the BPA CoP.

But always avoid 'PPC scum signed' private car parks anyway. Park on street wherever possible.  Failing that, use Council car parks only.

Excuse my naivety, but why (how) are these "better"?

Coupon-mad

Oh, a million times better in tons of ways that mean you are highly UNLIKELY to ever get a PCN!  It's like chalk and cheese.

The main difference being you don't only have 5 minutes to pay because Local Authorities are legally banned (ref: Deregulation Act 2015) from using ANPR or CCTV for parking enforcement.

So you are always safe parked on-street or in a Council car park.  Even if there is some sort of surveillance system, no camera is watching you for the purpose of issuing a PCN because that's illegal for Councils.

Do pay any tariff of course, in a P&D car park, but there's no panic about having to pay with 5 minutes and as long as you are within bay lines with the payment machine ticket displayed on the dash, or valid payment made on the app, it is almost impossible to get a surprise PCN by stealth.

They can't post a PCN later either, not unless you drive away and actively prevent the CEO from affixing the PCN to the windscreen or serving it into your hand. So no nasty surprises by post.  You get what you pay for in a Council car park with no penalty likely unless you park badly or overstay paid time by more than ten minutes.

Councils have to be open and fairer about parking enforcement and use CEOs on foot, so as long as you park properly in a bay or at a kerb on-street (or seek out a single yellow or a permit bay after its restricted hours, like I do in cities) you can be there all night and will never get a PCN.