Charge for stopping in traffic Bristol Airport

Boudouche1

Hello FSE Forum members

I have another pleasant encounter with Vehicle Control Services (second time this year) and would appreciate your advice on how to deal with them.

The car was blocked in traffic on the way to the airport (for 1/2 hour at Downside road) and then again on North Side Road at the airport itself for 10 minutes. There was a problem with the double-decker bus blocking the roundabout on North Side Road. People were missing their flights and many were getting out of their cars to walk to the terminal. As all the cars were stationery, the cars stopped in a queue of traffic, the passenger got out of the car  and run to the terminal so they do not miss their flight. The car was then parked in the airport's pre-paid Multi-Storey car park, 10 minutes later.

There was NO reason for stopping the car so close to the pre-paid parking had the road not been blocked.

Having been through the process before, I now know of great advice offered by this Forum (and guidlines to Newbies) and know that there was a successful case won against the VCN charge for stopping in traffic.

What would be the best line of defense for me? @Fruitcake @Coupon-mad @Umkomaas

Boudouche1

Here is the map of where the car stopped and where the traffic was blocked

B789

As long as the identity of the driver is not revealed, you can tell VCS to go swivel on a sharp stick. They can only pursue the driver and they have no idea who that is. You are only the RK, a completely separate entity in law. PoFA does not apply as the event was on non-relevant land covered by airport byelaws.

Boudouche1

And this is one of the lovely VCS photos. The person walking on the side of the traffic with the suitcase is not me - it was another passanger, who was stuck and left their car early.

KeithP

None of the tags in your opening post will have the desired effect.
You might want to correct that. 

Have you read any other Bristol Airport threads?
There are many and @Fruitcake is an acknowledged expert on that place.

Boudouche1

@Fruitcake @Coupon-mad @Umkomaas

Boudouche1

Thank you @KeithP . Something went wrong with my typing - I have added the correct tags now.

@Fruitcake has helped me a lot with my earlier Bristol Airport case, he is an expert indeed

Fruitcake

Plan A as always is to complain to the foreign landowner, their sub-contractor (Bristol Airport Ltd) and the keeper's MP.
I would also contact local and national press about this as well. It's clearly a case of frustration of contract. Your case won't have been the only one.
Do not at any point suggest who might have driven into the airport. I suggest you edit you posts accordingly. The driver stopped in a queue of traffic. A passenger got out so that they didn't miss their flight.

Plan B is to appeal to VCS, including the comment about frustration of contract. Airport byelaws allow stopping as long as there is a legitimate reason.

Does the NTK or the VCS website show the queue of traffic?

ginger_bread_man won his court case because he was stopped in a queue of traffic at a car park barrier, although it was outside the area where VCS are contracted to operate. His thread includes links to the poster who won their case for stopping at a zebra crossing.

In any case, a thorough forum search for stopping at an airport/stopping at a zebra crossing should bring them up.

Boudouche1

Good morning @Fruitcake . Sorry for bothering you again. The images from the VCS and NTK show the queue of traffic on the both sides of North Side road. They also show people walking on the side of the road in frustration.

My key problem was that I bought pre-paid long-term parking at Bristol airport, but could not get to it because the traffic stopped.

I will edit the posts and change them so that they do not refer to who drove to the airport.

I would like to contact Bristol Airport. Last time I wrote to them on the General Enquiries page, https://www.bristolairport.co.uk/contact-and-help/contact-us/, and received a very brief rejection. Is there a better place/contact email to use?

How do I go about contacting the local press?

I will look at the forum threads for stopping at an airport/stopping at a zebra crossing to see how they dealt with their case.

Fruitcake

I wouldn't mentioned who paid for parking, either, but I would ask for a refund because the driver was not able to use it due to congestion.

I can't remember who I contacted at Bristol Airport Ltd, but it was probably from information given on the airport website.

Most media sources have a Contact Us page on their web sites, or a way of submitting stories.
Definitely contact Points West (TV) and Radio Bristol as well as Bristol Evening Post and the Western Daily Press, plus dailies such as The Daily Mail who love this sort of thing.

Boudouche1

Thank you @Fruitcake. I am starting to really dislike Bristol Airport after two recent incidents in VCS.

I am not sure how to ask for a refund - if we used the airport pre-paid parking in the end, when part of my family can finally get there. It was just soo stressful to sit on North Side Road with the parking in sight and not being able to get there due to traffic. I cannot believe VCS are trying to charge us for being blocked in traffic and waiting in a queue!