Bristol airport -"stopping in a zone where stopping is prohibited" - VCS

AlmK

Went to bristol airport at night (4/11/2023) to pick up family, entered on "North Side Road" one entrance route.The Pick up / Short stay parking was closed & barricaded off, looks like some work taking place.
N.S. road is one access road into the airport, with four roundabouts, three pedestrian crossings and junctions (can be verified on aa route maps/ google maps). Stopped momentarily at the last three exit roundabout to view options, camera van passed my vehicle and stopped in front of my vehicle on first exit route. (No signage visible  to state alternate pick up/ short term parking) used second exit to a barrier gate, entered picked up family and paid charge at exit barrier.

Charge £100 came through now up to £170, appealed & was rejected, thought I entered an independent appeal with IAS but turned out to be an "Enquire" partly my fault, stressful time of year due to loss, partly theirs.I complained to about IAS with International parking community and DVLA, total waste of time.  Tried citizens Advice but not much help . My issue, if N S road is a restricted no stopping zone what happens at the roundabouts and pedestrian crossings, I have not paid them?? Seems like a scam by this company - see images

Fruitcake

Did you reveal the driver's identity in your communications with VCS? The airport is not relevant land where byelaws apply so the keeper cannot be held liable, only the driver.

Plan A is always a complaint to the landowner and their agent, and your MP.
The major shareholder in the airport ownership is a foreign investment company, and their details can be found on the airport website, but you will need to look up email addresses. Don't expect them to respond.

The airport is operated by the landowner's agent, a sub-contractor called Bristol Airport Ltd. Details of their complaints procedure can be found on the airport website. Don't expect them to be on your side.

This is a link to a post by ginger_bread_man. It includes a pdf of the contract between VCS and the landowner's agent that includes maps of where VCS are authorised to operate. From that you can work out where the vehicle was photographed.

Vehicle Control Services, No stopping in a queue... - Page 3 — MoneySavingExpert Forum

The OP of that thread beat VCS in court after his car was photographed whilst stopped in a queue of traffic at a car park entrance barrier at Bristol Airport.

Please show us the photos that the camera van took, with your VRM redacted. Hopefully they will show the vehicle at a roundabout give way sign. VCS took a motorist to court for stopping at a roundabout give way sign near the airport hotel. They lost that one as well. They also gave up following complaints when they photographed a car stopped at a Stop sign.

This is a video I took of North Side road. Since then a pedestrian controlled crossing has been introduced, but it shows the VCS signs are all parallel to the direction of traffic where a driver would not see then, and shows that they are not illuminated and therefore could not be read at night.
If the place where your vehicle was photographed is on there, please tell us the video time.

Bristol Airport No Stopping Zone (youtube.com)

I have photos around the kiss and bye (rip drop off) car park that has just gone up to £6 for ten minutes, but they may not be of any use. Let me know if you think they might help.

I beat VCS at IAS appeal when my son got a PCN, but his car was photographed outside the area where VCS are contracted to operate, whereas I suspect your vehicle was filmed inside their contracted area.

In all your complaints, do not mention the vehicle being stopped; only being photographed, even if you mentioned it to VCS/IAS.
If the car was photographed at a give way sign, then state that this is a mandatory byelaw requirement, even though it is not a public road where normal traffic regulations apply.

This is a photo of one of the VCS camera vans at Bristol. Note that it bears the legend Road Safety Unit. This breaches the CCTV surveillance camera code of practice because it does not state for what purpose covert images will be used. You should add that statement to all your complaints.

Coupon-mad

thought I entered an independent appeal with IAS

IAS is neither independent nor considered a fair appeals service (95% of decisions go the way of the paying PPCs), so you missed nothing and would have lost at that farce! It's provided by the IPC trade body for their members and has been labelled a kangaroo court for years, and for valid reasons in our long experience.

The Government are removing it this year.

Obviously court is a proper & fair dispute route.  We win 99% of the time here.

AlmK

Ref "stopping in a zone where stopping is prohibited" Bristol Airport. Received a "letter before claim" from Vehicle Control Services litigation department on the 24/1/24, completed this stating I was disputing their alleged debt and instructing them to forward to me ALL information they claim to have in any/ all formats - nothing!, I complained to my MP and the airport land owner. Bristol Airport Ltd. Land owner claimed it was a for "safety reasons", I told them it was not drivers fault, their signage was wrong, poorly illuminated and misleading also there was a serious risk in the event of emergency services needing to attend the area to attend an incident, they seemed uninterested. Difficult to complain to the main land owners, its a Canadian teacher pension fund. one ex police suggested contacting trading standards about the misleading signage?  Expecting court proceedings as thing progress. Any suggestions?

troublemaker22

Yes.  Welcome the court proceedings.  Win the case like everyone else who follows the guidance on this forum

Fruitcake

AlmK said:

Ref "stopping in a zone where stopping is prohibited" Bristol Airport. Received a "letter before claim" from Vehicle Control Services litigation department on the 24/1/24, completed this stating I was disputing their alleged debt and instructing them to forward to me ALL information they claim to have in any/ all formats - nothing!, I complained to my MP and the airport land owner. Bristol Airport Ltd. Land owner claimed it was a for "safety reasons", I told them it was not drivers fault, their signage was wrong, poorly illuminated and misleading also there was a serious risk in the event of emergency services needing to attend the area to attend an incident, they seemed uninterested. Difficult to complain to the main land owners, its a Canadian teacher pension fund. one ex police suggested contacting trading standards about the misleading signage?  Expecting court proceedings as thing progress. Any suggestions?

Provide the information you had been asked to supply earlier in this thread.

Start getting ready for court. Read the guide to court written by bargepole that you will find in the sticky Announcement for NEWBIES plus the template defence sticky Announcement that includes a twelve step guide.

Collect evidence for later in the process such as photos where the alleged event occurred, dashcam footage, smart 'phone location data, and witness statements of vehicle occupants. This combined with VCS's images should help to show that the driver was topped at a place where stopping is allowed in accordance with airport byelaws.

AlmK

Ref:stopping in a zone where stopping is prohibited" Bristol Airport 4/11/23, I have just received a letter from ELMS Legal firm representing Vehicle Control Services, see attached, in this it is now stated that it was "parking charge" rather than stopped in a zone where stopping is prohibited! Unfortunately from their photos you can't see where it was or any signs/ lighting or directions. They state it will be issued to the courts on the 15/3/24. I have started drafting my response  using coupon-mad's template dated july 2023, is this the most up to date? 

Fruitcake

The template defence thread was last updated on the 1st of March 2024, so yes, it is up to date.

Is there any chance you will answer my first question that I asked back in January? Much of your defence will depend upon that answer.

Did you check the VCS appeal/payment portal to view photos of the alleged event, or only those in your NTK/reminders? It isn't clear from your answers, but unclear photos will help your defence.

AlmK

 Apologies for not responding, I recall having to log into https:excel-appeal.zatappeal.com, this instruction was on the reverse of the first letter shown above.  Enter the serial number and my vehicle registration to find out what was happening and appeal. I don't recall what info was available other than the usual info about who they were etc. ( I am 73, not 23, it's been a hard few months of B.S. from them!