Fined at a red light

Kichu

Hi, recently I went to drop off a friend at the airport and on the road you can't stop anywhere or you will be fined (which is fair) . However, there were traffic lights and it was red so when I stopped, my friend got off as it was closer to the entrance than it would be from the drop off point. I have now been fined and am not sure if it is worth appealing. The only reason I stopped and my friend got off was because of the red light and people were crossing the road.. Thanks

Coupon-mad

Is it a VCS private parking charge? If so, then that is not a fine and you do not pay it.

Appeal it once (if you want) then ignore VCS' demands until court claim (see other VCS Airport cases.  Search the forum.  No-one pays and they are easy to beat in court).

fisherjim

You have been caught in a trap by a scummy greedy private parking company who are delighted when people do this because all they want is money, do you think that is fair ?

deighton2002

Be careful to appeal as the keeper, do not admit to being the driver.  Only refer to 'The Driver', no 'I', 'me' or 'I stopped' etc.  The person disputing the claim is 'the keeper' (who is you).

Kichu

Coupon-mad said:

Is it a VCS private parking charge? If so, then that is not a fine and you do not pay it.

Appeal it once (if you want) then ignore VCS' demands until court claim (see other VCS Airport cases.  Search the forum.  No-one pays and they are easy to beat in court).

It's VCS. Ill have a look around and see some of the other cases. It happened at the Bristol Airport. Do you know how long the process and stuff is? I came here from reddit so I literally just made the account.

KeithP

@Fruitcake will be along shortly. He has in depth knowledge of the goings on at Bristol Airport.

Coupon-mad

Process?  They sue (later this year) and you win in 2025 is probably the timeline.

Hundreds of Bristol Airport VCS threads found when you put those 3 words in & search the forum.

stop_this_nonsense

Coupon-mad said:

Process?  They sue (later this year) and you win in 2025 is probably the timeline.

Hundreds of Bristol Airport VCS threads found when you put those 3 words in & search the forum.

Welcome to the VCS carry-on merry-go-round ride! Listen to the good folks here. Take their advice and stay calm. Do not pay - you must not feed the animals in this zoo. Do not admit to driving. You will win and learn lots on this spirit journey 

Fruitcake

I have posted advice similar to the following on several BRS no-stopping threads. The one by RRTechie is the most recent, so you should search for that and read it thoroughly.

Do not reveal the driver's identity. Do not miss out any of the steps below. They are all there for a reason.

This post contains a pdf with a map that shows where VCS are contracted to operate by the airport sub contractor, which should show if the car was within the PPC's entrapment zone.

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

I don't recall there being any traffic lights on any of the internal main roads, but of course they may be newly installed since I was last there, so please tell us precisely where they are, ideally by marking them on the map or showing us the spot on Google Streetview, even if the images are out of date.

Plan A is always a complaint to the landowner, in this case a foreign owned investment company, details of which can be found on the airport website. You will need to do internet searches to find email addresses for their London and Toronto offices.
Do not be surprised if they do not reply. I have yet to learn of anyone who has received a response, but you need to go through the motions so you can show a judge if necessary that you tried to narrow the issue in an attempt to avoid court.

You should also complain to the sub contractor that manages the airport on behalf of the landowners, Bristol Airport Limited. Contact/complaints details can also be found on the airport website.
Don't be surprised when they side with their unregulated parking company, but again you need to go through the motions.

Do complain to your MP as well.

Appeal to VCS using the template in blue text from the NEWBIES, sent unaltered from the keeper except for the following additions,

Airport byelaws apply and since this means the location where the alleged event occurred is not relevant land, the PoFA 2012 does not apply and the keeper cannot be held liable. 
The driver cannot be held liable for the unexpected actions of a passenger whilst the vehicle was stopped at traffic lights as mandated by Bristol Airport Byelaws 2012 that state,

6. PROHIBITED ACTS ON PRIVATE AIRPORT ROADS AND OTHER PARTS OF THE AIRPORT TO WHICH ROAD TRAFFIC ENACTMENTS DO NOT APPLY
On any private Airport roads or other parts of the Airport to which the Road Traffic Enactments do not apply no person shall: 

6.7 Road Traffic Enactments, drive or cause or permit to be driven any vehicle which fails to comply with any braking, steering, lighting, tyre or electrical requirements which apply to that type of vehicle if it were to be operated on a road to which the Road Traffic Enactments apply.