Met Parking Notice to Keeper Disabled Bay @ McDonalds

SicariusD

Hi all,

I just got home from a business trip to find a Notice to Keeper letter from Met Parking indicating that on the 30th July 2024, I was observed to have "parked or waiting in a Disabled Bay in a McDonalds Car Park without clearly displaying a disabled badge". The letter was issued on 5th August 2024 and I've only just came home to it today (19th August 2024) so I'm outside their apparent 14 day reduction window which would have always been the case as I have been away since 1st August 2024.

Few points to note:

1 - I absolutely do not intend to tell them who was driving.
2 - I do not have a disabled badge nor am I eligible for one
3 - The picture on the Notice to Keeper shows my car parked in one of the two disabled bays, which are immediately adjacent to the designated McDonalds food collection bays (and were all full), but these are not seen on the picture evidence.
4 - The genuine and sincere reason for parking there (as supported by dashcam) was instruction to park by the McDonalds Employee at the collection window as they'll bring my food out to me, and this car park is notorious for being full owing to its small size, so all of the McDonalds allotted collection bays were full as were most of the other normal bays.
5 - Worth noting that I have parked there many times before, as have I seen many other people park there, and never had a problem (this doesn't absolve, and I would never attempt to absolve myself of parking in a disabled bay when I do not need too, I just ignorantly take the view that I will only be there a few mins before my food is dropped off and away I go)

Given the picture of my car in the bay is pretty clear cut, do I have a defence here? Do not want to give these scumbags a single penny to empower their predatory and disgusting behaviour.

Coupon-mad

Is the car park in an Airport or not?

Is the NTK a POFA one (when you compare it to my NTK pictures thread which explains it)?

SicariusD

Morning,

No, not an Airport car park. The car park is a standalone small food retail car park at the end of a not-very-busy A-Road. It's shared by McDonalds and 2-3 other food retail outlets. It isn't adjacent to, twinned with or part of any other commercial car park. I have no idea who the land owner would be given it's an entirely shared car park.

I think I found your thread with all the Notice to Keeper examples and my Notice to Keeper is identical in the wording to the Met Parking example in your thread with the exception of one additional paragraph.

They do not know who the name of the driver, nor the address of the driver and are "inviting" me to pay on the drivers behalf or share the details of the driver otherwise I as the keeper am liable anyway.

Appreciate your help!

EDIT: Pictures of the NtK attached with the appropriate redacted info. Feel free to use this as an example if you need to update your thread!

Coupon-mad

Thankyou.  I have added your NTK image to the NTK pictures thread as that is a POFA worded one.  Means they can hold the keeper liable. May as well appeal as driver.

"I absolutely do not intend to tell them who was driving."

I would. Just admit driving. There's no reason to hide it with a POFA worded NTK.  If you have dashcam evidence of the staff instructing you to park there you could try an appeal then POPLA, using that video plus the fact that we doubt there's a full t&cs sign in the disabled bay area.

Go back on foot this month and get pics to prove no t&cs signs are visible from that bay.

SicariusD

Heya,

Thanks for the heads up. I went back to McDonalds today (in a different car since you mentioned walking) to have a look at the signs they have dotted around and to talk to the manager at McDonalds. I've attached pics of the sign that's not above the disabled bays but on a lamp post in the row of parking bays further down.

There are signs that are visibly on lamp posts in the car, but unless you have a James Webb Telescope in the car, good luck reading the font size 0,1px they use.

However, speaking to the Manager at McDonalds, who said he was stung by MET Parking recently when parking for work, said he will try to pull out some stops to help me out although they do not own the car park so not sure what, if anything, he can do!

So you reckon I should appeal on the grounds that I was told to park there and from my car there was both a full car park and limited to no visibility (or readability) of the signs?

Gr1pr

Plan A in the newbies sticky thread in announcements is your best option here 

Find out who the managing agent is for the business park, complain to them and get it cancelled ASAP 

The appeal to MET needs to be done before the 28 day deadline, around day 26

KeithP

From Google Street View, the sign at the entrance to Caxton Gibbet Park tells us that in November 2021 the site was managed by Savill's Commercial Ltd, but by November 2022 that Savill's sign had been removed.
Don't know whether Savill's will be able to tell you who their successors are, but it might be worth asking - phone number on the sign in GSV.

The entrance sign also states " A development by Abbey Group Cambridgeshire Ltd".
Can they help?