Parking outside marked bays... set up to fail!

Gilly631
Gilly631 Posts: 2 Newbie
in Motoring
Good morning.

I had a hospital appointment yesterday at Stoke Mandeville. I went to park my car in a carpark outside outpatients with a barrier on entry. There were cars queuing to get into the car park but the machine was allowing people to take a ticket then allowed them in. I entered the car park on the assumption that if the barrier has opened and there is no message stating it was full then there must be spaces.

Anyway, at least five minutes of driving around told me otherwise. There was nothing other than a couple of disabled spaces. I am not disabled so didn’t want to take one of those spots but time was pressing in and I needed to get to my appointment.

Knowing there are other car parks at the hospital I thought I needed to try somewhere else. So, I pulled my car over to the side of the car park, not in a bay (as there weren’t any) but well out of anyone’s way and not blocking or hindering anyone else’s car, went over to the ticket machine to activate the ticket so I could use the exit barrier then went back to my car to find a parking charge notice!! :mad:

I was livid because it’s as if the car park had set me up to fail - surely the barrier shouldn’t have let anyone in if there were no spaces available?! I’d basically been trapped in the car park with no way of getting out - it was either park in a disabled spot or park in a none marked area in order to activate my ticket to leave the car park!!

Does anyone have any ideas what I can do about this please?

Many thanks,
Laura.
«1

Comments

  • AndyMc.....
    AndyMc..... Posts: 3,248 Forumite
    Combo Breaker First Post
    Pay up on find a technicality to void the ticket.
  • daveyjp
    daveyjp Posts: 12,505 Forumite
    First Post Name Dropper First Anniversary
    Don!!!8217;t pay a penny. Repost in parking tickets board.
  • Nobbie1967
    Nobbie1967 Posts: 1,472 Forumite
    Name Dropper First Post First Anniversary Combo Breaker
    Maybe this car park is different, but one where I couldn't find a space allowed you to leave within a short period without validating the ticket.
  • Aylesbury_Duck
    Aylesbury_Duck Posts: 13,965 Forumite
    First Anniversary First Post Name Dropper
    Nobbie1967 wrote: »
    Maybe this car park is different, but one where I couldn't find a space allowed you to leave within a short period without validating the ticket.
    Do you have a time machine the OP can borrow?
  • pogofish
    pogofish Posts: 10,852 Forumite
    Name Dropper First Post First Anniversary
    Gwt this into the Parking Tickets Subforum and start by reading the Newbies Sticky for the best help.

    After doing that, when you are properly informed, I would suggest a strong complaint to PALS, who can normally get these cancelled. :)
  • pogofish
    pogofish Posts: 10,852 Forumite
    Name Dropper First Post First Anniversary
    AndyMc..... wrote: »
    Pay up on find a technicality to void the ticket.

    How on earth do you find a "technicality" in what is essentially an unregulated scam industry where the facts of any transgression really don't matter?
  • Nobbie1967
    Nobbie1967 Posts: 1,472 Forumite
    Name Dropper First Post First Anniversary Combo Breaker
    Aylesbury_Duck wrote: »
    Do you have a time machine the OP can borrow?

    The situation the OP describes, sounds like a catch 22, I was wondering if they could have just driven straight out again without needing to park and validate the ticket as the exit machine would know they've only been there 5 mins.
  • neilmcl
    neilmcl Posts: 19,460 Forumite
    First Anniversary Name Dropper First Post
    edited 13 March 2018 at 12:25PM
    Gilly631 wrote: »
    I was livid because it!!!8217;s as if the car park had set me up to fail - surely the barrier shouldn!!!8217;t have let anyone in if there were no spaces available?! I!!!8217;d basically been trapped in the car park with no way of getting out - it was either park in a disabled spot or park in a none marked area in order to activate my ticket to leave the car park!!
    You said it yourself, there were spaces available, albeit for disabled drivers, so the car park wasn't full. You weren't "trapped" and you didn't have to pay to exit, you could have just parked alongside the ticket machine and activated your ticket or in a lot of cases just driven to the exit barrier and used it to leave.
  • neilmcl
    neilmcl Posts: 19,460 Forumite
    First Anniversary Name Dropper First Post
    Nobbie1967 wrote: »
    The situation the OP describes, sounds like a catch 22, I was wondering if they could have just driven straight out again without needing to park and validate the ticket as the exit machine would know they've only been there 5 mins.
    Most probably, yes.
  • Johno100
    Johno100 Posts: 5,259 Forumite
    First Anniversary Name Dropper First Post
    neilmcl wrote: »
    You said it yourself, there were spaces available, albeit for disabled drivers, so the car park wasn't full. You weren't "trapped" and you didn't have to pay to exit, you could have just parked alongside the ticket machine and activated your ticket or in a lot of cases just driven to the exit barrier and used it to leave.

    You seem to know a lot about this car park and how the specific system works there, are you local or just guessing?
This discussion has been closed.
★ ★ ★ Meet your Ambassadors

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 343.1K Banking & Borrowing
  • 250.1K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 449.6K Spending & Discounts
  • 235.2K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 607.8K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 173K Life & Family
  • 247.8K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 15.9K Discuss & Feedback
  • 15.1K Coronavirus Support Boards