Parking Ticket!!!

[StoneLaughter]

Well - my Wife got a parking ticket tonight in Nottingham - no idea whether the signs were clearly displayed but she never saw any... the ticket appears below front and back. I don't think there's anything wrong with it from a Road Traffic Act POV.

However; can we ignore it on the grounds that it's a penalty? Penalties, as we're all clearly aware, are unenforceable, and in fact in Excel Parking -v- Victoria Hetherington in Mansfield County Court, the Judge said as much in open Court.

What do y'all think? Should we just roll over or should we let them do their worst?

I'd be grateful of any and all (quick!) replies... thanks!

[WendyB]

Re: Parking Ticket!!!

Not sure about ignoring it and penalties and the like, but I would definitely advise you to appeal against it. I appeal them on princciple. The last two I had, it took them so long to get round to dealing with it that they cancelled them. Besides which, if you appeal, the clock stops ticking until the result of the appeal, which means you get more time to save up the money to pay it with.

Can't read the attachments very well, but thats what I'd do if I were in your shoes (or car, as the case may be), anyway.

[Paule]

Re: Parking Ticket!!!

I got a Ticket in Asda weeks ago and I am patiently waiting for the fun AND GAMES TO START but to no avail as yet.

I'm no expert of Parking Tickets though

Have a read here though
http://www.ticketfighter.co.uk/home.htm

[Curlyben]

Re: Parking Ticket!!!

Were's Tomterm when you need him.
DON'T even think about using the penalty angle as you will be shafted.
Concentrate on the bay itself.
Does it comply with the current regs.

Have a look here for some ideas: Department for Transport - Road markings (P1000 series)
These are the actual regs and bays MUST comply with them.

PT, from CAG and I had some fun and games with our local council over their bays being totally non-compliant.
I ended up sending a 16 page document to the Chief Exec explaining what they had done wrong.

Shortly afterwards most of them were repainted

[Curlyben]

Re: Parking Ticket!!!

Here's the section of TMA the ticket refers to: Traffic Management Act 2004 (c. 18)
Also this is a Council enforcement officer and not a private firm.

[StoneLaughter]

Re: Parking Ticket!!!

DON'T even think about using the penalty angle as you will be shafted.

Why? The Courts automatically view them as penalties, surely?

As to the bay, it's in Nottingham and I'm not; so it might be a while before we can get a peek at them. Will appeal - but on what grounds?

[WendyB]

Re: Parking Ticket!!!

As the penalty is for parking without displaying a ticket, you could either say
A) the ticket had fallen off and was on the floor of the car - but in this scenario you would have to produce the ticket, so if you haven't got one you're stuffed there
b) you haven't been to that area for ages, did not realise the parking restrictions had changed, the signs are not clearly displayed (if at all) etc. You may still end up paying but at least it will buy you some time.

[BBB]

Re: Parking Ticket!!!

It's a local authority PCN so I would not ignore it as they will eventually send in the bailiffs if it doesn't get dealt with.

I would suggest going to the parking section at www.pepipoo.com as they have a lot of knowledgable people there who would be able to take a look at the ticket. Scan the full document up and they will let you know if it is compliant. They helped with with a non compliant bus lane PCN last year which I took all the way to PATAS as the LA were not backing down, but I won in the end.

[StoneLaughter]

Re: Parking Ticket!!!

Thanks all!

[BigK]

Re: Parking Ticket!!!

If the bay, signage and everything else is correct then pay up NOW. You will find Bailiff charges reach £thousands if you don't and you'll lose the car.

Yours is a Penalty Charge Notice by the local Council and is enforceable.

A Parking Charge Notice by a private firm of bullies is not enforceable.

[StoneLaughter]

Re: Parking Ticket!!!

LOL BigK if I were to only pay NOW then I would already be into thousands... have you seen the dates on the thread posts?!

p.s. I think you need to do a bit more research on this chap - it's complex and far more so than the wording. The DoT model ticket is described in the Road Traffic Act...

[Amethyst]

Re: Parking Ticket!!!

Irrelevantly I had to take a friend to hospital as she went into labour a bit early and suddenly and I was the only one about with a car, and the hospital couldn't /wouldn't send an ambulance. The drop off point at the hospital was absolutely chocablock so I basically just dumped the car (window open doors unlocked (phone and purse on dashboard lol) and rushed her up to the maternity ward, must have been gone 10 /15 minutes by time we found the right place and got her seen to (hospital staff are quite invisible in an emergency arent they)

Rushed back down sure I was going to get a ticket....saw I'd parked directly across the exit to the car park (oops) in my panic, and the parking guys were busy pushing the car back and forth on the handbrake to let people out, and in, to the carpark, (stupid layout but then no one is meant to park haphazardly across it). Signs absolutely everywhere about no parking too.

No ticket, no nothing, the parking attendant guys just checked everything was okay with my neighbour and helped me reverse back into a line of traffic to get into the car park.

I was very pleasantly surprised as I seriously deserved a ticket for the appalling place I'd dumped the car, but thankfully common sense seemed to prevail as it was that or deliver the baby in the queue for the drop off point lol.

Mother and Baby all fine and dandy and back home now.