h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I think I'm fairly well known as someone who thinks that Parking Wardens are the scum of the earth. Well they've just gone down in my estimation.

As was to be expected I got a parking ticket whilst I was in hospital - 46 hours in a 2 hour bay just doesn't fit. What I wasn't expecting was my appeal against the ticket to be turned down. The f*ckers are saying that I've got to pay it

I guess this is what comes of having too much 'previous' with these bastards. For several years I have had a policy of appealing against every parking ticket that I recieve. In the past I've had a 100% strike rate in getting them cancelled. Well I guess they've taken a look at my correspondence file and thought, "not this time sunshine".

Parking Wardens - only a mother could love them.




I got another parking ticket off of Croydon's version of the vermin four days later whilst at the Crystal Palace match. I pretty certain that I'm bang to rights on that one. But that's not stopped me appealing against the fine. Oh-nooooo

Doesn't the hospital have a policy for that? You weren't to know that you'd be admitted!

Not at all what I was expecting, given the subject. Bet Parrfers won't be reading this one

The Traffic Wardens where I live are called 'Parking Ambassadors'

I recently appealed against a fine, which I didn't win.

It occurred because I'm a part-rtime lecturer in my local F.E. College, hence arrive part-way through the day. By this time the college car park is virtually completely filled, but hitherto I've always been lucky enough to find an empty slot.
However, on this occasion, there were no slots, so I parked in one of the '2-hour free parking' slot on a nearby road, fully intending to move my car later.

However, there were so many things to attend to during the afternoon, that I completely forgot. Hence, when I remembered and dashed out to the car, I had already incurred a £60 fine (more than I earn for the afternoon!)

I wrote to the local office pointing out the circumstances, nd saying that this was the first and only time I'd ever made this overight, and could I have a remission or at least a reduction in the fine. They refused both. What was equally galling is that the letter re-stated the name of the road, the limits for parking and the fact that I had exceeded these limits. All facts that I was perfectlyt well aware of, which they would have realised had they bothered reading my letter.. Why can't they make concessions for genuine oversights - especially a first offence?

I must admit, like BH, I wasn't expecting to read that.

In fact I had a sick-bag at the ready...

with your appeal, GD

I opened this thread with some trepidation too

B*st*rds. You'd have thought that the circumstances and a doctor's note would have stopped them charging you GD

Complain to your MP.....


....or even better to the local newspaper

BigAl, your big mistake was to admit liability. Once you've done that, you haven't got a leg to stand on. In all correspondence with the Parking Authorities you should argue that black is white, the is flat and the is made of cheese, but you never ever say that you are wrong.

And yes, I have appealed against their decision over the hospital stay parking ticket.

I saw a thing on TV where this guy had an interesting (albeit illegal) method of getting out of parking tickets. He would vandalise the nearest no parking sign, take a snap shot of it showing how illegible it "was" and submit that as evidence that he was not knowingly parked illegally.

You could always try appealing on the grounds of it being against the 1689 Bill of Rights. This protects people from having to pay fines until they are actually convicted by a court.

Thats what this guy is doing in Worcester against a parking fine. It's gone to the National Parking Adjudication Service for a decision.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hereford/worcs/4450196.stm

I'm aware of that one, and I've filed it in my arsenal of defences

A couple of years ago a chap successfully appealed against a parking fine on the basis that the yellow lines were damaged or incomplete at points along the road where he was parked. I've since used that self same tactic in an appeal. Twice in fact

I've received a sweet little letter from Croydon Council explaining to me in great detail how I was in breach of the parking regulations back in November. It's accompanied with an A4 sized photograph of my car in the offeding position. Plus a demand for £40 by the end of the month, or I'm in deep shit.

Bastards

I'm going to have to pay this one

I might have lost this fight. But the war against the scum who roam our streets persecuting innocent motorists goes on!

On a related note, did you know in most places it is illegal to perform the random act of kindness to feed parking meters for strangers? (I know it is here in the states.)

It's certainly against the rules here to go back to a parking meter and feed in more cash. Some parking wardens are better equiped than others in monitoring this sort of thing, depending I guess on the number of parking meters that a council has on its patch. Mine, Brighton, has almost no parking meters these days. It uses machines on the street that issue time stamped tickets; or prepayed scratch cards where you mark the date andtime of your arrival at the parking spot; or time limited parking bays where the wardens make a sweep every two/four hours making a note of number plates, and ticketing those who've over stayed their welcome.

As to feeding random strangers marking meters. That's a very altrusitic thing to do. I fdon't think that I've ever heard of it being done here, but it's something that I would support

See Also: Paying the toll at the booth for the car behind you.

My second appeal against the ticket I got whilst I was in hospital has been successful. I got a letter today saying that the 'penalty charge notice' has been cancelled.

Result



(It's a pity it took the useless f**kers three months to come that decision.)