Are you due a refund for a parking fine? : Thu Oct 09, 2014 4:19 pm  

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... LEGAL.html Reminds me of the last time our district council increased the prices in one of the car parks I sometimes use. They put up an advance statutory notice saying the price was going from X to Y. I wrote saying that the current price was not X just as the price rise took effect and they had rep-programmed the machines. They then put up a corrected notice saying the price would change from dX to Y is a few weeks time, re-programmed the machines back to the old price pending the new rise taking effect and said people who had paid to increased charge in the interim could apply for refunds. One trivial victory for me over rip-off Britain!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... LEGAL.html Reminds me of the last time our district council increased the prices in one of the car parks I sometimes use. They put up an advance statutory notice saying the price was going from X to Y. I wrote saying that the current price was not X just as the price rise took effect and they had rep-programmed the machines. They then put up a corrected notice saying the price would change from dX to Y is a few weeks time, re-programmed the machines back to the old price pending the new rise taking effect and said people who had paid to increased charge in the interim could apply for refunds. One trivial victory for me over rip-off Britain!

Re: Are you due a refund for a parking fine? : Thu Oct 09, 2014 4:39 pm  

Dally wrote:

rip-off Britain!

Well, if you weren't taking from the state, it wouldn't be so expensive for the rest of us?

Re: Are you due a refund for a parking fine? : Thu Oct 09, 2014 4:53 pm  

Is it me?

Re: Are you due a refund for a parking fine? : Thu Oct 09, 2014 7:39 pm  

Stand-Offish wrote:

Is it me?

No.

Re: Are you due a refund for a parking fine? : Thu Oct 09, 2014 7:46 pm  

Standee wrote:

Well, if you weren't taking from the state, it wouldn't be so expensive for the rest of us?

Ditto.

Re: Are you due a refund for a parking fine? : Sat Oct 11, 2014 11:20 am  

I drove my friend to a hospital in London a fair few years back, she was registered disabled and had the diabled parking card prominantly on display. There were no parking places anywhere so we parked on yellow lines as she is allowed to do so up to 3 hours and was not obstructing any access etc.
Came back 1.5 hours later and there was a ticket on the screen..It was a bast'd to get it overturned I can tell you..she was so stressed about the whole episode at the time..
saying that London is a whole world of shat for parking ticket shenanigans..

Re: Are you due a refund for a parking fine? : Sat Oct 11, 2014 11:58 am  

"Are you due a refund for a parking fine?"

No because I am not thick enough to put myself in that position of parking illegally and I have a watch and can tell the time!

Re: Are you due a refund for a parking fine? : Sun Oct 12, 2014 5:49 pm  

Leaguefan wrote:

"Are you due a refund for a parking fine?"

No because I am not thick enough to put myself in that position of parking illegally and I have a watch and can tell the time!

There are plenty of occasions where either incorrect/confusing/non-existing road marking or signage, or over zealous contracted out parking companies (responding to targets on numbers of parking fines to give out in a particular time period) means that not all parking fines are the driver's fault.

I had a parking fine refunded a few months back outside Headingley. The road markings weren't marked properly. I parked according to the rules but still got a fine. If I hadn't taken pictures of the road and kicked up a fuss it would've been another illegal fine.

Re: Are you due a refund for a parking fine? : Mon Oct 13, 2014 10:37 am  

Him wrote:

There are plenty of occasions where either incorrect/confusing/non-existing road marking or signage, or over zealous contracted out parking companies (responding to targets on numbers of parking fines to give out in a particular time period) means that not all parking fines are the driver's fault.

I had a parking fine refunded a few months back outside Headingley. The road markings weren't marked properly. I parked according to the rules but still got a fine. If I hadn't taken pictures of the road and kicked up a fuss it would've been another illegal fine.

I've received two fines which were both illegally issued. Unfortunately, the process is designed to make it so difficult to actually appeal a fine that most people will simply accept the discount offered to make the matter go away. It's only because I'm so bloody minded that I got them overturned.

One of those tickets took months and needed me to take the time to attend a hearing with the independent adjudicator, who was not at all complimentary about the conduct of the council. Not once during the process did the council apologise for wasting mine and taxpayers time. I still don't think they've addressed the issues that my appeal was allowed on and yet, they're still issuing tickets.

It's interesting how Leaguefan directs his comments at drivers who've done nothing wrong, rather than council officials failing to do something that they should know how to do - and then failing to spot for six years. Actually, it's not interesting in the slightest.

Re: Are you due a refund for a parking fine? : Tue Oct 14, 2014 11:58 am  

bramleyrhino wrote:

I've received two fines which were both illegally issued. Unfortunately, the process is designed to make it so difficult to actually appeal a fine that most people will simply accept the discount offered to make the matter go away. It's only because I'm so bloody minded that I got them overturned.

One of those tickets took months and needed me to take the time to attend a hearing with the independent adjudicator, who was not at all complimentary about the conduct of the council. Not once during the process did the council apologise for wasting mine and taxpayers time. I still don't think they've addressed the issues that my appeal was allowed on and yet, they're still issuing tickets.

It's interesting how Leaguefan directs his comments at drivers who've done nothing wrong, rather than council officials failing to do something that they should know how to do - and then failing to spot for six years. Actually, it's not interesting in the slightest.

Yep that's the same with my experience. Every step along the way is designed (or appears to be) to make you just say "oh sod it" and pay the fine. It was only because I was absolutely 100% certain that I was right and they were wrong (and I was in an awkward mood) that I decided to challenge it and go through all the hassle.

In my case the road markings and signs weren't correct or the ticket was wrongly issued, I never actually received a reason as to why the ticket was issued in the first place, so as according to the markings and signs I'd parked correctly when I got back to my car and saw the ticket I took pictures with my phone to prove it. So fortunately I didn't have to go to a hearing but it still took months of correspondence with the Council amongst which were threats of legal action and debt collectors from them. Until eventually it must've reached someone with some authority and they finally gave in and accepted I was right.

If I'd been in the wrong I'd have paid it, but I wasn't as I check the road markings and signs wherever I park. As I was 100% convinced I was right, and had the pictures to back it up, I didn't see why I should pay.
A few months later the road markings were changed to what they are now on St Michael's Lane, which is presumably what they wanted it to be like back when they fined me.


As another point that's sort of relevant to this issue, City of York Council recently completely cocked up a traffic scheme in the city whereby they closed Lendal Bridge to all but buses and cycles during certain times. They put up cameras and started fining everyone who contravened those times. However they didn't put up proper signs or road markings so it was deemed illegal and they now owe everyone they fined.

So let's not pretend every single instance where fines are issued is correct or the fault of careless/arrogant drivers. Especially when fines (especially parking fines) are generally now issued by private companies with poorly paid workers on crap conditions working to targets.