Argh! Parking ticket on a Sunday!

[Marque]

Just had a parking ticket for parking properly on a single yellow line on a Sunday at 16.39 in Golders Green (London Borough of Barnet). WTF???

Only £100, or half if paid within 14 days.

I was just dropping my son off at the bus station. (I carried his bag for him.) I was gone less than 10 minutes. Does that count as a 'delivery'?

I didn't even notice the bright yellow PENALTY CHARGE envelope on the front windscreen until I had driven a few minutes down the road and it was swept across the windscreen! I guess it was put under the wiper blade, but of course you don't see them on Mercs unless they are in use! If it hadn't been raining, I might not have seen it for days.

Do I have any grounds for contesting this? I'm not going to tell any porky pies, I just wondered if the Civil Enforcement Officer who issued the ticket was being a bit overzealous. Normally, when there are no waiting restrictions, they will first note the registration numbers and then come back in ten minutes to issue the tickets.

 

[Ade B]

Just had a parking ticket for parking properly on a single yellow line on a Sunday at 16.39 in Golders Green (London Borough of Barnet). WTF???

Only £100, or half if paid within 14 days.

I was just dropping my son off at the bus station. (I carried his bag for him.) I was gone less than 10 minutes. Does that count as a 'delivery'?

I didn't even notice the bright yellow PENALTY CHARGE envelope on the front windscreen until I had driven a few minutes down the road and it was swept across the windscreen! I guess it was put under the wiper blade, but of course you don't see them on Mercs unless they are in use! If it hadn't been raining, I might not have seen it for days.

Do I have any grounds for contesting this? I'm not going to tell any porky pies, I just wondered if the Civil Enforcement Officer who issued the ticket was being a bit overzealous. Normally, when there are no waiting restrictions, they will first note the registration numbers and then come back in ten minutes to issue the tickets.

You can appeal, I think the details are on the ticket.. Based on my experience with Westminster, you haven't a snowball's chance in hell if you were illegally parked as they'll just repeat the parking restrictions which of couse you should have read (even when the post and yellow sign wasn't there as in two of my appeals). Single yellows vary across London and I believe some are active on Sunday between certain hours.

Its extremely irritating but I now just pay the fine and forget about it as it seems very difficult to argue with them..

Best of luck

Ade.

 

[robert.saunders]

I don't think, IMO, that 10mins will cut it. I'm sure the local enforcement guys are well aware of 'short' waits on the restrictions near to the station.

Always worth an informal challenge, you have nothing to lose

 

[coupe deville]

Parking is a pain in my job, the company will pay the fine if I park legally and the job takes longer than normal and an over zealous warden tickets me for overstaying my welcome a few minutes , but they wont pay if I take a chance and park illegally. So most days you can see me driving round and around and around and around looking for a parking bay in either Sheff, Roth, Donny or Barnsley, Fuel wasted , pollution, wasted time, stress, adding to the congestion, happy days

 

[Dieselman]

Why not just use a car park then.?

 

[coupe deville]

I will use a pay and display carpark if its within 200 yards of the job but any more than that is a pain if I have to go back to the car for a part. Hardly any town centre pubs have carparks these days and the tiny service yards usually have the licensee's car in them along with the smokers shelter with the huddled masses shivering and smoking [as a non smoker you've got to laugh]

 

[Marque]

Why not just use a car park then?

I would have normally, but it was the first time I had dropped my son off at Golders Green, so I didn't know the area and I could not see any available parking spaces or signs for car parks. I am happy to pay for parking.

Some people were dropping off on the main road, causing an obstruction. Some cars were even double-parked! It's obviously a problem.

I have appealed informally. Informal appeals are always rejected out of hand, unless there is a very obvious mistake. I will then have to decide whether to appeal formally, which would mean losing the ability to pay the discounted penalty.

Most people don't appeal, even when the penalty was clearly wrong, because it's not worth the hassle or the risk.

 

[Pietre]

If you make a formal appeal, and lose, the time period to pay the reduced fine is started from the date of the rejection. They cant penalise you for appealing, so its always worth a try.

 

[robert.saunders]

We're getting a bit confused on what is and isn't formal.

If a PCN is affixed to a vehicle, the PCN can be paid within 14 days at the 50% discount or an informal challenge can be made. The council does not have to consider the informal challenge but generally all do. The council will then either accept the informal challenge and cancel the PCN or write back and reject the informal challenge and it's considered good practice to reinstate the 50% discount for a further period of 14 days.

From when the PCN is issued, after 28 days the full charge becomes due. At this stage all challenges are known as a formal representation. At representation stage the full charge is always due, and the council is under no obligation to accept a discounted payment, but must respond to a formal representation within a reasonable time.

After formal representation stage, an appeal can be made to the independent Tribunal for a decision - payment is still at full charge amount if the appeal is lost.

After all of this or if the Notice to Owner is issued and nothing happens, a Charge Certificate is issued where the charge is increased by 50% and no right of appeal at all exists from this point. Beyond this is registration at the Traffic Enforcement Centre where a fee is applied £5 and a Warrant can be issued for recovery of debt blah blah blah

Exciting innit

 

[c240yaz]

I have been there. Parking in that area is a nightmare. Sometimes you have no choice to do what you done.