Infuriating parking ticket

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Sp!ke

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The monday before last I dropped my daughter in Kingston Town centre at 21:30. Minicabs parked up everywhere on the one way system, which is a pretty busy 3 lane road.

Drop me at the bus stop she says. Quick look in the mirrors, no buses coming - great, so in I pull, she jumps out and I'm on my way again in ... I'd say less than 5 seconds.

Then last night, ticket in the post, £110 or £55 if I pay immediately for stopping in a prohibited location. I assume some jobsworth snapped me on a camera.

Less than 5 goddam seconds. :wallbash:

I'm not sure I've got legal grounds for appeal but I think I will anyway on the grounds of it being so bloody unreasonable.

What would you do?
 
Pay up.

I'm sure that you're p!ssed off right now, but once that subsides you'll realise that appealing because 'it's unreasonable' would be an absolute waste of your time and effort because you admit to being at fault.
 
Have a look here:
The Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2002

but I reckon you're onto a "must pay" scenario... You may be able to convince the magistrates that you stopped there as it was the only safe place to stop to let a passenger off... or that you were assessing the traffic situation for safety and your passenger got off... but really, letting a passenger off at a stop is a contravention from what I can tell...

You may be able to get off on a technicality... was one of these signs displayed?
023113aj.gif

M.
 
They probably used CCTV monitoring. Take a look at the parking forums over at PePiPoo to see if there's anything you can do to "gum up the works" ;)
 
I'm going to fight it one way or another as this sort of thing needs fighting, it is wholly unreasonable to have to live in fear of this BS.

Actually, looking at google maps, I'ts debatable that I was actually at the bus stop as I made a conscious decision not to park actually at the bus stop itself.

What do you think?

Excuse my poor artwork but hopefully it will suffice.

[edit] I think the road markings say Bus *Stand* - I'll have to go back on foot and survey things again including the signage (but from where I pulled over I wouldnt be able to read the signage anyway. (actually, one would surely have to pull in and stop in order to read the sign saying you shouldn't stop - that makes no sense does it?)
 

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When you pulled back into the flow of traffic, did you crawl along and then out or just pull out from being sat stationary?
 
When you pulled back into the flow of traffic, did you crawl along and then out or just pull out from being sat stationary?

I cant recall exactly, I think it was clear and I pulled straight out as I needed to be in the far right lane but even if I did crawl along, as long as I am moving I wouldnt be in contravention of the rules?
 
Wouldnt a bus stop need have clearly marked boundraries like the one below?



5b2rdj.jpg
 
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I got a ticket from Medway Council for picking my daughter up from school at a bus stop. Same as you pulled in, she jumped in, I drove off. Turns out I was filmed by Medways Parking Enforcement SMART CAR !!

I paid up. Tonight I see the SMART CAR parked on double yellow lines merrily filming every car that pulled up to pick up their kids. Will they get a ticket for parking on double yellows I expect not.
 
I got a ticket from Medway Council for picking my daughter up from school at a bus stop. Same as you pulled in, she jumped in, I drove off. Turns out I was filmed by Medways Parking Enforcement SMART CAR !!

I paid up. Tonight I see the SMART CAR parked on double yellow lines merrily filming every car that pulled up to pick up their kids. Will they get a ticket for parking on double yellows I expect not.


No...but if you photograph them the press could have a nice little story.
 
I hope it was one of those parking cars as I've heard that where the evidence if from one of those parking enforcement cars, the law states they need two qualified operators in the car and from what I have learnt from my barrister friend is that quite often one will be training another and ony one occupent is qualified.
 
I got a ticket from Medway Council for picking my daughter up from school at a bus stop. Same as you pulled in, she jumped in, I drove off. Turns out I was filmed by Medways Parking Enforcement SMART CAR !!

I paid up. Tonight I see the SMART CAR parked on double yellow lines merrily filming every car that pulled up to pick up their kids. Will they get a ticket for parking on double yellows I expect not.

You should have told them to move or you'd call the police there and then to report a car causing an obstruction.
 
I think I've found something...

de minimis non curat lex

A principle of law, that even if a technical violation of a law appears to exist according to the letter of the law, if the effect is too small to be of consequence, the violation of the law will not be considered as a sufficient cause of action, whether in civil or criminal proceedings.
 
Just say you weren't stopped - you just slowed down & she jumped out on her way to gymnastics class
 
This truly is so trivial, it is beyond belief and best of luck if you fight it. Was the parking ticket specifically for parking in the bus layby, or for on a double yellow?
 
For stopping in a restricted zone (apparently) not that the zone is marked adequately I understand.

There should be a single fat single yellow line along the curbside indicating where the bus stop begins and ends from what I can make of the relavant laws.

I'll be fighting it on multiple counts begining with a request to view the video tape before I make a plea.
 
I see this sort of pettiness is now a money making scheme, how much danger or incovnience is it to road users or pedestrians. Perhaps just stop in the middle of the road!
 
For stopping in a restricted zone (apparently) not that the zone is marked adequately I understand.

There should be a single fat single yellow line along the curbside indicating where the bus stop begins and ends from what I can make of the relavant laws.

I'll be fighting it on multiple counts begining with a request to view the video tape before I make a plea.

Note there are the triple marks on the kerbs - presumably to indicate loading and unloading restrictions. Are three stripes normal? I thought they were supposed to be either one or two.

And also a sign for the junction exit.

Odd combination of circumstance.

Somebody planning to turn into the lane and then deciding either because of an error or because of an obstruction would possibly find themselves in the same situation. As could somebody exiting the junction and pausing.
 

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