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Appealing a parking ticket

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
Has anyone ever appealed a parking ticket? I got my first ever one yesterday (after I had locked my scooter up to a fence at the edge of a pay and display car park). The ticket said it was for "being parked outside of a bay"..well, the bays were not clearly marked and I had no idea I was doing so. I have to lock my scooter to a solid structure and there were no bike racks like a lot of car parks have.

£30 seems very steep for less than an hour of being parked somewhere. I have fired off a letter objecting to the fine, is it likely to be successful?
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Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Had you paid?

    Assuming you had paid, it's worth a reasonable shot as you've got a good reason for not parking in a marked bay if there's no hard point to lock to.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    No, I hadn't paid. Reason being, wasn't sure where I was supposed to display my ticket on a scooter! I only parked it there for around 40 minutes while I went to a temporary job, then came back to move it, to find a ticket on it.

    If the ticket had been issued for the reason of me not paying, then fair enough. But the reason on the ticket was the not being in a bay, so I'm hopeful the attendant made a mistake and I may get off it. I'm not working full time at the moment, and only had a one day placement in that job, in an area I didn't know (hence struggling to find anywhere to park).
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    im guessing the questions they'll ask will be:

    were you in a bay?

    did you have a valid ticket?

    if you answer no to both the above, then you aint got a chance.

    and i guess that is fair enough.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    If you've not paid, and it's not a council run thing, as far as I know they can't make you pay...

    I've never paid in a pay & display yet with my motorbike. It's one of the perks of being on two wheels. Surprised they bothered to be honest, I just park mine anywhere and never once had a letter.
  • SkiveSkive Posts: 15,282 Skive's The Limit
    katchika wrote: »
    No, I hadn't paid.

    No chance!
    Weekender Offender 
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    katchika wrote: »
    I only parked it there for around 40 minutes


    Car owners have to pay for only 40 mins parking so why should it be different for scooters
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Serves you right for being in Darlo, rachie :razz:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    katchika wrote: »
    No, I hadn't paid. Reason being, wasn't sure where I was supposed to display my ticket on a scooter! I only parked it there for around 40 minutes while I went to a temporary job, then came back to move it, to find a ticket on it.

    If the ticket had been issued for the reason of me not paying, then fair enough. But the reason on the ticket was the not being in a bay, so I'm hopeful the attendant made a mistake and I may get off it. I'm not working full time at the moment, and only had a one day placement in that job, in an area I didn't know (hence struggling to find anywhere to park).


    So basically the justification for not paying the ticket is that you weren't parked in the bay because you couldn't see where to put your scooter, and you didn't buy a ticket at all because you didn't know where to stick it?

    I don't really see why you should be let off.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    TBH Most car parks have free parking for bike, partly because there is no where to actually put the ticket when you get it. A little though from those comdemning you would mean they would realise that it could simply be taken off the bike FFS.

    I'd look into this some more if I was you because it sounds like an over zealous warden to me.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    TBH Most car parks have free parking for bike, partly because there is no where to actually put the ticket when you get it. A little though from those comdemning you would mean they would realise that it could simply be taken off the bike FFS.

    Exactly! Where would you put it without it being nicked?! Motorcyclists are usually allowed to park free because it's obvious their ticket would be stolen, which might be why you got the ticket for not parking in a bay, rather than for not having a ticket. Seems they just wanted to get you for something :rolleyes:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Of course she paid, but someone took the ticket off her scooter :p
  • SkiveSkive Posts: 15,282 Skive's The Limit
    It's not the fact she didn't pay for a ticket because you don't generally have too with bikes. But as with cars bikes should be in a bay.
    Weekender Offender 
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    BumbleBee wrote: »
    Exactly! Where would you put it without it being nicked?! Motorcyclists are usually allowed to park free because it's obvious their ticket would be stolen, which might be why you got the ticket for not parking in a bay, rather than for not having a ticket. Seems they just wanted to get you for something :rolleyes:

    I've spoken to some bike mates and bikes pretty much don't need to bother paying, most wardens won't bother. But there are often dedicated bike bays which are better to use. And if there aren't any just park in any bay.

    The only place to be careful is on public property (like if you park it on a public pavement) because the council can crack down on you.

    If it's a private company asking you for money tell them to sod off.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    1. Where the hell do you put the ticket? I know loads of people who carry bike tax in their pockets (And have been advised to do so by coppers themselves!) because it's so easy to steal, nevermind a transferrable paper ticket.

    2. Bikes have a massively lower emissions rating than cars, don't contribute to traffic etc - similar to pedal bikes, and will be easily missed by an over zealous BMW driver who can't see below his own nose to spot that it isn't a free space. I don't know of many town centres that don't offer free parking for them for these reasons.

    3. As Katchika explains at the start of her post, bikes/scooters pretty much have to be locked to something solid. The amount of scooters that get nicked every year and end up being hired on to tourists in european countries etc is unbelievable, and it's so much easier to wheelie a bike into a van than a car.

    Honestly, some of you lot just seem to be bitter because driving a car is expensive. I drive a car and fork up, I don't expect motorbikes which create probably a tenth of the emissions of my car to be subject to the same pricing regulations. It's only fair.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Doofay wrote: »
    Bikes have a massively lower emissions rating than cars,

    whats emissions got to do with Parking in a privite car park?
  • PearlyPearly Posts: 345 The Mix Regular
    Normally if you want to dispute your parking ticket, and it's a fine that will go up after two weeks, if you let the council know you are doing this (do this over the phone), they 'freeze' the fine so it doesn't continue to rise while they look into your case. This may not be the case with all councils, so check before you do this.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Thanks for the replies. Well, some of them!

    Doofay, I don't keep my tax on my scooter either due to warnings about people stealing it.

    Every other place I have ever parked has had free parking, I've never used a pay and display before, and the only one I've ever looked at had cheaper parking for bikes (considering that they only take up a small space compared to a car!)

    The ticket stated the reason I had been given a ticket wasn't to do with me not paying!

    Anyone who is moaning, should 40 minutes of parking, in a horrible backstreet car park with no security, cost someone £30?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Territt wrote: »
    whats emissions got to do with Parking in a privite car park?
    Why should something which produces a tiny percentage of the emissions of car be charged at the same rate as a car - rather than being free as with pedal bike parking?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Doofay wrote: »
    Why should something which produces a tiny percentage of the emissions of car be charged at the same rate as a car - rather than being free as with pedal bike parking?

    well the tax is lower because the emissions are lower, why should parking be paid free?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Territt wrote: »
    well the tax is lower because the emissions are lower, why should parking be paid free?

    Exactly - being parked doesn't produce ANY emissions so should everything be able to park for free...?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I feel i may have been harsh sorry, pmt got the better of me!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Doofay wrote: »
    3. As Katchika explains at the start of her post, bikes/scooters pretty much have to be locked to something solid. The amount of scooters that get nicked every year and end up being hired on to tourists in european countries etc is unbelievable, and it's so much easier to wheelie a bike into a van than a car.

    :confused: No they don't. Whenever my dad's had a bike, he's never needed to have it locked to anything solid and I've never seen anyone around where I live locking their bike/scooter to anything solid. (They've had a lock of some sort put on one of the wheels)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Yep, I don't buy this about having to lock it to something solid. How come you can't just chain the wheel like on any other bike?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    She might want to keep it!

    Round here scooters not locked to something go walkies fairly often.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    She might want to keep it!

    Round here scooters not locked to something go walkies fairly often.


    Err, I don't see how chaining it to something would help, then, because if they are prepared to nick the entire scooter obviously with the intention of removing the chain later, then they may as well just take along a pair of bolt cutters and remove the chain at the scene.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Because you're less likely to get caught nicking the whole thing than you are going mad trying to get through a chain in public.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Mist wrote: »
    Err, I don't see how chaining it to something would help, then, because if they are prepared to nick the entire scooter obviously with the intention of removing the chain later, then they may as well just take along a pair of bolt cutters and remove the chain at the scene.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D96QM-lzLM8

    Why you have to have it chained down.

    edit: go to 2:49
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    ShyBoy wrote: »
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D96QM-lzLM8

    Why you have to have it chained down.

    edit: go to 2:49


    Yes, but this is what I am saying. That was totally suss looking and clearly pre-planned. It would have been no more trouble for them to have brought a bolt cutter along and snapped any chain holding the bike to the ground. I can't see any value in locking the bike to the ground at all. That video, if anything, proves that a determined thief is going to nick the bike no matter what.

    Anyway, I digress. This isn't really relevant to the OP.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Mist wrote: »
    Yes, but this is what I am saying. That was totally suss looking and clearly pre-planned. It would have been no more trouble for them to have brought a bolt cutter along and snapped any chain holding the bike to the ground. I can't see any value in locking the bike to the ground at all. That video, if anything, proves that a determined thief is going to nick the bike no matter what.

    Anyway, I digress. This isn't really relevant to the OP.
    If you can't see why there is a point to locking it to the ground, then I would summise that you lack in intelligence. Have you actually seen a bike chain before? Do you think a set of bolt cutters would cut one? You'd either be working at it for quite a while or would need an angle grinder - this would either act as a deterrent or increase the time it would take them to steal it, increasing the chance of the theives being caught.
    No they don't. Whenever my dad's had a bike, he's never needed to have it locked to anything solid and I've never seen anyone around where I live locking their bike/scooter to anything solid. (They've had a lock of some sort put on one of the wheels)

    Yes, they do. Just because your dad and 'everyone' round 'where you live' chooses to use a disc lock only doesn't mean the whole population is so lacking in sense. A disc lock, as with a standard wheel lock, can be worked around by simply lifting the bike up onto it's back wheel. Simple, eh?
    well the tax is lower because the emissions are lower, why should parking be paid free?

    The confession that the emissions are lower is evident in the lower band of tax. Bike insurance is generally lower than car insurance from experience. Motorbikes cost less generally to buy that cars. They can be parked on the pavement, leaving bays free for cars. Pedal bike parking is free for similar reasons - why shouldn't parking be reduced or free for them?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Doofay, not all bikes need to be chained to something, it depends on the size. My dad's FJR1300 is barely moveable even by him so he just uses a heavy duty bike chain. My boyfriend's smaller Honda needs to be chained up.
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