parking and parking enforcement

[ataubin]

I was recently ticketed on Upland Road at 10am on a Thursday for having the wheels of my car touching the paving stones of a cut curb. "No room for pedestrians" except the picture clearly showed room and I measured 2 meters and more of room stopping no one from a straight-line perambulation down the pavement. The Parking Control Car must have been having a quiet break after the Goodrich School start of day and then looking to justify an hour with no tickets saw my car as an entry in their log book.

I understand the law of tyres and curbs but I think Parking Officers should be on the High Street keeping traffic moving. Southwark is looking to cut 80 million from its costs. I think one item should be how parking is policed. I think it is subjective and not transparent now. I think areas to be controlled should be monitored with pay-to-park and residential streets should be off limits when there is nothing extraordinary that requires the attention of a Parking Official.

Comments?

[Marmora Man]

All parking "police" now seem to have digital cameras - if they took a photo of every alleged infringement this would allow cases such as yours to be appealed.

I was once ticketed for a wrongful turn - the attached photo showed my car to be in Rye Lane at the time I was supposed to have been making an illegal left turn. Result - an abandoned ticketing process and no fine.

[Huguenot]

Not parking across dropped curbs isn't subjective, it's objective. You either were or you weren't.

What you're actually doing is asking parking enforcement officials to take a subjective view, and let you off on the basis that granny can squeeze past.

I think chaos would be the final outcome in that situation. My advice is to stick to the rules and don't park across dropped curbs.

If that's too difficult, then sell the car.

[ataubin]

I have appealed but the response in beauro-speak was the law: wheels make not over-lap stone even on a cut cut and pavements must be kept clear. Fair enough. The point I made was that on a curb cut I obstructed nothing. In the picture (yes they took one) it is clear and I have measured: the available pavement remained complete 2 metres and even more. The point I am making is that the authority for petty fines, grey areas and ticket padding is unchecked. This was a residential street at 10 am. I was in fact standing on the street doing something a bit further on. The Officers had hung about for a full hour after school start and then looked for someone to ticket. I saw the law is an ass.

[Huguenot]

Where are you getting this 2m figure from? There's no rule that says you can park across dropped curbs so long as there's a 2m gap.

The point about parking across dopped curbs is that there is no grey area - you can't park across them.

What you're proposing is that you can ignore the laws that you don't find convenient. Mayhem.

[Jeremy]

ataubin, I hate the predatory nature of parking enforcement as much as anyone, and have contested a few tickets in my time. But if you really were in breach of the rules, I think you'll have to admit defeat this time, and put it down to experience.

[pebbles]

Honest question - we live on Friern Road and have a driveway, dropped curb and white line. I always tell my friends to park in front of our driveway as it's so difficult to park on our road. Can they actually be done for this although it's in front of our driveway - ie private? I'm thinking the answer is yes but wanted to confirm and see whether anyone else in this road/area have had tickets with people parking in front of their driveway?

[tiddles]

I thought it was ok to park across the white line (we are in a similar situation) but the white line indicates that it is a drive way - i always tell people to park there, but be very careful not to have tyres/wheels on any part of the pathway.

[Mikey]

It's simply a stealth tax. Local authorities are liberal with parking tickets and many are issued unlawfully, in the knowledge that most motorists won't contest. And as pressure on local govt spending increases, so the volume of parking fines issued will increase.

The simple solution is not to break the rules.

[kford]

pebbles Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Honest question - we live on Friern Road and have

> a driveway, dropped curb and white line. I always

> tell my friends to park in front of our driveway

> as it's so difficult to park on our road. Can they

> actually be done for this although it's in front

> of our driveway - ie private? I'm thinking the

> answer is yes but wanted to confirm and see

> whether anyone else in this road/area have had

> tickets with people parking in front of their

> driveway?

Here is your answer: http://forums.pepipoo.com/lofiversion/index.php/t37577.html

86 Prohibition of parking at dropped footways etc

(3) The second exception is where the vehicle is parked outside residential premises by or with the consent (but not consent given for reward) of the occupier of the premises.

This exception does not apply in the case of a shared driveway.

I would copy and paste this for any appeals!

[pebbles]

thank you kford