Parking Fine today on lordship lane...grrrrrr

[elliemon]

Ok everyone - need your help on this one. Today at approx. 4.10pm i parked outside Soup Dragon to go in and get something. Upon my return at approx. 4.25pm i was greeted with a big fat parking fine. Now - i am sure there is a 30min parking restriction there between 10am-7pm so i shouldn't have got a ticket. Am i right?? The sign basically says 'Parking - 10am to 7pm - 30mins - No return within 2 hrs.

Thanks all.

[jimmy two times]

I think the problem is that unless the ticket warden observed the time you parked how does he know you parked at 4.10pm and not 3.50pm? It sounds like he has made an assumption. Read the ticket carefully to ensure you have not received it for any other reason.Then contest it. Quite a igh percentage of parking tickets can be overturned if contested. Do you have a receipt from the shop you visited? This should have a time issued on it and may strengthen your case.

[elliemon]

Thanks for that. The time on the ticket reads 16:15 so about 5 mins after i had parked up - and yes i do have a receipt which reads 4.25pm from soup dragon. I even got the chap from soup dragon out to also look at the parking sign and he agreed i was in the right and knows how long i was in the shop. I feel a letter coming on.

Thanks for your advice.

[jimmy two times]

I'd write on the letter that you have a willing witness. i'd even go as far as to request any CCTV footage to prove the time you parked. I'm not sure if you are entitled to this, but it's worth a try just in case.

[jim_the_chin]

they do usually state what time you were observed between, so betwen 1610 and 1615 on a yellow line 4eg. if he did it properly he'd have taken pics of your car and the signs, so you probably have a strong case.

[????]

They try it on all the time - it's licensed banditry, no skins off their nose if illegally given tickets get scrapped but in many cases people are intimidated by the escalating fines and threatening letters and pay up and the warden get their commission...of course, non-car owners in the anti-brigade ( *coughs, Hugenot and Sean) think they are doing a public service by giving out illegal tickets and have no conception about the sharp practices employed by these maggots. If you're in the right fight it, and complain to your councillor...

[lenk]

Whenever I've locked my bike up around ED I've had no problems.

cheers, lenk

[EDmummy]

Now, I could be completely wrong because I don't park on Lordship Lane but isn't it a clearway for buses from 4.00pm? I know it is in the morning.

[elliemon]

Thanks EDmummy. I have a feeling that the strip along where the East Dulwich Deli is has a parking restriction from 4pm but where i was parked was up until 7pm. Hmmmmmmm. I find those signs slightly confusing - is it just me? And annoyingly i tend not to park along LL either for that very reason. Anyway moan over - i'm going to challenge it. Thanks for advice all.

[Peckhampam]

sorry about your parking ticket but where and what is the soup dragon? I've never seen it.

[KalamityKel]

Childrens shop on Lordship Lane Pam

[Jeremy]

If you were legally parked, you will be fine. Quids is right, these guys try it on all the time. As we all know, they're on commission, so it's not surprising that they hand out tickets even when they're not certain it's legitimate.

Don't pay the fine, follow the "representation" procedure. Write a letter, including any evidence you have.

If the council are stubborn, they will reject your first representation. If this happens, take it all the way to the personal hearing - chances are that the council will give up at this stage and you will automatically win. Keep at it... it's a very long process, and don't be put off by their attempts to raise the fine over time.

[Rowanofski]

Absolute jokers! I never have, nor will ever pay a parking fine. I have pretty much always observed the rules, yet still been issued 4 or 5 fines over the years. A quick ranting letter and they've overturned them every time. It's just like ???? says, licensed banditry.

I think anyone who issues a fine that gets overturned should be fined themselves. That'd stop them being so damned slap-happy. Although, it would probably also decrease the leniency of those receiving my complaints...

[thebeard]

elliemon Wrote:

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

> Thanks EDmummy. I have a feeling that the strip

> along where the East Dulwich Deli is has a parking

> restriction from 4pm but where i was parked was up

> until 7pm. Hmmmmmmm. I find those signs slightly

> confusing - is it just me? And annoyingly i tend

> not to park along LL either for that very reason.

> Anyway moan over - i'm going to challenge it.

> Thanks for advice all.

I wouldn?t challenge it until you?ve been back and check the signs.

I think if you have parked in the bus lane outside Soup Dragon after 4pm then I?m pretty sure that you don?t have a leg to stand on.

If you challenge it you?ll lose and end up paying ?120.

Currently in the bus lanes on LL you can?t park between 7am and 10am and 4pm and 7pm.

So you can only park when the shops are open between 10am and 4pm.

This is one parking restriction which I believe should be changed on Lordship Lane there is very little need for the 4pm restrictionon that side of LL.

Busses do not need a clear bus lane in the afternoon after 4pm in that direction.

Its all part of the parking bus lane NONSENSE.

Check and pay is ASAP if I?m correct the sooner I pay them the sooner I forget and move on.

EDIT added info

I had a look as I was driving past and I'M WRONG the NO parking on that side is from 7am-10am so you should not have had a ticket.

Did you park with a wheel on the pavement?

That is a favorite one in Southwark.!

Best to Re read the ticket.

[thebeard]

?

[skip]

After contesting a fine with numerous letters without success I informed the local councillors and MP of the situation and the fine was instantly put on hold, never to be heard of again. If you're in the right I would recommend this course of action if necessary.

[Cora]

I don't have a car but have noticed that these guys are really getting aggressive with the number of fines they are issuing around here (as I tootle around with the pushchair!)- yesterday saw them stop and start issuing a ticket to a van that had stopped to do a single household delivery...he didn't even warn them he was there standing in front of the van, just pulled in on his scooter behind a parked car and stood there at the front of the van out of view of the driver taking notes...Its seems to be turning into some on-street real-life gaming scam.

[macroban]

It's well known that the traffic wardens arrive in Lordship Lane just before 4pm for their daily catch.

More recently they've been returning just before 7pm too.

[Wombat]

>

> If you challenge it you?ll lose and end up paying

> ?120.

Need to correct you on the "...end up paying ?120." It's wrong. You're given tome to pay the original fine amount of your appeal is unsuccessful. Also - they'll almost always decline the initial appeal (weeds out the non-serious appealers) so always go for a second appeal.

>

>

>

>

[jim_the_chin]

the ?60 is extended for the 1st appeal only, after the 2nd it goes up to ?120, I'm still appealing one from September last year

[Jeremy]

Agreed, I'm pretty sure they increase the fine during the appeal process.

Obviously they don't want people to appeal.

If you have a genuine case, then take it all the way, and you won't have to pay.

[elliemon]

You are right Jim - It says on the ticket that if i challenge it within the 14 days and i'm unsuccessful i will be re-offered the opportunity to pay at 50% discount i.e. ?60. We shall see. I posted a stinky letter off today with photos.

[Mamma Mia]

Definately persevere with appeal if you feel you have a strong case. Southwark tried to scare me off by increasing the fine to ?180 and then offered me a last chance to pay ?120 one week before arbitration. I declined their kind offer and they decided not to fight the case three days before the hearing date.

[ruffers]

If the sign says what you say for where you parked then appeal. Should be fine.

[Smiler]

We have appealed a couple of tickets in our own road and had them overturned both times, we kept getting scary letters about escalating fines (to ?180), which we just ignored because we had written contesting the original fine.

Saw an article a while back with statistics on the proportion of appealed fines that are overturned, and Southwark had a very high proportion, so well worth pursuing.

When you write to them, send it by recorded delivery so they can't claim they never received it (they tried this with us, hence the escalating fine letters, we were able to prove that they had received our letter).