Traffic Warden Ticket - Advice

[Marmora Man]

Marmora Son no.2 has just invested his savings and hocked his future summer job earnings to buy a 50cc moped.

Collected at 13.00 today - he parked it on the pavement outside the house at 15.47 - was ticketed (PCN 624) at 15.48 - ?120 fine (?60.00 if we pay up within 14 days).

Offence "having one or more wheels on pavement". In our area it is not unusual to have motor bikes of different sizes parked on the pavement - locked to a tree or lampost. Doesn't disturb the neighbours or frighten the horses.

Having looked it all up - I think he's been "got" bang to rights - but wondered if anyone has a decent defence he could put up, or knows of any arcane piece of traffic law that exempts small (50cc) bikes?? Otherwise his bike has just cost him another ?60.00.

[EDmummy]

I know it must seem arcane to you but if you were visually impaired...or dare I say it, trying to push a single or even double buggy, it is likely that the moped would have caused an obstruction. By all means, fight it if you feel that your case is strong. Good luck.

[woofmarkthedog]

There is a way round it , i had one for a while...here's how

(A Westminster warden told me this & I did it for years)

Choose your spot in a reasonably safe/clear spot

Park

Cover reg plate well with thick plastic bag and elastic bands

Chuck tax disk under seat in the helmut stowage well out of site

Lock & leave till your hearts content

Traffic wardens ( flies ) are not allowed to tamper with any part of the bike/ no tax no details see.

Bike now becomes "an object" much like a wheelie bin.

Bingo.......

W**F

[Marmora Man]

EDmummy Wrote:

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

> I know it must seem arcane to you but if you were

> visually impaired...or dare I say it, trying to

> push a single or even double buggy, it is likely

> that the moped would have caused an obstruction.

> By all means, fight it if you feel that your case

> is strong. Good luck.

Fair point - but the pavement in our road is six feet wide and the bike was up against the wall - no more of an obstruction than the many wheely bins that litter most pavements.

I think he (read Dad) will have to pay up and shut up.

[woofmarkthedog]

You have to own the patch it was parked on to get away with it, like the space in front of a shop or a hard standing

Appeal anyway

Other wise ?60.00 a clip round the ear son

W**F

[Santerme]

If you appeal the ticket the 14 day discount has to be preserved and if you do not get a reply within 56 days then the penalty becomes invalid, even if you have paid a clamp or towed away charge those must in law be refunded to you.

The only defence I think your son could mount is that the bike had broken down, a ticket can be appealed in these circumstances as it is an exemption.

60% of tickets in London are incorrectly issued and should be appealed apparently.

[Narnia]

Can they prove his ownership of the bike at 15.48 given he collected it at 13.00?

[Huguenot]

Just to clarify on the 60% figure...

They were incorrectly charged (not issued) because the included a 1.5% credit card handling fee.

[Santerme]

Got the figure from here...

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/money/consumer_affairs/article1492397.ece

But I guess Mr Segal may have vested interest in promoting the 60% figure.

One of our group company's is a mid sized leasing operation, very few of the reissues to drivers get appealed.

We do appeal all our 'own fleet' tickets, not sure of the success rate.

[PeckhamRose]

Tough luck MarmoraMan.

I had no idea there were such parking regulations in your street. Why? It's not adjacent a major row of shops is it. Will he park it in the living room in future or does that sort of behaviour wait till he finds himself a bike-owning girlfriend and moves in with her?

[jimmy two times]

One querey I have with your advice Woof is wouldn't the Police be able to dispose of any vehicle that is not displaying a tax disc?

[JetSetWilly]

they most certainly can, and there,s also the issue of having but not displaying a tax disc, its either ?120, or ?200 for not doing so.

[Marmora Man]

PeckhamRose Wrote:

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

> Tough luck MarmoraMan.

> I had no idea there were such parking regulations

> in your street. Why? It's not adjacent a major row

> of shops is it. Will he park it in the living room

> in future or does that sort of behaviour wait till

> he finds himself a bike-owning girlfriend and

> moves in with her?

We've negotiated space beside the bins - but it's not pretty.