AA demands parking fines cap as it accuses councils of using tickets to raise cash

The AA has accused local authorities of treating motorists like “lambs to the slaughter”.

They are demanding new laws to cap the number of parking tickets a council can issue each month, additionally there is concern that motoring fines and parking tickets are being used as a way to raise money rather than encourage good behaviour. For example there have been incidents where people have been given huge fines simply for putting a zero into a machine instead of an ‘O’ when asked to type in their registration when buying a ticket.

The RAC last month revealed councils made a whopping £820million “profit” from parking fees and fines in 2016-2017 – up 10 per cent. The Local Government Association claims the so-called parking charge surplus is spent on “essential transport projects”.

But a report earlier this year claimed Britain’s road network was in such a bad state it’s ranked 27th in the world – below Ecuador and Namibia.

For more information on this story please visit: thesun

2014 Ford Focus Fitted With Parking Sensors

2014 Ford Focus photographed by Watton Towing when in for front & rear parking sensors.

The rear parking sensors are activated when reverse gear is engaged. The front sensors are controlled by a CanBus interface which automatically activates them at speeds below 6mph.

All sensors are fitted in factory designated locations with 2 matt black sensors fitted in the front grille for a factory fit finish.

 

How leaves on the road could save you from a parking ticket

In winter sometimes fallen leaves can obscure yellow lines, resulting in drivers receiving parking fines for stopping on roads where they thought that it was ok to park.

If leaves are obscuring lines on an un-spwept roads it is worth being aware that this is grounds for appealing a parking ticket, but only if certain conditions are met.

This is because it is the responsibility of local councils to keep roads clean with parking restrictions clearly visible. If the lines were covered by leaves and there was no relevant signage close to your vehicle then you have a good chance of having the ticket overturned.

In order to appeal  you need to do the following upon finding the parking fine. 

• look for signs that state the restrictions. (If there’s one right next to your car then your appeal is likely to fail).
• Measure its distance from your car to the nearest signage. (One pace = around a metre) 
• Take a picture of your car in relation to the sign
• Take a photograph of the road showing that the lines are obscured by leaves or flooding.

Most phones will embed Exif data on the image, this information can be used to prove the location and time that the photo was taken. This could be vital in any appeal.

The Source of this information is aph.com, there are also many other helpful tips for winter in their article

Councils make £819m from parking charges

A study done by the RAC has suggested that English councils generated £819m from parking fees and fines in 2016-17, an increase of 10% on the previous year.

This figure represents income from parking charges and penalty notices with running costs deducted.

The Local Government Association said parking charge surpluses were spent on "essential transport projects".

Income collected by the 353 English local authorities was up 6% and costs rose 2% compared with 2015-16, when the surplus was £744m.

RAC Foundation director Steve Gooding said the rise in profits reflects the "record number of cars and volume of traffic".

Martin Tett, the Local Government Association's transport spokesman, said parking charges keep the roads clear, help pedestrians, motorists and cyclists safe and enable people to park near their homes.

They also go towards tackling the UK's £12bn roads repair backlog, he added.

An annual report from the Asphalt Industry Alliance this year found that almost a fifth of roads in England and Wales were in "poor" condition.

Top 10 councils in England with the largest parking operations surplus:

1. Westminster £73.2m
2. Kensington and Chelsea £32.1m
3. Camden £26.8 m
4. Hammersmith and Fulham £23.1m
5. Brighton and Hove £21.2m
6. Wandsworth £20.5m
7. Islington £19.1 m
8. Haringey £14.6m
9. Hackney £14.5m
10. Hounslow £12.0m

Source: the RAC Foundation 

Fore more detailed analysis please visit here

Whoops! Reversing Error!

A driver reverse parked in such a way their Mercedes ended up on top of a Saab that was parked behind them.

The unnamed person  performed the parking blunder in Falmouth, Cornwall, at around 23:20 GMT on Saturday night.

Nobody was injured and the vehicle was removed from the residential street.

More on this story, and other Devon and Cornwall news

Parking Sensors Fitted on Red 2017 Vauxhall Viva

2017 Vauxhall Viva fitted with red rear audible parking sensors by Watton Towing.

Red DPS400 dolphin automotive parking sensors 

Car tax evasion triples after paper tax disc scrapped

Since the paper tax disc was abolished the number of unlicensed vehicles on the road has tripled.

The data, published every two years, shows that the government potentially lost out on £107m from 755,000 unlicensed vehicles last year.

The RAC said the decision to get rid of the paper tax disc three years ago has proved "costly" when it should have saved the Treasury £10m a year.

"It appears that having a visual reminder was an effective way to prompt drivers into renewing their car tax - arguably more drivers are now prepared to try their luck and see if they can get away with not paying any vehicle tax at all, or are simply forgetting to tax their vehicle when they are due to."

When the abolition of the paper tax disc was announced by then-Chancellor, George Osborne, the Treasury said it showed government was moving "into the modern age".

The RAC said a third of untaxed vehicles had changed hands since September 2016, indicating that many drivers were not aware that tax does not carry over when ownership changes.

The seller receives a refund of any full months of remaining tax while the new owner must tax the vehicle immediately.

Parking Sensor Fitting - 2017 Renault Captur

2017 Renault Captur fitted with matt black rear audible parking sensors by Watton Towing

Police warn Hertfordshire motorists about speeding ticket scam

Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire (BCH) Cameras, Tickets and Collisions (CTC) has said a bogus email is being sent to residents claiming they owe money after being caught speeding.

The email is made to look like it has been sent from the police. A CTC spokesman confirmed a legitimate Notice of Intended Prosecution (NIP) would never display the ‘gov.uk’ logo.

She added: “If you receive an email of this nature, do not click on any links within the body of the email text and instead take a screen shot of it before reporting it directly to Action Fraud.”

An NIP sent from Hertfordshire Constabulary and other police forces would be served within 14 days of the alleged offence in the form of a physical letter  via first class post. 

 

Drivers who kill will now face life sentence

Dangerous drivers who cause death while using their mobile phones or speeding will now face life in prison.

Drivers who kill while under the influence of drink or drugs will also face a life sentence. And there will be a new offence of causing serious injury through careless driving, as part of renewed efforts to improve road safety.

The new measures mean such drivers could face the same length of sentence as those convicted of manslaughter, with maximum penalties raised from 14 years to life.

Read the full story in the guardian

 

Thousands of Ticket Machines Not Accepting Old £1 Before Deadline

Motorists across the UK face chaos with thousands of ticket machines still not ready for the deadline of Sunday at 23.59pm after which the old round pounds fail to be legal tender.

MailOnline road tested the old pound to see how it fared in coin-operated machines days before the deadline and discovered that motorists travelling around the capital this weekend may struggle to park.

They tested a parking meter in Kensington, west London yesterday, which ate the coin and gave no ticket.

The British Parking Association says it is 'confident that the majority of parking machines are ready or will be ready to accept the new £1 coin'.

British Parking Association said the cost of replacing or converting 80,000 ticket machines will be up to £50million

It has advised members to ensure there are enough alternatives for motorists to pay for their parking, including card and smartphone options, as well as other cash denominations.

Meanwhile, Jonathan Hart, chief executive of the Automatic Vending Association (AVA), said: 'We believe that all machines owned by AVA members (around 380,000) are now accepting the new £1 coin.'

The AVA, which said it has worked closely with the Royal Mint throughout the planning of the new £1 coin, added that it has no access to information on those machines not owned by its members.
After Sunday, the round £1 coin can still be deposited at most High Street banks, which will have their own deadline – likely to be in about six months.

You can read more about the different tests that mail online conducted with the old round pound here

Britain’s shortest double yellow lines

Ever wondered where Britain’s shortest double yellow lines are? Well wonder no more... they are located in Cambridge - and you will get a ticket if you park on the lines which are just  over 11 inches (28cm) long.

The lines separate a residents’ parking zone with a pay and display area in Hamilton Road, just off Chesterton Road in West Chesterton. They lines may look tiny, but the fine is unfortunately not. Parking here will cost you £50 or £70.

Image source : Cambridge News

For some other interesting Cambridgeshire parking facts click here

5 NEW Colours in the Micro Range

We are proud to announce that we have 5 NEW colours to add to the micro parking sensors range.

• Red
• Pearl White
• Coal Grey
• Iron Grey
• Muddy Grey

This is in addition to the 4 micro colours that we currently have - Gloss Black, Matt Black, Silver and White

Don't worry if your car is a different colour as our matt black sensors are perfect for spray painting!

Although many of our customers fit these parking systems themselves we do realise that not everyone has the time or ability to attempt this themselves.

If you live in England Wales or Scotland we can offer a mobile fixed price installation at your home or place of work for any of the Dolphin systems - Prices for fitting start from just £85 for a fitter to come to you! (please see site for full cost details)

What can you do if someone parks on your drive without permission?

"pretty much nothing" - I know thats not what you wanted to hear!

Picture this situation: You've come home from work, only to find some random person has parked on your drive. What do you do?

.....Call the police?
.....The council must be able to do something, right?

Well, it turns out that you may have little or no legal recourse against this antisocial behaviour.

That's what one unfortunate homeowner in Bristol found out when a cheeky driver parked up on their drive - for FIVE DAYS. They said the police or authorities would not, or could not help, reports the Bristol Post .

Nobody knows whether the motor was left in someone else's driveway deliberately or mistakenly. But it was legal, taxed, insured, and had its MOT.

Avon and Somerset Police refused to comment and the city council said that unless a vehicle is blocking a public highway, officers have no power.

“Bristol City Council will investigate abandoned vehicles parked on public land or highway, but not on private land," said a spokeswoman.

"In order to be classified as abandoned the vehicle also needs to be untaxed for at least one month and left in the same location for a significant amount of time. There’s more information on the reporting process on our website.”

The police explained that the moment a car crosses onto your property, technically, trespassing has taken place. But it's a civil offence and holds no bearing in criminal law.
 

So what can you do?

It's a long and annoying process. You'll need to obtain an eviction notice from the courts. A solicitor would be able to get a civil court's permission to find out the identity of the legal owner, and a judge would then have to order its removal.

Now here's the ridiculous part. All this would probably cost you quite a lot of money. The court would process the order for removal, and that'd leave you with legal fees - perhaps thousands of pounds.

Is there an alternative?

You could simply park in front of the car, subsequently blocking in the vehicle in question. But doing this is only possible if you don't live on a main road with double yellow lines, and if your drive's big enough.

A quick solution is to hire a private tow truck (starting at around £100). But if the car gets damaged, you could be liable to pay for damages.

Certain circumstances

In some circumstances the police will be able to remove a vehicle, for example if the vehicle is in a dangerous condition such as:

• leaking petrol 
• contains dangerous items such as gas bottles

Either way, it's best to seek legal advice and alert the relevant authorities. The Citizens Advice Bureau would be the best place to start. Using a third party to have the car towed is not advised by the police.

“Don't damage or clamp the vehicle or have it removed by a third party for destruction or storage without first seeking legal advice," the police spokesman added.

"If you do any of these things, you may commit a criminal offence or the owner may pursue a civil action against you."

 Source:manchestereveningnews

Pensioner receives parking ticket for leaving her car across her own driveway

Rita Oystenan 82 year old pensioner has been left outraged after being slapped with a fine for parking across hew own driveway, having never had any  issues parking in the same location for over two decades.

After receiving the  penalty notice on March 23 she complained to the council.

Rita, of Bridlington, East Yorks., said:

“In the morning, I backed my car out and parked it across my drive – and I got a penalty outside my own house.

“I have done this for around 20 years and no-one has ever said anything before.

“Can’t I park across my own drive?

“I’m elderly and I don’t like backing out when it’s busy so I do it in the morning.

“It’s terrible parking in Bridlington as it is. We have got a new traffic warden, but I don’t know if it’s her [who gave me the ticket].

“My daughter-in-law has a chalet and when she has come and parked across the drive no-one has ever grumbled.”

However, the East Riding of Yorkshire Council are refusing to waive the ticket.

A spokesperson said: “The resident was issued with a penalty charge notice for parking outside of the bay marking.

“She submitted a challenge to the serving of this parking penalty notice (PCN) but that challenge was rejected by the council.

“She has further opportunities to appeal which have been explained in a letter.”

Rita added: “It says in their letter that I can challenge this by writing again, but I can’t be bothered with that.”

Source Sun
 

Parking Sensors Installed on to Volvo XC70 Estate

This installation was of the Dolphin DPS455 Kit on to a 2005 Volvo XC70 Estate. The Dolphin DPS455 has a display that is mounted at the rear of the car on the roof lining.

This car required 2 silver and 2 matt black sensors which were easily able to be placed in one kit via a phone call request for the same price as a kit of 4 sensors of all one colour so no need to have to sacrifice the look of the rear of the car, keeping the installation as discrete as possible.

 

Dyslexic driver fined after mixing up a zero with the letter O in car-parking app

A dyslexic man has been locked in a battle over a parking fine for £100 after mixing up a zero with an O.

Mr Nick Preedy said he had been parking in the spot in Nottingham for several months and using an app to pay when he was suddenly hit with a fine, despite having forked out the £8.20 for 12 hours of parking.

Nick said he had tried to appeal the fine he was slapped with last year by Excel Parking – but was surprised to be hit with a summons to the Small Claims Court over the matter.

He told The Sun Online: “I’d been using this app for well over a year with the same registration registered when I got a ticket.

“I said, I’m not paying, I’ve got proof, and carried on pestering them, and emailed them the proof of the parking ticket.”

The car had been registered under the parking app with an O, rather than a zero.
Nick added: “I didn’t hear anything back then the other day I received a letter saying I’ve got to go to court over it.”

The saga has been going on since January last year.

He said: “It’s been bad enough getting letters at the beginning, with them saying ‘we want the money’.

“It’s like being threatened and bullied.”

Speaking to the Sun Online, he said: “For me, it wasn’t as if I didn’t pay, I hadn’t of been thinking that I couldn’t afford it and that I would try to sneak in real quick, which people do.

“My partner said I should just pay it but I’ve already paid for the parking, I’m not paying for the ticket.

“I’ve tried talking to them, all they want is the money.”

A spokesman for Excel parking said Mr Preedy had to opportunity to appeal to the fine twice before the matter was handed to debt recovery.

They said: “Furthermore, he could have also contacted the Debt Recovery Agent who we engaged to handle matters prior to it being referred to our current ‘Agent. It was at this point, Mr Preedy made contact although no reference was made to his dyslexia.

“Inevitably, we have incurred additional costs in getting to where we are now and the matter could have been addressed much sooner had Mr Preedy contacted us early last year.

“However, as a gesture of goodwill, we will contact Mr Preedy with details of a settlement figure we are prepared to accept without the matter proceeding to court.”

But Mr Preedy said he was now willing to go to court over the matter, despite the offer on the table to have a one hour mediation to discuss a settlement cost.

He said: “It’s the principle of the thing.

“I’m not sitting there for an hour listening to them argue about money. If the court says I have to pay it, I will.”

A spokesman for Excel parking added: “We would always advise motorists to contact the parking operator as soon as possible if they consider they have genuine grounds to challenge a PCN, or have special mitigating circumstances they wish to be considered.

“Often motorists are misguided on bad advice given on some websites and take no action at all in the hope that the matter goes away.”

Source: The Sun

Crackdown on illegal parking as council take control

For years drivers in North Somerset have parked illegally without the fear of finding a parking ticket. However the council has now taken over enforcement of double yellow lines and disabled bays from the police.

 

The council is hoping a clampdown on the streets of the streets of Weston-super-Mare, Clevedon and Portishead will free up spaces for people who genuinely need them.

One wheelchair user said, "sometimes when you go into places like supermarkets, and people have parked in there, if you do go and tackle them, they can be quite abusive."

The wardens here have spent the last two weeks handing out over a thousand (blue) warning notices to people that have been parked illegally.

If the equivalent number of £70 fines were to have been given out, it could have netted up to £70,000 for the council.

 

Allan Taylor, Parking Services Manager for North Somerset Council, said "Invariably, we will be giving out more fines but I think very quickly the public will change their behaviour."

"Very shortly we will have places available for loading bays, for lorry drivers, for people to unload, disabled bays for disabled people and no parking where it could be dangerous or hold up traffic."

In the first few hours of the new enforcement rules, the team has issued 50 £70 fines. The council says it's a small price to pay for keeping these roads clear.

 

Court orders woman to pay £24,500 to private parking company

Story Source BBC Tayside and central Scotland

A woman has been ordered to pay a private parking company £24,500 in unpaid charges.

Carly Mackie ignored hundreds of parking tickets claiming that they were unenforceable. The tickets were for leaving her car at Dundee's Waterfront without a permit.

Ms Mackie said that she had a right to park in the area as she was living at a flat with her stepfather, who was a tenant and had a garage at the property.

Sheriff George Way said the charges were from a "valid contract" and she was liable for them.

Vehicle Control Services (VCS) took the 28-year-old to court last year after she failed to pay £18,500 in private parking notices.
 
Sheriff Way said Ms Mackie had parked outside the garage and would not accept the offer of a parking permit for a space nearby for £40 per month.

What does the law say?

Parking tickets issued by private companies in private car parks are not fines, they can be classed as parking charge notices. These are different from Penalty Charge Notices which are issued by council traffic wardens and the police. These are regulated fines, backed by legislation.

Private landowners and car parking firms do not have the power to issue Penalty Charge Notices
However, by parking in a restricted private area, a motorist can be considered to be agreeing to a contract with the landowner or car park operator, provided there is adequate signage warning of the charge.Failing to pay can be seen as a breach of contract and the car parking firm can take the motorist to court to recover their losses.


The sheriff said Ms Mackie had "entirely misdirected herself" on both the law and "the contractual chain" in the case.

He said: "The defender is bound by that contract and incurred the parking charge on each occasion.
"The defender refused to pay the parking charges not because she was unaware of the parking scheme or the terms of the notices or the financial consequences of parking at any time, but because she did not believe that the charges were valid in law.

"The parking charges flow from a valid contract between the pursuers and the defender and she is liable for them."

UK drivers could soon be fined £70 for parking on pavements

DRIVERS who mount kerbs and park on pavements could soon be hit with a £70 fine.

London has had a ban on parking on pavements since 1974, the practise is still completely legal in the rest of country.

But the Local Government Association hopes to change this by asking the Government to give councils powers to enforce a ban that could see drivers prevented from parking on any part of the pavement, including kerbs.

Streets are becoming dangerously congested and pedestrians are being forced to step out into the street to get round parked vehicles. This is particularly dangerous for blind or partially sighted people and mums and dads with prams.

 

How does the pavement parking ban in London work?

Parking on pavements has been banned in London since the 1974 Greater London Council (General Powers) Act.

The act forbids motorists to park on urban roads in the capital with their car’s wheels resting on footways, grass verges or land between carriageways. There are exceptions to this rule in some areas.

These are clearly marked with special blue parking signs, showing a car with one wheel on the kerb.
Other times, parking bays drawn out with white lines extending onto footways to show that parking there is permitted.

In areas where it is not allowed, the law provides protection for certain circumstances, such as drivers who are unloading goods, putting out a fire or saving someone’s life. Those who break the rules can be subject to a fine.

The Law Says:

 Pavements are for people to walk on. Vehicles parked on the footway can cause an obstruction and inhibit the independence of many vulnerable people, especially older or disabled people with visual or mobility impairments. And when pedestrians, for example families with pushchairs, are forced into the road and into oncoming traffic, pavement parking is simply dangerous. Pavements are not designed to carry the weight of vehicles, and the added maintenance cost of repairing cracked and damaged paving adds an unnecessary financial burden to already cash-strapped councils.

'Do it yourself' ticketing phone app pays £10 bounty to users who take pictures of car parked wrongly

A parking firm is offering people a tenner to shop drivers using a phone app.
The firm which operates car parks for McDonalds, Halfords, Tesco and the NHS is handing out a £10 commission to increase parking “fines” dished out to hard-pressed drivers.

All users have to do is take and upload a picture of the parked car to UK Car Park Management, along with its registration number.

Until now firms such as this have relied on employing their own private traffic wardens or installing Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras.

It is the latest move by the money-spinning private parking industry which has been criticised for making huge sums from motorists over minor driving misdemeanours.
Defiant CPM boss James Randall, 32, said: “The problem is not with the app but with drivers that do not respect people’s land.
“The photo uploaded to the app is just the evidence and every one is looked at by a member of staff before a ticket is printed.”

Users of the app are given “complete confidentiality” when using the app to report drivers and claim £10 for every paid ticket.

Offending drivers are sent a letter demanding £60, which rises to £100 after 14 days without payment.

The “quick and discreet” service lets any land or business owner register online and allows them or their staff to start dishing out their own parking charges.

The RAC has blasted the scheme as a “recipe for disaster” and could lead to fights between drivers and app users photographing their vehicles.

RAC spokesman Simon Williams said: “This is wrong on so many levels it beggars belief.
“The sharp practices of parking companies are already regularly called into question with paid officials dishing out fines, but with members of the public being financially encouraged to shop motorists who overstay, it’s a recipe for disaster.

“This will cause total chaos by undermining trust still further and may even lead to public order offences between drivers and members of the public looking to earn a quick £10.”
Edmund King, president of the AA, said: “We hoped that outlawing cowboy clampers would have got rid of these sharp practices but it seems that some of the modern day highwaymen are alive and well.

CPM was founded in September 2010 by managing director James Randall, aged 32, and sales director Lukhbir ‘Lucky’ Gohler, aged 31.

(Photo: Dave Hill / Daily Mirror)

RAC spokesman Simon Williams added: “This can only be seen as a cost-cutting move from a private parking company trying to reduce its employee overheads by incentivising the public to do the job instead.

“Surely this private parking company’s fees and fines are high enough to merit proper employees.”
Official-looking parking ‘charges’ on private land of usually around £100 are not legal fines but a bill for breach of contract.

CPM offers its “free” services to residential and commercial landowners by pocketing cash levied to motorists.

Prime Minister Theresa May has been blamed for the law change which unleashed the multi- million pound industry while serving as Home Secretary. Her Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 enabled private parking firms to launch civil cases against a registered keeper via the County Courts in England - even if they could not prove who was driving a vehicle.

The law spawned soaring numbers of private parking firms requesting information from the DVLA so they can chase motorists for fines.

Before then such tickets could be ignored.

Around four million records of vehicle details were handed to parking companies between 2016 and 2017 by the DVLA which pockets £10 million a year in return for them.

 For more in depth information please go to Source: mirror.co.uk

Chatbot lawyer overturns 160,000 parking tickets in London and New York

Free service DoNotPay helped appeal over $4m in parking fines in just 21 months,  19-year-old Joshua Browder built the bot after receiving “countless” parking tickets himself.

An artificial-intelligence lawyer chatbot has successfully contested 160,000 parking tickets across London and New York for free, showing that chatbots can actually be useful.

Dubbed as “the world’s first robot lawyer” by its creator, Joshua Browder a London-born second-year Stanford University student , DoNotPay helps users contest parking tickets in an easy to use chat-like interface.

The program first works out whether an appeal is possible through a series of simple questions, such as were there clearly visible parking signs, and then guides users through the appeals process.

The results speak for themselves. In the 21 months since the free service was launched in London and New York, Browder says DoNotPay has taken on 250,000 cases and won 160,000, giving it a success rate of 64%

“I think the people getting parking tickets are the most vulnerable in society. These people aren’t looking to break the law. I think they’re being exploited as a revenue source by the local government,” Browder told Venture Beat.

Browder intends to expand DoNotPay to Seattle next. He also intends to create a service to help people with flight delay compensation, as well as helping the HIV positive understand their rights and acting as a guide for refugees navigating foreign legal systems.