Traffic Wardens

[Jamie]

Just got a ticket 9.15pm. Since when do traffic Wardens work in East Dulwich at night. Is it because ED is full of people that can afford parking tickets. I bet if I parked illegally in Peckham high street no one would bat an eye lid.

Not just that parking tickets have now gone up to ?120 or ?60. Any lawyers think that there is a case for Southwark genuinely taking the piss

[Nero]

Where were you parked? Nero

[SeanMacGabhann]

What does the parking sign say? If parking is permitted at 9:15 then you got yourself an easy (if mind-bendingly frustrating) case. If it says No Parking I can't see why you even think there is a case?

[Marmora Man]

Always appeal. 7 times out of 10 if you have a half way decent case Southwark will give up as it costs them far more than the ?60 / ?120 to contest the appeal.

On a different note - wardens have been operating in the Therapia / Mundania / Marmora road area, ticketing cars parked alongside the pavement ramps for wheelchairs / prams etc. No signs as yet to make this an illegal parking event but could be the start of traffic warden hell and charges for on street parking in the future.

[SimonM]

>>On a different note - wardens have been operating in the Therapia / Mundania / Marmora road area, ticketing cars parked >>alongside the pavement ramps for wheelchairs / prams etc. No signs as yet to make this an illegal parking event but >>could be the start of traffic warden hell and charges for on street parking in the future.

It has always been "illegal" to park too close to a road junction - and all dropped curbs are postioned in these places precisely because vehicles have no business parking there. The fact that wardens are at last clamping down on this deeply selfish and anti-social behaviour is cause for celebration and not, I think, any sort of straw in the wind presaging the other developments you fear >:D<

[Marmora Man]

SimonM - I agree that parking on dropped curbs and too close to junctions is a real pain - and do object to it happening in my area. However, would prefer not to see traffic wardens patrolling residential streets - centralised bureaucracy always seems to expand and become something worse. Hence my fears.

[Mark]

hang on, dropped curbs are for people with prams, wheelchairs etc who tend to live in residential areas, traffic wardens should operate in those areas where they can enforce that rule There was some discussion about this topic here

What was the parking offence Jamie? Was it a legit ticket?

[Keef]

Bloody hell, Huguenot certainly felt strongly!!! ;-)

Good on him, I hate people parking infront of drop kerbs... To me it's as ignorant and selfish as these people who moan about tactile paving because it messes up their shoes, or is hard to walk on in heels!

[mockney piers]

what happened to his post? I have to say I was a bit miffed with mamora's suggestion that you can do what you like, when rules don't apply to you, and then get off most of the time by chewing up precious resources!

[Keef]

His post was in the thread Mark linked to.

[mockney piers]

OK, could have sworn i saw one here earlier. Must be losing it, probably just having a flashback to the previous thread.

[Jamie]

Legit ticket. I parked in a disabled bay (being that it was 9pm at night and apart from the fact it was the only parking space anywhere). I was ten minutes in Somerfield and rest assured that there were no fake or real disabled people anywhere.

My thoughts are that if it is late at night and you are not causing danger to anyone by parking in a stupid place then what the F+!? is the issue except revenue.

If we can claim unfair bank charges back then surely ?60 for a parking ticket is ajoke. What is it that I am paying for and where is it going to.

Sorry but having a real issue with the fact that when you are up against it with organising things in your life that things like this make it more difficult. I also think that fines are really unhelpful and not useful generally. I made a mistake about parking somewhere, is it helping by fining me? Is it supposed to Condition me? No just a mistake brought on by having a stressed out lifestyle. May well happen again and probably at the worst time

[SimonM]

>>Legit ticket. I parked in a disabled bay (being that it was 9pm at night and apart from the fact it was the only >>parking space anywhere). I was ten minutes in Somerfield and rest assured that there were no fake or real disabled >>people anywhere.

How do you know a driver with a blue badge did not arrive 5 minutes after you parked? And what has it being 9pm at night got to do with anything? As the effective choice is between a fine and a tow-away I think you got off fairly lightly all things considered :))

[James]

Jamie you are a stressed man! I know it's really frustrating but if it's any comfort it happens to us all. The councils are b**tards, it is a total racket but it's not worth getting depressed about. My partner got one the other week, at first we were livid but now we're thinking okay, worst case we lose some money. At least we are both alive and healthy - and that's worth more than ?60.

(Sorry if that sounds patronising, I'm trying to cheer you up):)

[SeanMacGabhann]

" made a mistake about parking somewhere "

But it wasn't a mistake was it - it was a deliberate decision by you thinking you would get away with it. And now you are complaining about it. And you're not helping your case by calling the disabled spot a "stupid place" Why exactly is it stupid?

Is your life really that rammed to absolutely the max that you can't park a few minutes away and wander down to Somerfields?

[Ladygooner]

Sorry James but parking in a Disabled Bay is never acceptable.

[macroban]

A ?60 fine for a parking mistake is a lot of money in relation to a State Pension of ?87.30.

A mistake would mean less food or less heating.

A rich person can treat the fines as discretionary expenditure.

[Ant]

This sort of thing actually makes me quite angry. The time of day has nothing to do with it, and you cannot know that there weren't any disabled people trying to use that space while you were inside the shop. Your were selfish and now you're being punished, simple as that. I have no sympathy for you whatsoever.

[Jeremy]

If you knowingly parked in a disabled bay, you don't get any sympathy from me I'm afraid. If you learn a lesson from it and don't park there again (or people who read this thread take warning), then I'd say that the fine is doing its job.

We all know what it's like to have too much to do and not enough time, but these spaces are there to help out people who have genuinely difficult lives!

[James]

Give him a break! We all make mistakes and you wouldn't think there would be a traffic warden working that late. I don't think Jamie is advocating habitually parking in disabled bays. He made a mistake, and is paying a huge price for it. Some sympathy is in order, surely?

[Ant]

I think it's terrible behaviour; whether you'd expect he could get away with it or not does nothing to change that. If he's going to accept responsibility for his actions then he can pay the fine and leave it at that, but I don't think he deserves any sympathy for it or has any justification in moaning about it.

[jim_the_chin]

Nope, bang to rights there, i'm more than happy for tickets to be handed out for disabled bay parking. I wish they'd do it in Sainsburys.

Sympathy: i ran out of petrol in the city some time ago and got an ?80 parking fine, appealed as I wasn't technically parked and was told I had stoped in an illegal area and could have avoided it. which is true.

I haven't done it since. Presumably jamie won't be thinking of doing it again though - so the fine acts as a deterrent.

[SeanMacGabhann]

I'm sure we will all be decried as PC loons but what is the sympathy for? (Actually I have some sympathy him based on the amount of harsh - but fair - replies generated)

I don't know Jamie at all so don't want to pick on him individually - there are many selfish drivers out there (who never have the time, despite being in a car, to do anything which inconveniences them one iota) but he has raised the issue so we are discussing it

Once again - it wasn't a mistake. And he is advocating habitually parking in disabled bays (or at least doing away with them - why else call them "stupid"?) He hasn't paid a huge price at all - relative to say, the cost of a car. Or a monthly travel card come to think of it. But if he considers it a huge price then, well, we know the rules. Don't park there. No penalty fare.

As evolved human beings do we have to weigh everything up against the chance of "being caught" or do we ever do anything because it's the right thing to do ?

[Keef]

SeanMacGabhann Wrote:

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

And you're not helping your case by calling

> the disabled spot a "stupid place" Why exactly is

> it stupid?

>

> Is your life really that rammed to absolutely the

> max that you can't park a few minutes away and

> wander down to Somerfields?

I don't think Jamie was saying that the disabled place was stupid. He was saying that he parked in a stupid place, but didn't feel that he'd hurt anyone in so doing.

I'm not saying Jamie was right or wrong (he's always seemed a thoroughly nice chap though).

Jamie, I don't think you've done anything particularly evil here mate, but I guess you're going to have to take the fine on the chin.

[Jamie]

There are so many issues with disabled parking that I'm not even going to try and go into it as obviously people feel strongly about this.

With regards to comment about being rich and having disposible income, I don't. I run a business and things are generally very tight at the moment. Won't always be and I'm blessed with a nice home so not complaining.

I'm not advocating parking in disabled bays as a rule although think that particular bay is a bit of a silly place. I am suggesting that in my tiredness last night I couldn't find another parking space so parked somewhere to pick up something quickly from Somerfield as it had been a long day. In doing so I have to pay ?60. Now I'm pretty sure some of the people here are amazingly perfect citizens and are perfectly entitled to chastise my very existence but at the end of the day I still think its a wrong.

First time I have ever parked in a disabled bay and under normal circumstances it would have clocked properly in my head that that was a disabled bay. It didn't really so the threat or detterent did not affect me. Nor will it again in an equally obvious but probably different circumstance.

Ant I think that terrible behaviour is a bit steep and I was venting frustration but thanks for reminding me and didn't want any sympathy just wanted to vent my frustration at my own stupidity mixed with something that I think is too regimented.