Car park top of Rye Lane

[Louisa]

I arrived in a relatively empty car park this morning at 9.15am and parked up as I usually do this time of the month, so that I can walk down to the Council Offices on Bournemouth RD and pay my monthly instalment of Council Tax (I dont trust there DD system it's messed me around loads in the past). I put my ?1 in the machine as I had no smaller change and the parking warden said good morning to me (shock horror), go and pay my monthly bill as usual the queueing and rudeness i've come to expect from that place (nothing changes), arrive back to my car to find a ticket under the left side windscreen wiper (shock horror). I checked to make sure I had parked in the correct space, which I had and made sure the ticket was in full view on the dashboard, which it was. I turned and walked over to the parking warden I had got a good morning from 15 minutes previously and asked why I had been given a ticket and he told me I had not displayed a valid ticket. I showed him the ticket and he then said I had not displayed it correctly, so getting slightly angry by now I walked him to the front of the car and showed the dimwit the spot where I had displayed my ticket and he laughed and said it was not in the correct place and suggested that in future I should display my ticket correctly. He said it was out of his hands and that I should contact the parking department or whatever it is called. So I find myself with a ticket and now have to do something unneccesary just because this guy failed to do his job correctly. I am angry, upset and appauled yet again by Southwark council and the damn right innappropriate behaviour of certain employees. This guy was either half asleep and tried passing the buck or was bored because he had not handed out a ticket in a while.

Louisa.

[Ted Max]

How annoying. Did you have a camera or camera-phone handy, to support your appeal?

[Marmora Man]

Appeal - 75% - 80% of appeals are allowed. It's a complete pain to go thru' the process but it can be satisfying when you win as beating mindless bueauracracy with elegant and witty argument has its own reward. Don't be fazed if the first written appeal isn't allowed - ask to make your next appeal in person - it's a 100-1 bet that Southwark will back down as they can't be bothered to spend > ?250 to win ?60.

[SteveT]

How are you supposed to display it Louisa?

Did he bother to explain?

I do the same as you, and drop it on top of the dash.

This is infuriating nonsense(6)

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

I was done for this in Peckham once. The ticket was supposed to be on the right hand window. I appealed and lost.

[Sue]

What absolute nonsense.

Write to your MP and local councillor, I would - maybe they can get such a stupid system changed.

[Louisa]

I rushed out without my phone this morning so no photographs, but I still have the ticket and I know for a fact I displayed it correctly it was in full view of anyone who cared to walk to the front of the car and look at the dashboard which he obviously had not done for whatever reason. I wouldnt mind but he had actually seen me at the machine buying a bloody ticket and said good morning! I have written off a letter to the address given on the penalty notice and explained the situation and I am hoping that I will win the appeal (eventually) but what angers me most is that someone could be so incompetent and that it goes on to take up time in my day when it need not have. I know I bang on about Southwark a lot, but I rarely have such problems in other London boroughs or councils elsewhere in the country and I have come to the conclusion that they hire anyone to do the job and that they dont even train these wardens.

Louisa.

[PeckhamRose]

You were back after just fifteen minutes?

Wow. I queue for half an hour in that place sometimes.

I concur with your experience of that place and also agree the reason: Southwark Council DDebit screwed up my account too so I pay Council Tax and Service Charges by cash!

It's a nice walk down there, though...

[Jennys]

Maybe you'll be on their cctv system and will be seen buying and placing your ticket and also speaking to the person who gave you the ticket...?

[kford]

He should've taken a photo of the ticket displayed 'incorrectly'; if you're convinced it was in the right place, challenge, saying you're prepared to take the case to the Parking Ajudicator. His photo will damn him. They'll possibly reject the first appeal, hoping you won't take it further, risking full payment, but take it further - they won't risk a day at the ajudication court if it's a grey area.

[seanmlow]

This is unreal.

Where else where you meant to put the ticket? Go to the newsagent, blow it up, and cover the entire windscreen?

[tommy]

What has the poor newsagent done to deserve that ? ;-)

Terrible waste of time - and really annoying situation though Louisa

[AllforNun]

Make sure you photocopy the ticket before you send it.

"oh it never arrived, do you have a copy !"

[seanmlow]

AllforNun -

I agree - my mum had exactly the same problem!

[Eileen]

Hi Louisa

I drew the attention of The Lane ward Councillor Susan Jones to your post, as this car park is in her ward. She has offered to help. I suggest you email her at [email protected] or phone 020 7401 7950 This is what she said:

"I have not come across anything quite like this, but if accurate, it's appalling and the person who posted the story needs to go to the press. If we know who this person is, I would be more than happy to follow it up as a case."

[Louisa]

Thankyou Eileen, I shall contact the above person asap, so far I have phoned up a number and had reasonable people to speak to and they have told me that it is highly unlikely under such circumstances that I would be made to pay the fine as long as I show them the ticket I bought, so thats excellent news but I shall contact the said councillor anyhow.

Louisa.

[DeptfordDiva]

Is there a sign up in the car park that tells you where you have to place the ticket? If not, his argument about it being in the wrong place goes out of the windscreen !!

[Fuschia]

When I lived in Waltham Forest it was a CPZ. I had a resident's permit which came with a sticky back holder. One time, in very hot weather, the sticky bit failed and it fell off my windscreen.

I got a ticket, and lost my appeal, as I was deemed to have failed to display the permit. The fact I HAD a permit (and had had one for 5 years) was not a defence, nor was my claim that it was their sticky back holder that had caused the problem.

If you need to display in a certain way, the council can have you for faiing to do so!

[macroban]

I've read, but can't locate the reference, that a further tightening up starts on 2008-10-01, and that some existing parking crimes will be dealt with by the statutory penalty scheme, among which will be:

double parking

parking more than 50cm from the kerb

parking in front of a dropped kerb (even if it is "your own")

Does anyone have full details?

[kford]

"I have not come across anything quite like this, but if accurate, it's appalling and the person who posted the story needs to go to the press. If we know who this person is, I would be more than happy to follow it up as a case."

Ask any London motorist and they will tell you similar story, experienced by them or by someone they know.

I had the same experience as Fuschia in SW4; a CPZ permit holder (issued by Lambeth) fell off in the sun and I got clamped and towed for not displaying correctly. Cost me ?240 to get the car back. Great.

Plus, in Camden, Mrs Kford asked a parking attendant if it was OK to load in one particular spot and was told it was fine, only to return to the car two minutes later for another armful of clothes, to find a ticket. Apparently, you have to leave your bootlid up to signify 'loading'. We got off after a lengthy appeal.

NB: Expect more of this if we allow a CPZ in this area.

[glau]

Just got back from Peckham Rye Lane Car Park + a parking ticket. The lifts were not working and by the time we realized after waiting around and walked up the stairs with kids in tow, dodging used syringes and excrements, we were 5 minutes late. The parking warden was busy writing up the ticket and although we explained the situation to him and appealed to his common sense and decency (what fools we are), he said "it was now out of his hands" - must be the same friendly guy Louisa encountered this morning. Of course we are going to contest it but a horrible hassle all the same.

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Re directions to post ticket in side window, from memory, the directions are on the ticket, not in the car park.

[ratty]

glau Wrote:

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

> Just got back from Peckham Rye Lane Car Park + a

> parking ticket. The lifts were not working and by

> the time we realized after waiting around and

> walked up the stairs with kids in tow, dodging

> used syringes and excrements, we were 5 minutes

> late. The parking warden was busy writing up the

> ticket and although we explained the situation to

> him and appealed to his common sense and decency

> (what fools we are), he said "it was now out of

> his hands" - must be the same friendly guy Louisa

> encountered this morning. Of course we are going

> to contest it but a horrible hassle all the same.

I would quite simply have covered him in petrol and flicked a match!

[kford]

Glau, you should've driven off. The ticket has to be issued to the vehicle, otherwise you will get off under 'the offence did not occur' excuse. This doesn't apply to the Stasi-like issuing of tickets by CCTV.

[DeptfordDiva]

This all reminds me of a trapping job i did in east london, we were in a garden trapping really sick cats and kittens and we got clamped. We didnt realise until they were just about to tow us away - it was poised above the van ready to clamp on. We appealed to their better nature, stating that we had sick cats and kittens on board, but to no avail. I made a colleague get in the van so that they wouldnt clamp down and tow us away. My boss got on the phone to the company, but they refused to release the clamps till we paid the fine! She reluctantly did so, but because she had a go at them, we had to wait till gone 9pm (she rang them around 6-7pm) until they came and released the clamps. I tried taking photos of the clamper guys on my phone - and the cowards all hid their faces. Scum of the earth.