My parking ticket (1 Viewer)

RogeTeri

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On our visit to UK we called in to Bexhill and parked at De La Ware pavilion car park while visiting a friend. The car park was virtually empty and having seen no signs excluding motorhomes I parked and paid for two hours parking. On my return I found a parking ticket on the windscreen. £80 fine, (£60 if paid in 14 days ).
Clearly my own fault as the van covered two bays. Fair enough, but thought it a little mean considering that the car park was still almost empty!
My immediate reaction was sod it I'm off to Portugal but when I calmed down a little I realised that sooner or later this would bite me on the bum with a fine of up to £1000!
So I phoned the council and was put through to the car parks department. A nice chap told me that I must write and appeal if I was unhappy. I explained that this was a concern as my mail takes an age to catch up with me. He suggested that I email. I did so and explained that although I had been correctly ticketed as I had covered two parking spaces I felt it was a little harsh considering the time of year and how empty the car park was.
The following day I had reply saying that indeed I was in the wrong but in my case they would let me off!
Lucky escape or the application of common sense? I know that it was in the wrong but it does highlight the fact that with a motorhome parking can be a challenge. When touring it can be sometimes impossible to find parking within a reasonable distance of towns and places of interest!
 

WynandJean

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I think you were lucky (but also wise in taking the action you did). Unfortunately I feel that, in this country, parking restrictions are all too often a means of extracting revenue rather than for any other reason and common sense or even common decency don't seem to apply. :Angry:

Wyn
 

ukbill

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starting on saturday 10/3/2012
on my return from benidorm in feb i was caught in a bus lane i don't know if anyone knows this bus lane but its as long as a bus only and is of course is in bandit country (sarf london)
the said lane is in kidbrooke now i realize it was possible my fault but on turning into the road i then realized there is a width restriction so only possible route was the bus lane also it was bloody 2am anyway on appeal they saw sense and cancelled the ticket and allowed me to keep the lovely pic on the rear of me van :thumb:

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I know exactly the place you are talking about, my mate who is a recovery drive had to pick up a broken down Mercedes just through the width restrictions ,
As it's a recovery truck he had no choice but to use the bus lane,
He put the car on the flatbed no problem but decided to turn around to head for the garage, big mistake! They sent him two fines and after an appeal reduce it to one, but he still had to pay,
 

GJH

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I think you were lucky (but also wise in taking the action you did). Unfortunately I feel that, in this country, parking restrictions are all too often a means of extracting revenue rather than for any other reason and common sense or even common decency don't seem to apply. :Angry:

Wyn

Sorry to disagree Wyn but I think this case (and other similar ones I've known of over the years) tends to prove that parking restrictions are not there to raise revenue. Bexhill Council has obviously shown reason, common sense and common decency.

Parking restrictions are there, in the main, to support traffic flow and safety. There are plenty of councils in the UK which have restrictions which are not followed to the letter but can be if problems arise. What would our towns would be like if parking were a free for all?
 

schojac

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Really pleased common sense prevailed in the end - another reason why I have a toad :winky:

Sorry, couldn't resist
 
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In our region there is no "free for all" yet we do not pay for parking and have recently done away with parking wardens. The council are talking about charging for parking as a purely revenue raising exercise for the next budget.

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Bill
 

lorger

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All council car parks in Dumfries and Galloway are free, some have time restrictions and you have to display arrival time on a disc.

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GJH

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In our region there is no "free for all" yet we do not pay for parking and have recently done away with parking wardens. The council are talking about charging for parking as a [HI]purely revenue raising[/HI] exercise for the next budget.

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Bill

They have to raise revenue from somewhere to pay for car park maintenance. If it isn't raised direct from those of us who use the car parks it has to come from the council tax, meaning those that don't use the car parks also pay.

It's an age old argument as to whether any particular thing should be "free" but it's unlikely to go away.
 

ukbill

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starting on saturday 10/3/2012
how much maintenance does it take its a piece of concrete with some bloody lines on it
how anyone can say a council aint after robbing us is barking mad imoh of course :Smile:
 
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Years ago our council did charge for car parks but after costs they were left with only a paltry sum so they abandoned charges. If they do charge people will just park on the street, then we will get more restrictions and visitors won't come anymore.

When I was working and people asked me where they could park there car whilst they went on the ferry I loved to see their faces when I could tell them it was free, anywhere. Still hurts when we are away and we have to pay for parking.

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Bill

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Ber090

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Sorry to disagree Wyn but I think this case (and other similar ones I've known of over the years) tends to prove that parking restrictions are not there to raise revenue. Bexhill Council has obviously shown reason, common sense and common decency.

Parking restrictions are there, in the main, to support traffic flow and safety. There are plenty of councils in the UK which have restrictions which are not followed to the letter but can be if problems arise. What would our towns would be like if parking were a free for all?
GJH, Our towns would be full of shoppers keeping local business going and not all at out of town centres whilst our Town Centres die!
Bernie:Sad:
 

ukbill

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Why not ask them under FoI? :Smile:

explain if its a reference to the fact i got me letter around the wrong way then still explain imho it should have been instead of imoh dont forget im a cockney and put h's where they shouldn't be and remove em where they should be

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GJH

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GJH, Our towns would be full of shoppers keeping local business going and not all at out of town centres whilst our Town Centres die!
Bernie:Sad:
What local business? If it's anything like Middlesbrough the town centre died because they moved all the residents out to new housing estates in order to expand the university and build offices at a time which coincided with the growth of personal transport.

The surface car parks we have in Middlesbrough are where houses once stood - houses with residents who shopped at local businesses. Residents move, local businesses have no customers, local businesses close. The car parks were originally free but they got into such a state that charges had to be introduced to improve them to stop vehicle damage.

Middlesbrough Council introduced free parking for the first two hours in a number of car parks last year. It has doubled the amount of short stay parking in some car parks but only because people now use them in preference to the places they used previously. A recent report says "It is difficult to come to definite conclusions as to the impact of the parking offers." - i.e. our money wasting elected mayor can spin it anyway he likes to make it look like he isn't wasting even more.
 

GJH

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explain if its a reference to the fact i got me letter around the wrong way then still explain imho it should have been instead of imoh dont forget im a cockney and put h's where they shouldn't be and remove em where they should be

?? I was referring to "how much maintenance does it take its a piece of concrete with some bloody lines on it" not the second line :Smile:
 

Ber090

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GJH, I take your point and would not care to comment on your area. The fact remains that in my area we have Bedale, Ripon,Thirsk and Northallerton showing significant drops in visitors and shoppers in the Town Centres. Small shops continue to go and the only growth area is Charity shops and Building Societies and strangely Coffee Shops( mostly empty!)
Consider yourself lucky you do not have N Yorks County Council who came second for the worst Potholes in Britain. They announced an increase in the road repair budget but omitted to say the increase is being spent on the Tour De France route.
I have a simple view that the Councils role must include attracting business to the area and charges for parking do not help. It is no surprise that all our local towns parking charges are due to increase because the revenue from parking has fallen. :ROFLMAO:
Sometimes I really think they must join the real world!
Cheers
Bernie

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GJH

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Bedale, Ripon,Thirsk and Northallerton aren't far from us Bernie - the latter two less than half an hour by road.

Is it parking charges that have hit the town centres though or is it the fact that they have become dormitory towns? How many of the residents work in those towns rather than the likes of Tees-side, York and Leeds? Because they drive there for work don't they tend to shop there as well?
 

Ber090

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GJH, Yes you are correct, many now have to commute including the ones that used to work in local shops. However this area has one of the highest levels of old folk ( including me) and many of them tell me they begrudge paying for parking as it only encourages the bu**ers in County Hall.
I am frankly fed up of N Yorks continually listing the areas they have to cut back on. Sadly the only things they have not cut are the number of councillors and the amount claimed by them for allowances and expenses..:cry:
Cheers
Bernie
 

GJH

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GJH, Yes you are correct, many now have to commute including the ones that used to work in local shops. However this area has one of the highest levels of old folk ( including me) and many of them tell me they begrudge paying for parking as it only encourages the bu**ers in County Hall.
Have to vote in somebody different then ::bigsmile:

I am frankly fed up of N Yorks continually listing the areas they have to cut back on. Sadly the only things they have not cut are the number of councillors and the amount claimed by them for allowances and expenses..:cry:
Cheers
Bernie
I think we could all tell similar tales. Our elected [STRIKE]mayor[/STRIKE] idiot and his cronies have wasted millions on mima, half baked redevelopment schemes that end up getting nowhere and, now, a new "sports village" which will end up being a freebie or heavily subsidised for clubs that would never dream of paying their own way fully.

It always strikes me, though, that the one budget never raised when discussing cuts is councillors' allowances. Isn't that strange seeing as we have a predominantly Labour council that prides itself in looking after the ordinary people of the town? :Doh::Eeek:

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Ber090

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Graham, It is the same for every party. N Yorks Conservative majority. Councillors are mostly farmers or farmers wives. It is always quicker to get planning permission for a 1000 pig unit than an extension on a semi! I once sat watching a planning meeting that spent 25 mins discussing if a tree could be removed and 5 mins passing a massive pig unit extension.
You could not make it up!:Smile:
Cheers
Bernie
 

fatbuddha

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I live fairly close to Bexhill so know the De Le Warr Pavilion well and the area generally.

I think the OP was fairly handled especially as the DLWP has the only decent large car park close to the town centre (what centre it has) - it may have been quiet at the time the OP was there but it can get rammed! there is plenty of free on-road parking around the DLWP but like many of these areas, finding a space for a m/h is never easy and often has a 2hr parking limit.

so - for advice - if taking a m/h to Bexhill park towards Galley Hill (east of the DLWP and beyond the centre) as the road is very wide and there are usually spaces. just don't be tempted to overnight near Galley Hill now as they brought a by-law in last year to prevent that - it used to be a popular free overnight spot.

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