Parking Bay / Faded Yellow Lines Question

[dannyboy]

I go and visit my little nephew in hospital in Birmingham most days as he went in just before Christmas and going to be in for a while. In the streets around the hospital it's £2.00 for 30 minutes and in the NCP car parks it's a good £20+ for a few hours. I stay at the hospital quite a few hours so it's been costing a fair bit.

Anyway I was about to park on the street next to the hospital in the parking bay. A traffic warden was walking past and I asked her if there was anywhere cheaper. She told me if I reversed my car down the street the bay ends and I could park there all day for free. One parking bay does end there, then a bit further another starts and in-between there are really faded yellow lines. I'm not sure if they're single or double, i'm guessing double but I couldn't make them out.

I parked there Saturday and I never got a ticket or anything. I'm wondering how I stand with parking there? I'm sure when other traffic wardens see a car there they'll leave a ticket though, but according to the traffic warden I spoke to, because the lines are so faded they can't book anyone.

[blaggard]

I got away with one by taking pictures and disputing it.

[Mystical_2K]

as above take pictures so if they do give you any grief you can argue the toss with them at least, its shocking how much these costs are, was visiting my nan for a few months last year and the costs are ridiculous, we ended up parking further away and walking for 10 minutes to try and save a few quid

[Tim.Lad]

If you get a ticket take picture and contest it, i have had 5 parking ticket in my time only ever paid for one..

[Fon]

http://www.pepipoo.com/

Fon

[BigBird]

If you get a ticket take picture and contest it, i have had 5 parking ticket in my time only ever paid for one..

Take the picture when parking. Easy these days as most of us have a camera on our phones. Don't wait till you get a ticket just in case they happen to paint the lines back in while you are parked there. Stranger coincidences have happened.

If the lines have faded as bad as you say then you should be safe to park there. Parking restriction markings have to be reasonably maintained to be valid. (">

[Northernbloke]

Can the hospital not sort out discounted parking??? - I'm a service engineer in the medical industry and am in and out of hospital car parks all over the country daily - most if not all hospitals provide discounted parking for people having long stays or who will be visiting regularly etc. Often you get a pass from the ward the patient is in or just check at the car park office to get discounted weekly tickets etc. Quite a few hospital car parks now have signs up stating that patients/visitors should not be paying any more than a certain amount per week for parking (i.e max of £24 a week in the Newcastle hospitals from memory) - worth having a look next time you're there

[dannyboy]

Thanks guys, i'll take a picture when I go in a bit. It was dark when I parked Saturday so i'll have a good look today.

@Northerbloke. My sister and bro in law have got discounted parking for £5.00 a day in the NCP car park nearby, but I think they're only allowed it for them and not other visitors. I'll check that though.

[DejaVu]

If the yellow lines are not maintained, the fine cannot be enforced.

No Parking areas must be "clearly marked" without room for discrepancy.
They must also be T-Bar'd at the ends too to show where the No-Parking zone ends - and jumps to either allowed parking or a Clearway.

Take a photo of where you park to cover your bases. They cannot do anything about, unless they repaint and they know it, but they will always try and get you stung with a fine. It's free money to them.

[Over Carl]

+1 to DejaVu - if it was a private car park things would probably be different but on a public road the only valid road signs are those as defined by the relevant act (forgotten it's name). If you look at the drawings that define each marking, you will see they are all complete. Therefore any break in a marking means it is not the marking prescibed by the act and therefore unenforceable.

[dannyboy]

I parked in the parking bay tonight as I didn't stay too long but I had a quick look. All I could see in a space for 2 or 3 cars were a couple of single yellow lines, not even a foot in length. The rest was faded away so much you couldn't see them at all. There were no T-bars to start and end them. just a tiny bit showing a quarter of the way down and then a bit further. You can clearly see where the parking bays start and end though.

[DejaVu]

Also, as a side note - a mate of mine recently started working for NCP as a Car Park Inspector at all Sainsburys car parks in the South East - he checks on the parking attendants to make sure they are doing their job properly and not just sitting on their arse all day.

He told me, if a private company like NCP gives you a ticket, accept it, laugh, drive away and just never pay it.

Not sure if this is the case in London with astronomical parking charges. They'll walk round with clampers I imagine, but they are not enforceable and are not technically a PCN, they call them an NTO or "Notice To Owner". They will try to get you to pay by sending 3 threatening letters, to the Owner of the vehicle, not necessarily the person parking the car. After which they will give up. They have no legal right to issue you a real PCN and it's nothing more than a speculative invoice for 'using their services' without permission/payment.

My friend has even told people this as he's writing out a ticket, saying I've issued it, what you do with it is up to you...

Similar experience documented here - http://singletrackworld.com/forum/to...e-ncp-car-park

However, if it IS a council/police/official PCN pay it immediately as they have the power to remove your car from your premises without your permission if you haven't paid. This is why most people who get fined, will always pay up.

[darkstar]

I just had a £90 fine from nccp ..private companies just get filed under Bin as there not enforceable under law

[dainese]

So private companies can't send you to a small claims court or send debt collectors round? I had parked in a home base car park and forgot that it allows 60 mins only. Got back to find a ticket. If I paid within 72 hours it went down from £80 to £50. The mrs's also got one of these notices in a car park that has cameras clocking you number plate in and out. Same process of payment. £100 down. When paying the fines it seems like an amateur set-up.

Can I ignore these in future without fear big Leroy knocking on my back door?

[BigBird]

So private companies can't send you to a small claims court or send debt collectors round? I had parked in a home base car park and forgot that it allows 60 mins only. Got back to find a ticket. If I paid within 72 hours it went down from £80 to £50. The mrs's also got one of these notices in a car park that has cameras clocking you number plate in and out. Same process of payment. £100 down. When paying the fines it seems like an amateur set-up.

Can I ignore these in future without fear big Leroy knocking on my back door?

You certainly don't want Leroy knocking on your back door and entering through your back passage. (">

[hoponbaby]

So private companies can't send you to a small claims court or send debt collectors round? I had parked in a home base car park and forgot that it allows 60 mins only. Got back to find a ticket. If I paid within 72 hours it went down from £80 to £50. The mrs's also got one of these notices in a car park that has cameras clocking you number plate in and out. Same process of payment. £100 down. When paying the fines it seems like an amateur set-up.

Can I ignore these in future without fear big Leroy knocking on my back door?

They *can* send you to court but wont. It's a speculative invoice for which they would have to prove their loss by you breaching the contract, if it's free to park for 60 minutes and you overstay by 10 minutes what have they lost? Sweet FA. There is a section all about the tactics of various operators over on Pepipoo.

The one time you might have a problem is if the car isn't registered to you - if it's leased for example will the lease company start charging admin fees each time they process one of the chasing letters.

[Fon]

When you park in a private car park, the sign on the entrance telling you about fines etc is a contract between the driver and the company.

If you park you agree to the fines.

Notice that its the driver and not the owner!

If, as the owner you receive an invoice, you simply tell them that you were not the driver at the time, and they should fine that driver and invoice him instead.

The police and council is a different matter as, section 176 states that you MUST disclose who the driver was.

Fon

[darkstar]

Notice that its the driver and not the owner!

If, as the owner you receive an invoice, you simply tell them that you were not the driver at the time, and they should fine that driver and invoice him instead.

Not any more they changed it so the owner is liable as well .. They can take you to a small claims court but I have never heard any one going to court . You may get solicitor letters or at least what look like them but 99 percent of the time it amounts to nothing

[DJ OD]

I generally opt for a quiet life. Wherever I drive or park I do my best to abide by whatever rules there are. If I can park for 60 minutes, then I am back in 55.

I just cannot be fucked anymore.


DJ OD

[Fon]

Not any more they changed it so the owner is liable as well .. They can take you to a small claims court but I have never heard any one going to court . You may get solicitor letters or at least what look like them but 99 percent of the time it amounts to nothing

As far as I remember, it was changed when the clamping laws were changed, to provide private car parks another avenue than clamping.

These company's now have the right to request from you who was the driver. But it is only a request, and I dont believe their is yet a case where this has been challenged.

Any request im presented with asking me who was driving, from a private company, will be returned with the name Femy Sangogwaaa from South Africa!

Fon