Traffic Warden - What is a valid parking ticket?

[Tizer]

I dropped my wife off at work this morning, dropping her off at the usual spot - the vehicular entry area for the pedestrianised zone in the town centre. Its somewhere that is a natural drop-off spot as its a fairly wide section of the bottom of the street and allows traffic behind to continue through. Occasionally taxis park there too.

This morning, we were involved in a brief conversation - one lasting perhaps 2 minutes. To my horror, as I pulled away, I caught a glance of a traffic warden standing perhaps a metre from my right rear tyre, typing into a device of some sort.

I'm terrified now that I will get a parking ticket.

Is a traffic warden obliged to give a driver a warning that his car is illegally parked?

Many thanks, Tizer.

[Tizer]

Paddy_n_Murphy said:

Tizer said:

Is a traffic warden obliged to give a driver a warning that his car is illegally parked?

Nope.

BUT, did you get the ticket on the spot?

If not....... Have a nice day.

No ticket was issued to me, unless he wrote it out standing behind the car and intends to process it in some way after seeing me drive off.

Edited by Tizer on Friday 7th August 16:12

[Tizer]

The Highway Man said:

They don't have to give a warning, however in the past, common sense dictated that you were dropping off and nothing more would have been done. Nowadays in the age of targets and incentives, all drivers are fair game and common sense has gone out the window. It used to be that if the ticket wasn't handed to you or fixed to your vehicle it wasn't valid, however they can now post it to the registered keeper. It also depends what contravention code the warden has used, it could be parking in a restricted street during prescribed hours, then they would have to wait 5 minutes before issuing, or it could be stopped in a pedestrian zone which is an instant issue. You'll probably find out in a week or so.

I wasn't parked any longer than two minutes and the approach gives a fairly good view of pedestrians around and I didnt seem him. That said, it would be my word against his if he was to argue that I was parked longer than 5 minutes.

Worse thing is that there are 3 that patrol the town centre area and I see him all the time.... (when I'm parked legally that is!)