Irritating ASDA
Discussion
The chap next door to me came round to ask a question on law. It seems he had gone to an ASDA car park where they charge you to park. Honest. Half a dozen cars away there was a bit of an argument going on. One chap had covered his number plates with thick card. The parking attendants (two of them. Probably a way to encourage more shoppers) had told this bloke to take the covering off or they would. Chap tell attendants they have no right to. Hence stand-off.
In talking to the bloke a little later, it turns out he'd been fined for parking in the ASDA car park when, not knowing that he'd need coins, he'd gone into the shop for change. When he returned, he'd got a ticket. Tried to approach the attendent but he ran away. So he decided to irritate them whenever he could. He'd paid the parking charge and had placed the ticket in his windscreen.
By the way, he'd refused to pay the parking 'fine' saying that he wasn't the driver at the time. He refused to tell them who was.
The question was simple enough: was it legal to cover his number plates on what is, of course, private land. I can't think of any offence.
I've got to say that, despite never meeting the chap, I kind of like him.
In talking to the bloke a little later, it turns out he'd been fined for parking in the ASDA car park when, not knowing that he'd need coins, he'd gone into the shop for change. When he returned, he'd got a ticket. Tried to approach the attendent but he ran away. So he decided to irritate them whenever he could. He'd paid the parking charge and had placed the ticket in his windscreen.
By the way, he'd refused to pay the parking 'fine' saying that he wasn't the driver at the time. He refused to tell them who was.
The question was simple enough: was it legal to cover his number plates on what is, of course, private land. I can't think of any offence.
I've got to say that, despite never meeting the chap, I kind of like him.
My first thought is that since the road won't be maintained at the publics' expense (public roads), it won't need tax. This 'exemption' comes from the Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994. As the title suggest it also covers the laws covering registration marks. Does this mean that you only need to display registration marks on roads at the publics' expense? There is no mention of 'public roads' in any registration offence so this may not be the case.
stuthemong said:
They could have looked at his Tax disc, no?
I assumed they had CCTV to record the cars as they came into the car park. Mind you, I think the real reason this chap had done it was to wind up the parking attendants. Which, apparently, he did. They went off with a threat that they would return.My understanding is that registration plates are required on a highway. Therefore a car park is unlikely to fall into that classification, although I accept it could in certain circumstances.
IIRC, "public road" includes anywhere where the public might REASONABLY be...so a supermarket car park IS covered by the RTA etc.
So yes, you do need legal plates when you're there.
...whether the ASDA SS have any rights to check...I doubt it...although you ARE on their property!
(Personally, as ASDA donate to Brake, I won't shop there unless I have to)
So yes, you do need legal plates when you're there.
...whether the ASDA SS have any rights to check...I doubt it...although you ARE on their property!
(Personally, as ASDA donate to Brake, I won't shop there unless I have to)
havoc said:
IIRC, "public road" includes anywhere where the public might REASONABLY be...so a supermarket car park IS covered by the RTA etc.
So yes, you do need legal plates when you're there.
...whether the ASDA SS have any rights to check...I doubt it...although you ARE on their property!
(Personally, as ASDA donate to Brake, I won't shop there unless I have to)
Definitions need to be looked at in the context of which legislation it comes from. 'Public road' used here means 'repairable at the public expense'. So yes, you do need legal plates when you're there.
...whether the ASDA SS have any rights to check...I doubt it...although you ARE on their property!
(Personally, as ASDA donate to Brake, I won't shop there unless I have to)
You're thinking of 'public place' in the Road Traffic Act.
havoc said:
IIRC, "public road" includes anywhere where the public might REASONABLY be...so a supermarket car park IS covered by the RTA etc.
So yes, you do need legal plates when you're there.
...whether the ASDA SS have any rights to check...I doubt it...although you ARE on their property!
(Personally, as ASDA donate to Brake, I won't shop there unless I have to)
'The public' can be reasonably be in a garage forecourt, where cars do not have to have plates. Or for that matter in a bodyshop where plates are removed. So that cannot be the criteria.So yes, you do need legal plates when you're there.
...whether the ASDA SS have any rights to check...I doubt it...although you ARE on their property!
(Personally, as ASDA donate to Brake, I won't shop there unless I have to)
An RTA road is any highway and any other road to which the public has access [and a bit more]. What this means is that first and foremost it has to be a highway, something which is used by the public for getting from one place to another. A car park is, by definition, used to park vehicles, so unless there is evidence that it is used for 'passing and repassing' i.e. as a highway, then it is not an RTA road. An RTA road includes bridleways and footpaths (the latter being where the public has a right of way on foot only, not 'that part of the road put by for the use of pedestrians').
Some legislation applies to public places: dangerous driving, drink drive amongst many others. The 'road repairable at public expense' has only very limited useage.
Some legislation applies to public places: dangerous driving, drink drive amongst many others. The 'road repairable at public expense' has only very limited useage.
Vehicle Excise Act 1994 is the parent Act for display of Reg marks etc and the Regs regarding issue,display and size of Reg Marks.
In that it defines 'road' as one repairable at public expense.
So any offence of fail to display is contrary to VERA and defined road and not 'road' under RTA 88 re Insurance DL etc.
dvd
In that it defines 'road' as one repairable at public expense.
So any offence of fail to display is contrary to VERA and defined road and not 'road' under RTA 88 re Insurance DL etc.
dvd
FishFace said:
havoc said:
IIRC, "public road" includes anywhere where the public might REASONABLY be...so a supermarket car park IS covered by the RTA etc.
So yes, you do need legal plates when you're there.
...whether the ASDA SS have any rights to check...I doubt it...although you ARE on their property!
(Personally, as ASDA donate to Brake, I won't shop there unless I have to)
Definitions need to be looked at in the context of which legislation it comes from. 'Public road' used here means 'repairable at the public expense'. So yes, you do need legal plates when you're there.
...whether the ASDA SS have any rights to check...I doubt it...although you ARE on their property!
(Personally, as ASDA donate to Brake, I won't shop there unless I have to)
You're thinking of 'public place' in the Road Traffic Act.
You're quite right.
Festisio said:
They charge you to park but they refund the money at the checkout, at least the one I use does. So less of a money making measure and more to stop people using the car park for other nearby places.
Still cheeky though.
not all of them do, bloody nerve to charge to shop in asdaStill cheeky though.
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