6 f**kin' minutes ...
Discussion
OK, I know I was outside the letter of the regulations. But when I paid for a hour's parking and came back after one hour and six minutes to find a £30 fine it's ... let's say, irritating 
And they wonder why everyone hates them?
There are plenty of jobs around these days. So to choose to be a parking "attendant" you must have to be a really miserable, vindictive, spiteful b@stard before you even get the extra training to reinforce it.
And they wonder why everyone hates them?
There are plenty of jobs around these days. So to choose to be a parking "attendant" you must have to be a really miserable, vindictive, spiteful b@stard before you even get the extra training to reinforce it.
Sorry to hear of your problems John, the trouble is, I know you say, "it was only six minutes over" but looking at it from the Traffic Warden's point of view, they don't know when you are going to return to the car and you may well have been an hour late.
It's also possible that the Traffic Warden may have been hanging around for 5 mins waiting for you to come back, you didn't so they stuck a ticket on your screen, so you may have got a few minutes grace anyway, sorry if that sounds harsh, I'm looking at this from both sides.
It's also possible that the Traffic Warden may have been hanging around for 5 mins waiting for you to come back, you didn't so they stuck a ticket on your screen, so you may have got a few minutes grace anyway, sorry if that sounds harsh, I'm looking at this from both sides.
Streetcop said:
How long do you think they should have given you then?
Street
1 hour and 6 minutes.
I would suggest a 10 minute leeway would be fair.
How much does an hour parking cost?
Say £5. If a vehicle goes over the time they have paid for then slap a mandatory 1 hour ticket on the vehicle.
£30 is draconian and in reality is used to pay the wage of the Traffic Warden and the cost of the management structure, and has nothing to do with the degree of seriousness of the offence.
>> Edited by swilly on Friday 1st October 08:39
Wife had a similar experience earlier this week, she was 15 mins over so it was a fair cop.
The car park was run by Europarks and the ticket was for £30, going to £50 if not paid in a couple of weeks.
I went onto the web where you can pay as it easier than sending a cheques etc.
Paid on line and the charge was only £18. It would be worth seeing if its cheaper by paying online.
>> Edited by skittle on Friday 1st October 10:11
The car park was run by Europarks and the ticket was for £30, going to £50 if not paid in a couple of weeks.
I went onto the web where you can pay as it easier than sending a cheques etc.
Paid on line and the charge was only £18. It would be worth seeing if its cheaper by paying online.
>> Edited by skittle on Friday 1st October 10:11
esselte said:
How many of us actually stay for the full length of the time we've paid for?Why can't we transfer tickets to another driver when we leave early?Why don't ticket machines ever seem to give change? It does all seem a bit one-sided doesn't it?
its worse than that - the midlands has number plate machines - you put in your car numbers(not letters) and it prints a special ticket, Just to stop you passing it to someone else when you leave before time.
The machines are linked to signs around town telling you what spaces are free. BUt at what cost? the tickets are £1 an hour, so how much extra do they make to pay for the machines????
you pay for parking - for traffic flow. (on main roads anyway, not ncp car parks.)
without it, you get a situation where the shop owners park all day and there isnt a space for anyone else 24hours a day. Soon you get gridlock.
I once paid for half an hour (to park on the street) and came back after 25 mins to find a traffic warden about to pounce...the clock on the ticket issuing machine was ten minutes fast, and so was his watch..
He must catch people there all day cos they get ripped off for ten minutes worth or parking everytime they parked!
He must catch people there all day cos they get ripped off for ten minutes worth or parking everytime they parked!
stooz said:
its worse than that - the midlands has number plate machines - you put in your car numbers(not letters) and it prints a special ticket, Just to stop you passing it to someone else when you leave before time.
Given that the modern registration system uses 53,03,54,04, etc.. that is an excellent bit of forward planning!
mondeoman said:
Sorry, but why do we have to pay to park anyway?
Its called the non-moving vehicle tax.
They tax you when you drive and tax you when you park.
In my North Wales town they only charge 20p for 3 hours but I have it on good authority that they make a mint out of fining non-payers.....
ca092003 said:
its worse than that - the midlands has number plate machines - you put in your car numbers(not letters) and it prints a special ticket, Just to stop you passing it to someone else when you leave before time.
Given that the modern registration system uses 53,03,54,04, etc.. that is an excellent bit of forward planning!
Our local machines you have to put the full reg no in eg AB04CDE (made up number obviously)
Now in Sweden one car park I use adds extra time if you over pay because you don't have the correct change. That seems fair and isn't exactly rocket science. Also you can pay by a sort of top up card system which is also handy.
esselte said:
How many of us actually stay for the full length of the time we've paid for?Why can't we transfer tickets to another driver when we leave early?
I do anyway.
I dont have a problem with doing this.
If I have paid for 3 hours and have only used 1.5, then someone else can use up the other 1.5 hopurs worth.
Better than in their pocket eh
blademan said:
How many of us actually stay for the full length of the time we've paid for?Why can't we transfer tickets to another driver when we leave early?
I do anyway.
I dont have a problem with doing this.
If I have paid for 3 hours and have only used 1.5, then someone else can use up the other 1.5 hopurs worth.
Better than in their pocket eh
I agree, but be careful -
Story of one guy who handed over his ticket with 1/2 hour left to another old guy coming into the car park...
...and the old guy he handed it to grassed him up to the council and got him done for fraud
GRUMPY OLD PEOPLE HURRY UP AN 
KING WELL DIE!!! 
im not ageist you understand...
My local shopping center has a good multi story. You get a ticket, shop then pay at the end before you return to your car. As long as you dont lose the ticket, you cant get fined and they dont have to pay wardens (out of said fines)
Its a good system and the prices are reasonable (40p per hour iirc)
Its a good system and the prices are reasonable (40p per hour iirc)
GreenV8S said:
So don't give them ticket to reuse, just ask them to do you a favour and dispose of it for you. Up to them what they do with it?
Then how long will it be before same grumpy old gits (as in gh0st's post) start offering for you to dipose of their partly used tickets, then shopping you for using the ticket?
It's divide and rule all over again!
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