I got a parking ticket last week, as I was 10mins over my ticket time. I got unavoidably held up in the bank & hoped Id get back in time. However, I returned to find the warden photographing my number plates & smugly issuing me a ticket for £80, or £40 if paid in 14days. I just find it so frustrating that all situations are treated equally. Some people dont buy tickets at all, whereas other law abiding people who sometimes, due to the nature of life are minutes late back get hit with a £80/£40 fine! Surely there is a fairer way of doing it? (Dont you just love ticket wardens???)
2006-12-01 04:20:17 · 10 answers · asked by eternalsunshine 1 in Politics & Government ➔ Law & Ethics
Just to repeat, I had paid for a ticket, which was displayed on my dashboard. It wasnt a timed meter. And the warden told me I had exceeded the 5 mins allowance time. I agree its only fair to pay something, but my question is, couldnt there be a fairer system. For instance, i was 10 mins late, therfore I could be fined in relation to this specific amount of time?
2006-12-01 04:50:31 · update #1
Im not suggesting wardens hang about waiting for you to come back so they know how long over your ticket you have gone! But, in cases where your expiry time is clearly available on a ticket, there could be fines related to how long over you have gone when the ticket is issued for example. If you are only minutes late there could be one fixed rate, if its over an hour plus another etc. I can see it might not be practical though!!! I wonder if the fine for not paying for a ticket at all is the same as if you run over? If so, thats the kind of 'unfairness' I am getting at..
2006-12-04 04:52:29 · update #2
it's a case if "if you break the rule you get this fine", there is no allowance for "breaking the rule a tiny bit" (I say rule, as it isn't a law really, it's a contract to use the facility, so it's a civil penalty not a criminal case)
2006-12-01 04:25:08 · answer #1 · answered by rchlbsxy2 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Usually the meters themselves have an extra five minutes built in so that when the paid-for time is up the violation flag doesn't pop up until five minutes later. That is how they are attempting to deal with problems like yours.
The last time I got a ticket for overtime parking I never went back to that area for shopping or doing any business there. In the city next to ours they eventually yanked the parking meters because most of the shoppers were doing that and business was dropping off sharply. Maybe a boycott would work in your area.
2006-12-01 12:26:12 · answer #2 · answered by Rich Z 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They charge you the same whether 10 minutes over or an hour over because the people patrolling the meters don't know how long it has been since your time expired. They just see the expired flag and have no way of telling how long your car has been sitting there. In order to be fair to everyone, it has to be the same amount for the same violation, parking without paying.
2006-12-01 12:31:43 · answer #3 · answered by kgenesius 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It does seem like a good idea, but I'm not convinced it would work... I am mean, would they come back to the car, add another ticket if you were still there? Or maybe you just get the ticket and have to call to confirm the charge - how much you get charged is dependent on how long after the issue you call.
Still not convinced its practical.
Anyway, count yourself lucky, in London its £100 or £50 if you're quick.
2006-12-01 15:40:16 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because in just about every case, it would be impossible to know just how long over it really is. Unless someone is standing there the whole time and waits for the person to come back to see how long they were gone, but I think there's more important things for police to do than that.
2006-12-01 13:18:25 · answer #5 · answered by bennyjoe81 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's all a money making racket and as so many traffic wardens nowadays work on commission, this is hardly an encouragement to them to use their discretion, as might otherwise be the case. They genuinely enjoy giving you a ticket because it is so financially worth while to them to do so.
2006-12-02 11:45:57 · answer #6 · answered by Doethineb 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It would be very hard to make a meter that tells you how long over your car has been sitting there.
2006-12-01 12:31:36 · answer #7 · answered by Lab 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Perhaps if you quit breaking the law, this wouldn't be an issue for you.
2006-12-01 12:22:02 · answer #8 · answered by Stuart 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Just another example of our greedy councils,,Robbing B£stards
2006-12-01 15:48:58 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
so the goverment can get money no matter what.
2006-12-01 12:21:49 · answer #10 · answered by Josh B 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋