Parking fine - can I appeal?

Question

I parked in a side street off a main road. I was parked near the end of a road where it meets the main road and received a parking fine. I have parked here nearly every day for months and this is the first fine I have received. There were no yellow lines, there were no signs explaining any parking rules and I had left plenty of space at the end of the road so that any passers by wishing to cross the side street did not have to walk around my car to do so.

Can I appeal againts this parking fine?

Answer 1

If there was no yellow lines or signs yes you can appeal the ticket. I suggest you take a picture of where you were parked and send it off with a copy of your ticket - this will speed up the appeals process. First though check what you received the ticket for - if you were given a ticket for obstruction it may be difficult to successfully appeal. Although most junctions of this type (side rd metting a main rd) have yellow lines preventing you from parking there some boroughs do not always have them, but that does not mean you can park there - it is still an obstruction for people wanting to cross the road safely. Sorry I cannot give you a definate answer but this is because of the great variation of parking restrictions across different boroughs/towns/etc. E.g. Different boroughs/towns have different rules for the amount of space you can leave at a junction.

Ignore what Sian P said - do not send off payment when you appeal - if you do you are accepting the fine and it will be cashed. Only pay after your appeal has failed.

Answer 2

No, you are expected to know the rules when you pass your test so no signs are needed unless extra rules apply.

You cannot park within 32 feet of a junction.

As I'm the only person to say "no" I'll provide the evidence....

heres the relavent code:

217: DO NOT park your vehicle or trailer on the road where it would endanger, inconvenience or obstruct pedestrians or other road users. For example, do not stop

near a school entrance
anywhere you would prevent access for Emergency Services
at or near a bus stop or taxi rank
on the approach to a level crossing

here is your bit:
opposite or within 10 metres (32 feet) of a junction, except in an authorised parking space

near the brow of a hill or hump bridge
opposite a traffic island or (if this would cause an obstruction) another parked vehicle
where you would force other traffic to enter a tram lane
where the kerb has been lowered to help wheelchair users
in front of an entrance to a property
on a bend

edit: shame many people do not read your question nor existing replies - far too much "yes appeal" here.

Its clear you were parked near a junction, you left "enough room for pedestrians" - that sounds like less than 32 feet to me.

Answer 3

Go back to the site and photograph everything. If there is no sign telling you about parking restrictions and no yellow lines, then you do NOT pay a fine. Someone is trying to rip you off.

You most certainly can appeal against a parking fine. How dare the council and police assume someones guilt without a trial? This is England mate. We've got laws going right back to the Middle Ages, when you could be swung by the goolies, but NOT before a trial and being found guilty by a jury of your peers.

Thems the rools!

Go to court and contest. You can get free advice on this from your local Citizens Advice Bureau [CAB] - they're in the phone book.

Answer 4

You are supposed to know the laws when you drive/park so that falls on you, not on the jurisdiction itself. So how many feet are you supposed to be away from an intersection before you park your vehicle?

Learn to take responsibility for your own actions and quit blaming others for things like this. You can always appeal but you are probably wasting your time.

And count your blessings you didn't get more tickets. Apparently you've been breaking the law for quite some time if you finally got a ticket for being in that location.

Answer 5

I would say yes appeal, you then lose the discount for early payment that most of these tickets offer.

You admit in your question you were parked at a junction leaving enough room for pedestrians, that is not enough room for other motorists which the highway code makes mandatory.

On the other hand you could pay up, and park properly in future because the new traffic enforcement officer will be watching that junction now

Answer 6

id need to know more about what the offence on the ticket is but from the sounds of it you have parked within 10 metres of a junction so it sounds like it would be pointless appealing. If you email me with the details of the offence code from the ticket I can tell you more. The other thing I can think of is that you may have been parked in a residential zone without a permit

Answer 7

You can't appeal a parking fine. Just because there are no signs doesn't mean that you can't receive a ticket. There aren't any signs that say you can't steal but you can still be arrested for theft. If you argue that you park there all the time, then I guess they could argue that they need to issue you some more tickets. It all goes back to "Ignorance of the law is not a defense."

Answer 8

You may find this site useful:http://www.dft.gov.uk/transportforyou/roads/howparkingismanaged?page=1
From it you will see that where there are restrictions, these must be clearly shown.
It also tells you how to set about lodging an appeal.

It is certainly worth entering an appeal, especially as you are in the habit of using this as your parking spot. Make sure that your estimate of the distance from the junction, which is very subjective, is in accordance with the law on the matter, spelt out for you by the previous answerer.

Answer 9

yes you can but you may find that the highway code says some thing about parking on or near corners so have a look at it be for or you could end up paying out more than just the fine

Answer 10

I had a similar situation to your ticket blowing off the dash. I had the ticket valid for the time in question, kept a photocopy for myself, and sent it with a polite letter to the council apologising for the accident of not displaying in the appropriate place, but indicating what happened and that i did have a valid ticket. They accepted it was an accident and let me off. However i do think you must pay up for parking in a coach space...there is no way out of that one, and yes you would incur serious costs if you go to Court and lose.