Your best excuses for challenging a parking ticket please?

[mummamango]

Don't think 'didn't read the sign properly on account of New Mum Brain' is going to cut the mustard...

[PrettyCandles]

www.appealnow.com/

[EggyAllenPoe]

challenge the timepiece used - the attendants watch is not a legally recognised piece of timekeeping equipment.

also, if you think the sign was hard to understand, and would be found hard to understand by any reasonable person, you can challenge that...

[said]

Was it a car park or double yellows? If they are not clear or not boxed off at teh end, they can be challenged

[Lemonmeringue]

New mum brain actually worked for me - forgot to pay in car park after faffing for ages with little baby + hat, gloves, pushchair, etc., remembered 10 minutes later, rushed back to car park, had already received parking ticket, bought a ticket from the machine and wrote a very polite letter (enclosing ticket from machine with time 5 mins after penalty notice) asking if they were permitted to use their discretion...

[mummamango]

Yes I parked illegally. Actually read the sign and didn't take it in as there was so much info on it. Resident's parking hours / match day rules / different hours from mon - Fri and Sat-Sun etc. It sounds really stupid but I just didn't register in my brain the time I was parking there and now have a £60 fine. Living on on statutory maternity leave right now so this feels like a HUGE amount. But don't really have a good excuse other than I had had about 3 hours sleep and read, but didn't take the sign in! Very exasperating, but totally my own fault

[jodevizes]

Tell me about it, I drive for a living, one parking fine and I have worked the day for nothing. I am white van women, a bit like white van man but I can swear shout and do my make up at the same time. LOL.

Can you say you were confused due to some thing happening to you or that the sign was confusing?

I wish you well in fighting this.

Love Jo

[luciemule]

I would write explaining that you were reading the sign with a screaming baby and thought you'd parked correctly. Be really nice and apologetic and ask if they could use their discretion this time; make up a desperate sounding place you had to go to such as emergency dentist/ minor injuries clinic etc other than that, use tips from how to appeal site.

[renderedspeechless]

Hi, i dont post often, but will crawl out from under my stone to respond to threads like this. op, were you in london? can you give any more details about the ticket. eg, what does the contravention on the parking ticket say?

[parkingticket]

If you are picking up or dropping off one of your children you are allowed park to do so whether there is a single or double yellow line.

If because of their age you need to escort or take your child into their school or classroom that is also allowed although councils often claim claim that you are not allowed to do so. In my view you can also wait a sufficient
time to ensure that your child is settled.

Picking up your child.
If because of their age you need to escort or take your child from their school or classroom that is also allowed.

You are not allowed park on a zig zag next to a crossing nor on yellow zig zags outside schools. Also you cannot parki in a loading bay or taxi rank.

Councils often ticket mothers picking up or dropping off their children at schools when the are legally parked. There seems to be a thought that because they are so often busy with their children they will just pay up.

Do remember that even if you have breached the parking rules and got a parking ticket, if there is a good reason you can and should write to the council and explain the circumstances and ask them to cancel the parking ticket. They are legally obliged to consider such a requisites although they may not agree to do so.

My advice is to fight that parking ticket if it is issued unfairly and take the case all the way to the parking adjudicator.

My daughter pointed out this thread so I have joined to point this information.

I run the appealnow.com website mentioned ealier in this thread.

[renderedspeechless]

"my advice is to fight that parking ticket if it is issued unfairly and take the case all the way to the parking adjudicator"

i disagree with this advice. the average motorist does not have the required knowledge to determine whether the ticket was issued unfairly. by pursuing a challenge all the way to adjudicator usually jeopardises the opportunity to settle the charge at the discount charge - and are at risk of paying a whopping 50% more!

yes, councils do have to consider all challenges and any mitigation, but i'd advice that if an initial request to cancel is refused, seek further advice and pursue further with caution.

unfortunately, motorists are so disadvantaged re info about parking tickets. worse still, many councils will refuse to cancel a ticket even though they know they will no contest at adjudicator stage. at the eleventh hour they will withdraw from the case. while this is obviously dubious, this information is not knowable to the average motorist. so, i say again - challenge in the first instance, yes, but remember that you are likely to lose chance to pay less if you pursue.

[mummamango]

Wow thanks for all your responses!
I was parked in a residential parking zone in London. There were about three signs on the post one saying the times parking is restricted from Mon-Fri, one about the restrictions for Sat-Sun times and one about 'match days' (the area is near a football stadium).
It was a Saturday and I was within the restricted times, just looked at the sign and asked a passing street cleaner whether it was a match day or not? He said no, so we decided I could park there. Just did not compute the rest of the sign - a buggy to put up and about three hours sleep contributing to my mistake.
Came back 1/2 an hour later and had a ticket.
So, technically the ticket was legal. Just really annoyed at my own stupidity and the fact that I read, but didn't take in properly the sign. I wasn't parked anywhere busy or that would cause anyone else a problem, I could just do with a good excuse to try my luck at appealing it. It's such a lot of money it must be worth a go...