To think this park and ride rule is bonkers?

[Mephisneon]

I was working in a city recently so used the park and ride. Its the first time I'd parked in it. I got a parking ticket as I walked off site. I didn't realise this was a rule of using the site. I actually bought a ticket and realised with the traffic and wait for a bus I'd be better walking.

I am a bit baffled though as surely the park and ride is there to stop people parking in the city centre, easing traffic and pollution. So I'm not sure how parking and walking did achieve these things.
Also there's loads about active travel from councils so I would think that they'd be up for people walking or cycling from park and ride.

I also find it a bit weird they have somone watching the cc tv to check this!

Anyway I'm prepared to accept it's fair enough if I'm missing something with this. But it just seems bizzar.

Fourth line in I day I bought a ticket. Yes this would be fair enough if I didn't pay.

@Mephisneon sorry! 😬 I’ll excuse my poor comprehension by saying I’ve had a very long day 😂.

In that case that’s crazy and I’m fully #teamOP 😄

To clarify a few things.. I bought a bus ticket. You don't need to pay to park in addition to this.

As far as I'm aware there are no local shops. The bus makes a few stops including down the road I walked down. So it's not just a one stop to the city. So I get it with some locations park and ride that you could park and not go to the intendiyld location ie the city centre. But as the bus stopped where I was going that seems unlikely as a reason. Like if it was to support the city centre only and I'd misused it I suppose.

But how do they match up people not getting on the tram with the right car issue a fine?

@Judd apparently at the moment they have someone manning the cctv and watching people. Apparently it's cost effective to employ someone to do that!

I think the rule is ridiculous and YANBU.

You definitely need to appeal, you could do that on the basis that you bought a bus ticket (show proof) then decided against using it with the traffic etc so they are not out of pocket and havent lost any revenue in any way or on the basis that it was not clear to you that you couldnt walk off site (was there adequate signage? Etc) So you've not broken any rules.

Look on their website and see if it says anything about walking too.

Madness! I often meet friends at the park & ride car parks around our city and then we leave cars parked there and travel further afield in just one car to save us all driving and it wouldn’t be practical driving all round the city to pick everyone up!

Durham is like this. We risked it and actually didn't get a fine but it seemed crazy. The point is to stop people driving/parking in the city centre, and we didnt. What does it matter whether we actually then get on the bus, as long as we've paid?

How did they manage to fine you? Seems odd.

Bloody hell!

I have used the Cambridge P&R twice, Madingley and Babraham Rds, and found it brilliant. Which P&R is experiencing delays like this? So that I can avoid?

This sounds so batty that I bet it’s Oxford! Their council are batshit and sounds like a rule they would impose 😂

A parking ticket on my windscreen.

It was Durham the howlands road one. I have been to the other one before which is further out if the city. I think? But I wss goi9to the uni campus nearby and the road into the city centre was really badly backed up. I know now but just feels bonkers and I'm honestly reaching for reasons it could make sense!

Be aware that parking at the sites is only for people using the park and ride buses.

From their website

Can you evidence your bus ticket purchase? If so will you appeal the fine?

thats ridiculous you cant be forced to wait for a bloody bus

id appeal that

Yes I was told off for this too. Then another year I got told off for bringing too many kids (I had 4 with me).

And what if someone feels ill and decided to walk rather than sit on a stuffy bus and potentially be sick everywhere? Nice fine waiting for you when you get back. Silly

What I mean is, how did they know it was your car? How did they match you leaving to your car?

Ieam fair enough saw this on their website after my fine. I'm not disputing this is the rule, nor did I say I was. I'm just saying I'm not sure it makes sense if you walk from the site. Surely you are still fulfilling the purposea of the park and ride, by reducing pollution and traffic?

It doesn't matter what the website says if it's not clearly communicated to people who are about to make use of the car park.

Sorry I was posting about it being in their terms for those saying you should appeal

fwiw op I drive to Durham almost daily and it’s never a bother parking tbh. There’s loads so I wouldn’t bother next time!

That's insane. I thought they could only fine you on private land if there was a realistic cost to the company - so if you bought a bus ticket you didn't deprive them of any revenue so I think the find would be hard to justify.

There's a good forum for parking problems though, I think it's pepipoo maybe.

I think OP should appeal. It may be in their terms, but if they're not clearly communicated to people as they're about to make use of the car park, there's no acquiescence to the terms. They don't form part of the contract.

If they put in their terms online that making use of their car park costs 100 GBP, it wouldn't make it all right for them to send OP a bill for 100 GBP if she hadn't parked there on this understanding.

From what I recall, people have succeeded in challenging parking tickets even where this information was communicated somewhere within the car park, if it wasn't readily apparent enough.

Happened to me as well and the info wasn't clearly indicated on the board. I didn't appeal it as I was leaving for an extended trip abroad and didn't want the worry but I would have been tempted to otherwise.
I agree the whole thing is ridiculous - I didn't park in the city, which is the purpose of the car park. Also if everyone walked there would be no need for a bus 😁