Apologies in advance for this huge post! But AIBU to be really disappointed and p*ssed off at our local council?
Recently purchased a property, on a road that has 1 bay/zone that is ‘30 mins free’ and the the rest is permitted (at various times throughout the day).
A few days after we bought, I rushed round to drop a kettle/tea/milk for the builder. I parked in what I thought was this 30 min zone. While I was there, I started the process of applying for permits for the builder as I realised he was parking ‘illegally’ and wanted to be able to give him a ref number to pop a note in his van window to explain to any potential warden that it was in progress. 20 mins later I returned to my car to find a parking fine on the windscreen - happy new home!
Turns out the truck in front of me was parked completely over the poorly painted/faded road markings showing where the 30 min bay/zone ended - but there isn’t another sign to indicate that a new parking zone starts. This signage is at the other end of the street, about 30m away.
I put an appeal in to explain this, along with photo evidence of the truck and the signage/lack of signage.
At the end of the appeal I stupidly offered up the info that I had actually just bought on this part of the street, apologised that the area was new to me and that I was in the process of applying for the various parking permits, with evidence that the visitors permit application had been submitted before I had even been issued with a ticket. Apologising for the inconvenience and telling them in good faith that in future I’d have all the relevant permits and parking wouldn’t be an issue.
As I mentioned before, I applied for a visitors pass as it was quick and easy and a few trade passes for our builders. I couldn’t at the time apply for a residents permit which I explained, as they require proof (either a log book ref no. or insurance docs). We are living in temporary accommodation close by and so the car insurance isn’t registered to our new house address yet. The log book took a few weeks to arrive. So, dead end on the residents permit and I left it.
I still haven’t applied for a residents permit (they charge for them, they only last for a year and I’ve already forked out £100 for the others) as we’re not living there and whenever we visit it tends to be over work lunch time or on a Sunday (no permit is needed 11:30-1:30 Mon - Sat and all day Sunday). Most other times we go we will walk as we’re only 10 mins away on foot and being honest, parking there is a bloody nightmare so I don’t bother with the car.
The council have rejected my appeal on the grounds that we’ve not got the correct permit for our vehicle as we didn’t/don’t have a residents permit. The premise of my appeal however was nothing to do with permits and everything to do with this unclear bay and terrible parking by another person! I wasn’t trying to park on the road generally, I was trying to park in a zone that I was entitled to having free 30 mins.
AIBU to be really upset by this? And really p*ssed off that they’ve completely ignored the whole part of the appeal that evidences the zone issue/other vehicle?! Or do I just need to suck it up and pay a fine of £50 for parking outside my own property for 20 bloody minutes and be at peace with the bureaucracy/fact that I obviously wasn’t diligent enough with checking all the rules properly?
It was a genuine mistake though and I’m so annoyed with myself and also sad that we’ve bought a house that is clearly a nightmare where the parking is concerned. I’ve got so much on my plate at the minute that it’s pathetically tipped me over the edge.