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Original poster

Got a flippin parking ticket !!!

15 replies

melsy · 02/03/2004 12:09

Really peed of, went to see a friend in a shop near me. I kept on checking the car as parked on a yellow line, but when I returned there it was on the bleedin dashboard.What are these wardens invisible or something. I want to write a letter of appeal, as I was collecting some furniture and have a receipt. Any ideas on what I could say in a a letter of appeal. Will this get me off???

OP posts:

musica · 02/03/2004 12:17

melsy, I've just written a letter because I got a parking ticket when I had PAID!!! But the ticket information was wrong, and the departure time was totally random, as was the amount paid.

I would just put your case and hope for the best.

Original poster

melsy · 03/03/2004 20:53

Need some help to write letter please please please. Dont know were to start as not really in frame of mind with other difficult stuff going on.

OP posts:

aloha · 03/03/2004 21:39

How about:

Dear X (person in charge of parking tickets)

REF: parking ticket number XXXX

On the (DATE) at (TIME) I was rather shocked to receive a parking ticket while I had parked in order to load furniture in my car from (SHOP NAME AND ADDRESS). I believe it is legal to park on a single yellow line for loading purposes, and my car was only parked there for (TIME - LESS THAN 20minutes). I am currently unwell, and have recently given birth (LAY IT ON A BIT) and the furniture I was collecting was bulky and heavy so I required considerable assistance getting it into my car. Also it was not feasible for me to park elsewhere due to my recent illness and the nature of my purchases. I was very surprised that I did not see the warden despite being parked for such a short time. I have my receipt from the shop (PHOTOCOPY ENCLOSED) so you can see that I was, as I have said, loading at the time. You can also see from your records that I am careful about parking legally and have no other parking tickets.
I hope that you can see your way to cancelling my ticket on this occasion.
Yours sincerely

Melsy

What about that? I wrote a similar one to Kensington and Chelsea some years ago, full of guff about helping my sick mother move house, and it was cancelled.

SofiaAmes · 03/03/2004 21:47

melsy, make sure that even if they don't cancel, you pursue it to appeal. I have found that recently councils are so strapped for cash that they don't even bother to read the letter that people send it and just deny everything automatically hoping that people won't bother to go to appeal. If you do a search under parking tickets you can find sample cases of tickets that have been canceled on appeal. It sounds like yours would be. Make sure you keep a record of a receipts for the furniture and get a statement from the store with the date and time to indicate that that's what you were doing.

Original poster

melsy · 04/03/2004 09:33

Thank you Aloha and Sofia , what stars you are , I cannot tell what a relief this is . I feel like crying (I know over a parking ticket). Thank you, thank you, thank you. I havent asked for help like this before and it felt kinda like cheating.

I just dont have the mental capacity at the moment.

OP posts:

Freckle · 04/03/2004 09:41

How long were you parked for? I had to speak to our local council recently about parking in a loading bay. The road where I work has no parking for private vehicles - just 2 disabled bays and about 4 bays for loading. I have to carry very heavy boxes of books from my car to the office and vice versa. I couldn't possibly carry them more than a short distance. I have had grief from parking attendants and from drivers of commercial vehicles for parking there to load and unload (never more than 1-2 minutes). According to the council, the loading bays are purely for commercial vehicles but you are allowed a 5 minute observation period, i.e. the attendant cannot issue a ticket until you have been there for more than 5 minutes. I still get grief from commercial drivers who think I am pinching their space, but I quote this at them and they shut up.

Original poster

melsy · 04/03/2004 10:09

Unfortunately I was there for about 20 mins (may be more), as had presents to buy.

OP posts:

aloha · 04/03/2004 10:14

Melsy, good luck. I've checked and it is legal to park on a single yellow for loading purposes unless there are those yellow stripes on the pavement. Put the documentation with your letter (eg a letter from the shop and your receipt) and you should find it is cancelled. I agree with you re the invisible wardens too - how DO they do that?

aloha · 04/03/2004 10:15

Melsy, don't say that in your letter. Say you were there for 20 minutes, as the goods had to be checked and signed for and taken to the car. Make sure the receipt is for roughly the same time as the ticket and if your friend in the shop backs up your story I think it will be cancelled as a matter of course.

Original poster

melsy · 04/03/2004 10:16

Aloha I have also added this at the bottom !! Hope it doesnt get there backs up.

May I suggest a voucher-parking scheme to be put in place to allow for collection or shopping in this area? As there now are several furniture orientated gift shops down this road.

OP posts:

musica · 04/03/2004 10:18

Here is a good website.

aloha · 04/03/2004 10:37

That's a fair point Melsy, but it's not strictly relevant to your letter. The point is it is legal to load on a single yellow line, and you were only loading (well, sort of ) so the ticket ought to be cancelled. I just put the ill health stuff in as it makes it all a bit more memorable and tear jerking, but legally you are in the right anyway.

Let us know how it goes.

SueW · 04/03/2004 21:52

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at OP's request.

ponygirl · 04/03/2004 22:02

We got clamped in Islington last summer for being 8 minutes late putting the parking voucher on the dashboard (it was my birthday) - so hands up, our fault. But we couldn't get through to the phone number on the ticket and the office was shut (Saturday) to pay the fine: Sunday morning the car was towed; it wasn't even illegally parked on a Sunday morning but the b*ards took it anyway. And to add insult to injury, the pound it was taken to was within the London congestion charge area so we had to pay the £5 charge to drive out. I'm afraid my children learnt some appalling language that weekend. Anyway, we appealed and got the towing away charge back. Lots of people told us after that the wardens are all on incentive schemes to win Caribbean holidays for the most tickets etc, which is probably why they do the invisible thing, however they do it! I say keep arguing about it. Good luck!

kirstyl5358 · 11/02/2008 19:55

Hiya, people i need help. I had a parking ticket whilst i was in the sunbed shop, i was parked in a town centre and it was ok to be there after 6pm. Now i was parked there from 5.50pm until 6pm and i came out to find a parking ticket on my screen, the time on the ticket was from 17.55 to 18.05, Im want to appeal to the council as i been reading up on the situation and it says if i write a letter to them that i will get 50% off the fine wether they agree or disagree to the letter. I dont know what to say in the letter is there any way u can help me. Thanks.

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