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Parking at South Shields Pier (or anywhere else I suppose)
On Tuesday 08 Sept 2015, I went down to Shields pier with my mate, for a last chuck for a mackerel.
We arrived at about 10:20 and after sorting out a ticket, parked up, as far away from anyone else as it was possible to be.
The car park was no more than about 15% full anyway and there were only two cars up by the watchmans building and nothing else for literally a 100yds.
Anyway, I parked at the end of the central grass divider over from the watchmans building and as it happened, about 8"-10" over "the marked bay". My mate was taking the pixx about my poor positioning but rather than fanny about, I left the car where it was, as it really made no difference to anyone else, in any way, shape or form.
Never mind, we came back to the car about 7 hours later, to find a parking ticket on the windscreen!
When I opened it up, it was indeed for: "parking beyond the marked bay"!
The embarrassment was bad enough but the £50 fine was infuriating.
So as soon as I got home, I went online to see what the crack was.
I've only ever had one other parking ticket and that was a rip off in Eldon Garden, with a non existent disabled bay sign back in the 1990's but I was sure there would be some form of appeal system online or at least details of how to challenge the ticket ( pointless as it seemed).
I found the relevant section on South Tyneside Councils website, registered and set about writing up my "representation". It took nearly 2 hours to write, edit and re-edit, before I was finally satisfied
I clicked the button to send off my appeal and waited. And waited and then waited a couple more days,10 days or so in total, before finally phoning up the parking services team, to find out what was happening, only to find that they "Had no record of my appeal representation"
The lad I spoke to had the details up on his computer in seconds, including photo's that the "parking enforcement officer" had taken to back up his ticket.
As soon as the parking team lad saw the pictures, he said that in his opinion, I had an excellent case and that the ticket, while perfectly legal, was however; "a bit harsh" and after making some further investigations and actually calling me back 10 mins later, advised me that I should immediately submit another challenge, via direct email, rather than use the "e system".
I followed his advice and waited again. The only emails I received from South Tyneside Council were about school dinners!, so thinking that I needed to sort something out and that I'd just been wasting my time all along, the council probably just ignoring my messages and waiting for my time to run out so that they could charge me £50 rather £25, I gave in and on Monday morning, phoned them up again and paid the £25.
Then this afternoon, I come back from Amble, to find a letter from, you guessed it, South Tyneside Council's, Parking Services Team, saying:
I am pleased to inform you that I have accepted your challenge, on this occasion, however, any similar contraventions may not be waived in the future. The penalty charge notice in connection with the contravention has now been cancelled.
So it's straight back on the phone and amazingly, about 2 mins later, I've had my £25 refunded.
The morals of the tale are:
Don't park outside the marked lines, you'll quite likely get a ticket-I had no idea this was an offence by the way but I know now.
Don't assume that councils parking teams are always looking to rip off the motorist, they quite obviously aren't, at least in this case.
If you think you have a reasonable argument against a ticket, contact the relevant parking team and see what they have to say.
Always treat people with respect, at least until they get shxxy with you anyway
I never once lost my temper or got snotty with anyone I spoke to, there was no need and in any case, even if unintentionally I had contravened the parking regulations
So watch how you park or you'll be getting a ticket too
hope this helps someone else
all the best
Steve
We arrived at about 10:20 and after sorting out a ticket, parked up, as far away from anyone else as it was possible to be.
The car park was no more than about 15% full anyway and there were only two cars up by the watchmans building and nothing else for literally a 100yds.
Anyway, I parked at the end of the central grass divider over from the watchmans building and as it happened, about 8"-10" over "the marked bay". My mate was taking the pixx about my poor positioning but rather than fanny about, I left the car where it was, as it really made no difference to anyone else, in any way, shape or form.
Never mind, we came back to the car about 7 hours later, to find a parking ticket on the windscreen!
When I opened it up, it was indeed for: "parking beyond the marked bay"!
The embarrassment was bad enough but the £50 fine was infuriating.
So as soon as I got home, I went online to see what the crack was.
I've only ever had one other parking ticket and that was a rip off in Eldon Garden, with a non existent disabled bay sign back in the 1990's but I was sure there would be some form of appeal system online or at least details of how to challenge the ticket ( pointless as it seemed).
I found the relevant section on South Tyneside Councils website, registered and set about writing up my "representation". It took nearly 2 hours to write, edit and re-edit, before I was finally satisfied
I clicked the button to send off my appeal and waited. And waited and then waited a couple more days,10 days or so in total, before finally phoning up the parking services team, to find out what was happening, only to find that they "Had no record of my appeal representation"
The lad I spoke to had the details up on his computer in seconds, including photo's that the "parking enforcement officer" had taken to back up his ticket.
As soon as the parking team lad saw the pictures, he said that in his opinion, I had an excellent case and that the ticket, while perfectly legal, was however; "a bit harsh" and after making some further investigations and actually calling me back 10 mins later, advised me that I should immediately submit another challenge, via direct email, rather than use the "e system".
I followed his advice and waited again. The only emails I received from South Tyneside Council were about school dinners!, so thinking that I needed to sort something out and that I'd just been wasting my time all along, the council probably just ignoring my messages and waiting for my time to run out so that they could charge me £50 rather £25, I gave in and on Monday morning, phoned them up again and paid the £25.
Then this afternoon, I come back from Amble, to find a letter from, you guessed it, South Tyneside Council's, Parking Services Team, saying:
I am pleased to inform you that I have accepted your challenge, on this occasion, however, any similar contraventions may not be waived in the future. The penalty charge notice in connection with the contravention has now been cancelled.
So it's straight back on the phone and amazingly, about 2 mins later, I've had my £25 refunded.
The morals of the tale are:
Don't park outside the marked lines, you'll quite likely get a ticket-I had no idea this was an offence by the way but I know now.
Don't assume that councils parking teams are always looking to rip off the motorist, they quite obviously aren't, at least in this case.
If you think you have a reasonable argument against a ticket, contact the relevant parking team and see what they have to say.
Always treat people with respect, at least until they get shxxy with you anyway
I never once lost my temper or got snotty with anyone I spoke to, there was no need and in any case, even if unintentionally I had contravened the parking regulations
So watch how you park or you'll be getting a ticket too
hope this helps someone else
all the best
Steve
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