Broken SCC Parking Meter rant

[srt2016 10]

I always take a picture that way youve got evidence that can be used in court, normally enough to stop them harrassing you if you get a ticket. Tbh I think they harrass you in the hope you will pay up but if you don't it's quite rare people actually get taken to court it's not productive and too costly

With council parking tickets, you NEVER get the opportunity to go to court and councils pursue ALL tickets.If you do nothing it will escalate into eye watering amounts, followed by the bailiffs.

 

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/reclaim/parking-ticket-appeals

Edited January 8, 2016 by srt2016

[Planner1 438]

I saw the same thing a few weeks ago there,its common practice not just in Sheffield or Cleethorpes they are all at it.

What exactly do you mean by "its common practice"?

 

Are you insinuating that Councils deliberately leave machines faulty?

 

---------- Post added 08-01-2016 at 20:24 ----------

 

With council parking tickets, you NEVER get the opportunity to go to court and councils pursue ALL tickets.If you do nothing it will escalate into eye watering amounts, followed by the bailiffs.

 

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/reclaim/parking-ticket-appeals

 

Not quite true.

 

The regulated appeals process ends with the Traffic Penalty Tribunal normally if the Council has adopted Civil Enforcement. However, people can and do take parking penalty disputes to the high court see: http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/wear/hi/people_and_places/newsid_8702000/8702816.stm

The costs are eye wateringly large if you lose though.

[apelike 10]

Some of Sheffield's machines (particularly in the city centre) are 25 years old and aren't as reliable as newer ones. The old machines also don't send remote alerts to the back office system when faults occur. Newer ones do.

 

The Coucil are doing what they can to improve the relaibility of machines.

 

I thought a % of the millions made in parking fines was also in part meant to be spent on upgrading parking metres? Or is that too much to expect?

[Shefuser 10]

With council parking tickets, you NEVER get the opportunity to go to court and councils pursue ALL tickets.If you do nothing it will escalate into eye watering amounts, followed by the bailiffs.

 

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/reclaim/parking-ticket-appeals

 

It does not work like that they have to take you to court if it's a dispute hence you get your opportunity in court. Bailiffs don't just appear they need to be passed by a court sherif.

[Planner1 438]

I thought a % of the millions made in parking fines was also in part meant to be spent on upgrading parking metres? Or is that too much to expect?

It isn't done as a percentage.

 

They have a modest budget for machine replacement and normally replace 30 to 50 machines annually (out of an estate of 500 machines). A basic machine is about £3.5k including installation.

 

It's quite common for there to be old machines still in service. I've seen older machines than Sheffield's in service in Leeds and Birmingham recently.

[srt2016 10]

"It does not work like that they have to take you to court if it's a dispute hence you get your opportunity in court. Bailiffs don't just appear they need to be passed by a court sherif. "

 

 

You did see the "if you do nothing" bit?

[Planner1 438]

It does not work like that they have to take you to court if it's a dispute hence you get your opportunity in court. Bailiffs don't just appear they need to be passed by a court sherif.

 

You don't actually get an "opportunity" in court.

 

Unpaid parking fines from all local authorities get registered with Traffic Enforcement Centre (TEC), which is based at the County Court in Northampton. The debt is registered and the County Court approve an order for recovery.

 

You don't get the opportunity of a personal hearing. If you want to dispute the penalty at that stage, you have to file a witness statement or statutory declaration, depending on type of penalty. There are very limited grounds on which you can do this.

 

This explains the process: https://www.justice.gov.uk/courts/northampton-business-centre/traffic-enforcement-centre/frequently-asked-questions

[Shefuser 10]

You don't actually get an "opportunity" in court.

 

Unpaid parking fines from all local authorities get registered with Traffic Enforcement Centre (TEC), which is based at the County Court in Northampton. The debt is registered and the County Court approve an order for recovery.

 

You don't get the opportunity of a personal hearing. If you want to dispute the penalty at that stage, you have to file a witness statement or statutory declaration, depending on type of penalty. There are very limited grounds on which you can do this.

 

This explains the process: https://www.justice.gov.uk/courts/northampton-business-centre/traffic-enforcement-centre/frequently-asked-questions

 

Didn't say it was a personal hearing but it's still court call it what you will but ultimately every one has the right to defend themselves or argue there case should they wish too otherwise it wouldn't be a democracy would it!! If you have reasonable grounds for defence and you don't back down quite often they do stop chasing you as it costs them money to chase. it's weather your prepared to take the risk or not. I broke down in north London and parked on a side road that was permit only got a ticket and after 12 months of chasing and me defending they eventually stopped sending me threatening letters. As is quite often there just threatening in the hope you back down and just pay which most people do. That's how they make there money.

[satman2222 10]

If you find a machine is not working, make an effort to find an adjacent one working. If that's not working, they are numbered, make a note of its number and ring parking services on the phone number on the machine. Give them your registration number and they will give you a reference number. Then park with impunity.

[bluecanary 13]

Well, another week, and yet more broken meters. One actually switched itself to "Not in Use" mode as I stood in front of it this morning - I'm starting to get a complex.

 

Other posters have mentioned known problems with damp and cold. If this is so, how can these machines be considered fit for purpose anywhere north of, say, Southampton? Good job that the council doesn't shrug off safety critical systems such as traffic lights as being a bit temperamental in cold weather!

 

Surely the revenue collecting from these machines (when working) could be directed towards upgrades? Like others said, not everyone has a mobile phone, or the inclination to atand around for ages waiting for someone to answer a call.

[Eater Sundae 12]

With council parking tickets, you NEVER get the opportunity to go to court and councils pursue ALL tickets.If you do nothing it will escalate into eye watering amounts, followed by the bailiffs.

 

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/reclaim/parking-ticket-appeals

 

I got a ticket a couple of years ago, on Ashgate Road, near the top end.

 

The machine wasn't working. The person who had tried to use it just before me left a note on their dash saying it wasn't working. I had no way of leaving a note, so just left the car. I didn't realize that I could/should have used a machine further down the road.

 

Anyway, after I got the ticket I wrote back saying that the machine wasn't working and that someone else had left a note, so the warden must have known it was faulty. They accepted that and I didn't have to pay.

[Cyclone 10]

Most local authorities are nowadays looking at reducing the number of pay and display machines they operate and encouraging drivers to use cashless payments. Some of the bigger parking authorties are doing this in quite a drastic way. Westminster (largest parking authority) have pretty much removed all pay and display machines and gone cashless. Brighton and Hove have implemented significant reductions. Many others are following suit.

 

You have a funny idea of what encourage means.

 

The encouragement in this case is a charge of an extra 20p every time you park...

 

If I wanted to encourage use of cashless payment, I'd give a 20p discount, or free 20 minutes of parking.

A bonus is encouragement, and penalty, not normally quite so much.