Comments on: Parking Fines - The Fixed Penalty Bay Scam

By: JT

JT — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 08:51:06 +0000

I admire that you have been to court to fight the corner on the issue. Did you get off or did you end up paying the fine? I hope the council start listening but I very much doubt it!

By: Lorraine

Lorraine — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 12:36:02 +0000

I think the first fixed daily charge bays where outside the RVI on Richardson Road, they made so much money off them, that the decided to place them throughout town.
The parking bays looked the same as normal parking bays, and they were next to a parking meter. The sign saying No Ticket Holders is high above the Parking Meter facing the fence out of sight.
I went to court, to protest my innocence.
The ticket warden, said the majority of people who park there have bought tickets, but I have to issue penalty notices because they can’t park there.
The girl from the council, said that they got more penalty notices there because there was more people visiting the hospital, the magistrates said, strike that off, she can’t know that is the reason.
They fined me.
Then they asked the girl from the council, why they did not put markings on the bays, showing they are for the disabled. She said, because people would drive in and not see them, and they wear off.
So really we should have no signs on the roads at all, because the girl from the council, says we either will not see them or they wear off, and they are in charge of the road signage.
I still have the evidence, and it clearly shows all the bays look like normal parking bays, I took photographs throughout the City, this is a con. We live in a FINE City.

By: JT

JT — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 20:08:57 +0000

Half a million from the fixed bays is terrible! This is clearly a money making exercise. Unfortunately the council don’t seem to listen no matter how many people complain how unfair this is.

By: Tom

Tom — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 16:11:20 +0000

Progress so far is that they have responded to my request under the Freedom Of Information Act for details of the amount of revenue being raised by the scam. See their reply at: http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/fixed_daily_charge_parking_ticke#incoming-7458

It seems they are making in excess of half a million a year just from the bays they place in Pay and Display areas. It can’t all be from people who genuinely “elected” to pay £30.

You will also see that I have lodged a formal complaint about their behaviour. I fully expect a whitewash because I am not the first to have brought the issue to their attention. I shall let you know what story they come up with.

By: JT

JT — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 16:37:21 +0000

Thanks Tom, if you could post back when you have the outcome I’m sure everyone would be interested.

By: Tom

Tom — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 18:37:26 +0000

I didn’t notice the sign either… I have paid the fine because I suspect the magistrates would say they are within the law even if they are devious and deliberately catching people out.

I am not letting it go though: I shall use other channels to question their behaviour. It will take some time, but I will come back here and let you know the outcome.

By: JT

JT — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 15:55:39 +0000

Thanks for the comment Tom, I didn’t realise that the council had another outrageous scam running by the Falcons ground. As it happens I live very close to Kingston Park and never even noticed the signs. Hopefully people will read this and avoid the greedy pockets of the newcastle council.

By: Tom

Tom — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 15:44:54 +0000

They work this scam in several streets, and it is very very easy to get caught out. There is no possible explanation I can think of other than that it is indeed designed to catch people out.

They also work a “Fixed daily Charge” scam near the Falcons’ ground on match days: no yellow lines, no bays marked - just a sign that you drive past as you enter a housing estate.

Another aspect to this scam is that they have chosen to implement it using the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 rather than later Acts which decriminalised parking offences. This means that you can’t appeal to a parking adjudicator and they intimidate you with threats of criminal prosecution through the magistrates court. Quite outrageous really.

By: Gavin

Gavin — Thu, 22 May 2008 21:10:21 +0000

That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard! What is the bloody point in having that particular bay in the first place, how about taking one car parking bay away!