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Do You want To Appeal Your Parking Tickets?
Since the 1990s where parking control powers have been allotted to the local
councils away from the police, there has been a sharp increase in the issuing of
parking tickets and more people appealing against them.
In the aftermath of parking tickets decriminalization, it can be said that
common people are starting to realize that the local councils are merely using
the parking ticket issuance power vested on them, to generate revenue by way of
parking tickets and it is the very reason behind the increase in the number of
parking tickets in recent times.
There are several reasons for modern day approach towards compact form of
parking tickets. In recent times, parking fines have shot up with some motorists
even paying up to 120 pounds for their parking tickets.
If you genuinely feel you have been issued an unfair parking tickets, then
certainly appeal against the parking tickets. In fact around 50% of the
appealers win their appeals. In majority of cases the local councils do not even
bother to turn up at the appeal.
The value of parking tickets however cannot be totally dismissed. Its importance
lies in its function of keeping chaos off the roads. Moreover, taxes would have
gone up if parking tickets didn’t exist to provide some sort of revenue for the
local councils to operate on.
This is the theory behind issuing a parking ticket and imposing parking fines
for collecting transport revenues. However traffic wardens are being pressurised
to give parking tickets to as many people as possible even if they have not
broken the law.
So if one finds there are no signs specifically mentioned for parking at a
certain area the motorist should avoid parking there as it is likely to be a
trap. If in any doubt do not park or you are very likely to get parking tickets.
To appeal parking tickets is not a very hard procedure. But in spite of these
easy steps 99% people are still paying their parking fine. All it takes a simple
letter to the local council or if you are lucky, then one very quick and easy
email.
Drafting a short email or letter that can save 30 – 120 pounds should not be too
much of a hassle for you. The problem is that most drivers do not know how easy
it is to draft this parking tickets appeal letter. There are many online sites
who explain the entire process and there also exists companies who offer appeal
templates or you can outsource the drafting work to them.
Now to ensure you are successful you will need some kind of evidence. You could
for example have photographs showing that there were no signs at the place where
you parked; or that there was a sign which shows you were parking legally. In
this way with near two thirds of parking tickets being distributed illegally
there stands a big chance for you!
There’s yet another way other than photography. One can utilize technicality to
help appeal for parking tickets. Common technicalities are to do with what is on
the parking ticket. Say you got a ticket and it said you were parked in Smith
Street when in fact you were parked in Smith Road you could argue that the
contravention never occurred thus winning your parking tickets appeal.
A relatively new phenomenon is parking tickets issued from private parking
ticket companies. Under these companies you get similar parking tickets as the
warden gives you but it will say something distinctive from the original and
legal issued one as “Parking Charge Notice pay within 14 days for a reduced
rate. Non payment will result in us contacting the D.V.L.A. for your details.”
However you can safely ignore these parking tickets. Do not even bother
contacting the company. These tickets are illegal they are in fact only
invoices. Just ignore any threatening letters as the company can not act on
them.
If you want an example of a company who has never taken anybody to court for
fine defaults, mention may be made of Euro Car Parks.
If in case you are taken to court there are several things that they need to
prove therein. Firstly, they need to prove you as their registered keeper to
show you as a party to their contract (entering their car park means that you
have entered a contract with them). Secondly, it has to be proven that you were
driving at that time. If all of this is proven, even then what they’ll be
entitled to is a mere 2 pounds for an hour’s extra parking.
So to conclude, you should never appeal parking tickets from a private company
even if you receive 3 or 4 threatening letters. Just ignore them or tell them
you will get a court order against them for harassment.
So never end up paying fake parking tickets. So just go ahead and appeal – you
have a great chance of winning it. Visit the website below for help and advice.
Why Should You Appeal Against A Parking Tickets?
To know the answer to the question, "why do parking tickets cost so much?" We
have to go back to the Road Traffic Act of 1991. This enabled local Councils to
manage local parking regulations including the parking tickets issue thereof.
Simply put, traffic wardens function under the council and not the police.
In the year 2008, precisely on 31st March, the Traffic Management Act of 2004
came to force which divided parking tickets into two groups – the higher offence
and the lower offence. Stating an example, parking on double yellow lines would
be costlier than having an expired pay and display ticket.
The high parking tickets act as a restraint to traffic rule violating motorists
and are probably priced that way keeping in mind this fact.
The fine you pay for parking tickets are high also because the administrative
expenses included in it. Thus, wages for traffic wardens, cost of their
training, motorist’s appeal handling and chasing unpaid fines are all included
therein.
Since local councils aim to be in the back, most of the times they contract out
the work to private companies.
Since a 50% discount is offered to early payers, motorists fear losing out on
this if they were to appeal a second time and hence do not go ahead for genuine
parking tickets appeals.
A common question is that ‘Is the system bias?’ The council’s yearly budget has
parking tickets as one of the most important elements in it. Even the appeal
process that a motorist is entitled to is financed by fines paid by other
motorists.
Maintenance and ensuring revenue generation through this lucrative avenue hence
is very important for the council and its contractors, who might also be in it
for a percentage.
So it is understandable why so many unjust and unfair parking tickets are issued
in this country. Almost 70% of these do not even have legal validity. But does
one see the council to take any steps regarding this. The answer obviously is a
big no.
Recent days have seen traffic wardens pursuing the approach of ‘ticket first,
questions later’. But it must also be mentioned at this point that 70% of all
motorists win their parking tickets appeal
Various councils in the past have rejected parking tickets appeals made by
motorists immediately without having any legally valid reason. It is only
because they want to protect their income.
Fortunately for the council, from the point of view of the public in general it
is a tough job to prove that such malpractices go on abundantly.
Thus, it can be safely said that the huge amounts stated as parking tickets
exist so as to not to let motorists violate traffic norms and thereby create a
road chaos. From the council’s point of view, like an indirect tax, it is an
instrument to generate extra income.
Do you happen to know any individual who got an unfair parking tickets and
wanted to appeal against it but didn’t as he did not know the procedure? Well,
there are numerous sites wherein these procedures are explained and letters
drafted which can cancel any illegal parking tickets.
You must know this that the traffic wardens are under a lot of pressure
themselves. They are forced by the councils to issue parking tickets as much as
possible. The knowledge of this should be used as an advantage in parking ticket
appealing.
Moreover, many do not take the hassle of appealing parking tickets since they
have a pre-conceived notion that appeal letters are difficult and complicated to
jot down. But there exists innumerable websites where such templates as well as
samples are provided to make life easier.
There exist two strategies in which your parking ticket appealing process might
take place. The first one involves you providing photographic evidence of your
innocence. Here, you click photos of the said area to show that there had been
no road markings or signs to tell you that parking was prohibited there.
The second route consisting of you going by what the parking tickets says. For
example, if it says you were parked on Smith Road, you might as well say that in
reality you were in Smith Street.
Lastly, coming to the private parking tickets now, please note never to pay any
attention to them. These look similar to the publicly issued legal tickets and
often send you follow up threat mails but one should always keep in mind that
even if they drag you to court, they will only be able to collect the fine from
you, an amount which is much lower than the court fees they have to pay. Thus,
they will never drag you to court.
