Traffic Wardens

[closey]

Must be wearing a hat whilst issuing you with a ticket. If they are not wearing a take a photograph, even better with your mobile phone as it will record the time and date, and report them. You won't have to pay the ticket and they will be in trouble with their employeer.

[comanche]

Just a hat? :o

[seylectric]

Lol!

[norvernrob]

Strange, I read this the other day, went into town and saw a warden issuing a ticket, and he wasn't wearing a hat. When I went back to the car park he was doing another car, still with no hat.

[Worzel]

I'm under the impression that the ticket isn't valid until it had been completed in full and stuck on your windscreen (or handlebars if you're on a motorbike!). So if you see a traffic warden at your car writing out a ticket (hat or no hat) don't start talking to them, get in your car and drive off (just don't run them over).

Haven't tried it myself but what have you got to loose?

Worz

[seylectric]

I've had notices about unpaid parking tickets in the past when I have never even had the tickets. My appeals were rejected so I'm not sure about this, although Blackpool Council seem to automatically reject everything anyway including genuine claims so it's hard to say.

For example I got three tickets last year for parking in a residents parking area. I had a permit which was displayed in the side window, it said on the reverse of the permit that it had to be placed in the front or side window but the council argued that the T&Cs stated that it had to be placed in the front window (this was correct, there was no mention of placing the permit in the side window on the T&Cs) and rejected my appeals.

They eventually conceded when I verbally threatened to sue them for harrasment for repeatedly and wrongfully ticketing my car and trying to wrongfully enforce the fines as I was complying with the rules according to the back of the permit (so don't believe them if they say they have no power to cancel the tickets after a failed appeal, they have) but "warned" me that if I didn't place the permit in the front windscreen they would "not let me off in future". I did move the permit to the front windscreen although I sometimes wish I hadn't just for the hell of it.

If it's true it's got to be a great get-out clause because surely all you need to do is claim there was no ticket on the screen when you got back to it, so for that reason I can't see it myself, that would be far too easy.

[martinwhite]

There used to be a similar "defence" techicality for drink driving. The roadside test has to be carried out by a constable (generic term) in uniform. There were a few cases thrown out on the basis that the officer did not have a hat on until someone in a Higher Court saw sense and called an end to that nonsense.

Urban myth possibly? I suspect the term is that the warden must be in uniform. Police constables are required to be in uniform to issue tickets so I guess this is the same area of law.

[Lorraine]

Cant help but chuckle at this - I won my case against the traffic warden - it was bloody hard though.

Talking to a few friends on Saturday about Traffic Wardens and parking fines and one of my mates said that his friend gets parking tickets and then looks for the most expensive car in the car park and then puts the ticket on theirs. He has never got to pay one yet - his theory is that this person who owns the really expensive car will automatically give it to their office who deal with it. Does not look at the details!!!!!
Sorry but I couldnt help but to add this. SORRY if it offends but some people get away with it!!!!

[seylectric]

Hey, that's brilliant, I like that!

Shame we can't combine these threads.

[lookinforinfo]

http://www.parkingticket.co.uk/em.html

The above url will help to explain various aspects of parking laws including not wearing a hat and driving off before ticket completed.

[seylectric]

I've actually got a separate thread relating to my own (illegally issued) parking ticket, but here's something I didn't know and haven't seen before:

According to that site:

"If colour of the vehicle is incorrectly recorded on a parking ticket is it valid?

PAs are required to make a note of a number of things, including the colour of the vehicle, all of which must be correctly recorded for the ticket to be valid."

Interesting because I've never had a ticket yet which shows the colour of my car recorded!

[martinwhite]

Read a few threads on Pepipoo and you will find that many Safety Camera partnerships do NOT adhere to the ACPO guidelines on enforcement of speed limits, in terms of location, methods etc but this makes ZERO difference to the outcome.

Many will even badger people into fessing up and voluntarily paying the £60 even when there is no legal right, ie. if the Notice of Intended Prosecution was served outside the 14 day limit or if proceedings have not been initiated within six months of the offence.

Why should the authorities be treating mere parking tickets any more seriously? It's a scandal.

[seylectric]

Originally Posted by martinwhite

Read a few threads on Pepipoo and you will find that many Safety Camera partnerships do NOT adhere to the ACPO guidelines on enforcement of speed limits, in terms of location, methods etc but this makes ZERO difference to the outcome

Oh, that's very true. There is one near me that is located immediately the other side of a hump back bridge, there's no way you can see it until you have reached the peak of the bridge, you then see it a few yards ahead of you. There is another one which is "hidden" behind a large direction sign, this time you are virtually passing it before you see it.

But although they have broken ACPO guidelines they get away with it because they are simply that - guidelines. There are several ways to easily get out of speed camera fines though, but I can't really post them on here.