Civil Parking Notice Keele University

[Bav3333]

Hi,

Once again I have be given a CPN whilst parking at the university.

I am a full time student at Keele university and live on campus. I currently have a valid residents permit that allows me to park on the carpark where I live and at the leisure centre. On the evening before there where no parking spaces at both the leisure centre and the halls carpark so I parked on the grass as not to cause a obstruction. I couldn't park elsewhere as I would have ended up with a CPN.

This morning I went to the car and was greeted by a parking fine.

I went back through all my emails and found the one they sent out in regards to the new enforcement of parking:

Car Parking Management on Campus

Since the beginning of December 2007 we have been advising campus staff, students, residents and Science Park tenants of the introduction of new method of managing and monitoring vehicles on campus. This communication has been through the various electronic means and available on posters throughout the campus buildings.

We now invite all staff and students to the second and final question and answer session to be held in the Exhibition Suite between 12pm and 2pm on Monday 14th January, where we will be pleased to answer the queries and concerns not so far dealt with as a result of previous Campusstaff and Announce e-mails.

It is anticipated that this system will be introduced from the 11th February 2008. Warning notices will be issued for a period of two weeks to ensure that staff and students are fully aware of the new procedures and penalties will come into force from the 25th February 2008.

The University has approved the outsourcing of the civil parking enforcement scheme to a fully licensed company, Liberty Services, who will ensure efficient and timely collection of parking fines.

Contraventions include: failure to park in a valid parking space or display a valid permit/ticket; parking in a disabled person's bay without authorisation; causing obstruction for emergency vehicles; parking in a no waiting area; exceeding the permitted time limit; abandoning a vehicle.

If warning notices are ignored, a penalty notice will be issued by existing car parking management staff using handheld PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants) which record the date, time and offence committed and capture photographic evidence of the offence.

This is then downloaded daily to a dedicated central server. Liberty Services will then be able to request the car owner's details from the DVLA and follow up with legal letters if the penalty is not paid. The recommended penalty is £50 - which can be halved if paid within 14 days.

Currently all cars parked on campus are required to display an appropriate permit. Staff and student car parking is managed through the purchase of University permits, which designate the areas in which the various permit holders may park. Visitors should use pay and display.

Staff and student permits and the pay and display system will continue to operate in the same way but a visitors' car parking permit scheme will be introduced. Invited visitors will be given a professionally produced permit which uses scratch card features to validate it. Each permit will be valid for one day and will display the date, car registration number and the name of the person being visited, and will be traceable by its serial number.

For more information please contact

Deputy Director CFM

The part that interests me the most is the following:

If warning notices are ignored, a penalty notice will be issued by existing car parking management staff using handheld PDAs

This suggests that warning notices must be issued before a CPN can be issued. There is nothing on the signs that contridicts this and this was the email sent to all staff and students.

Pics of sign:




The above is the only terms and conditions that are on the sign which I have. There is nothing stating about designated areas etc etc.

I am fed up with the university I work 60 hour weeks to do my nursing degree and don't have normal hours.

All advice is vey much appreciated.

Bavo

[Barnsley Boy]

First Advive is simply DON'T PAY.

These companies rely upon contract as opposed to statute [councils & police]. The wording of the contract is therefore crucial. In establishing the contract, the wording on both the signs and the parking permit is important. You are home and dry on the sign since, as you say, it does not cover your alleged contravention.

It is worth checking the permit to see if anything different is stated on that.

Remember that generally, these private tickets are just invoices, nothing official. The matter of a parking permit does make things a little more complicated, but only a little.

The private invoices are, by and large, unenforecable. The truth is that the Parking Companies don't even try to do so, they are just letter writing factories, making all sorts of threats which don't amount to anything.

Read the Links, you have nothing whatsoever to lose by using the template letters. Do not admit to driving.

Private Parking Tickets - Template Letters

Private Parking Companies/Charges - Advice Paper (everything you need to know)

[Bav3333]

Hello again,

Well they strike again for the same parking violation according to them when I was parked in a designated area, The great thing is I notice it appears only to be my car they ticket round my block of flats.

Further, after reading the guide looking at the defence on penalties, I had to pay Keele university £25.00 for my permit and since they incurr no loss as all permits are purchased on a yearly basis does it mean that the £25 or £75.00 they allege I owe unenforceable?

Bavo

[Barnsley Boy]

What is the parking "violation" that they allege when you parked in a designated area?

Are there particular conditions on the permit that you've signed for?

Have you contacted them re: the previous ticket?

All this may seem a bit academic, given that the answer is still that these tickets are still unenforceable but it is as well to have the full facts.

[patdavies]

Car Parking Management on Campus

Since the beginning of December 2007 we have been advising campus staff, students, residents and Science Park tenants of the introduction of new method of managing and monitoring vehicles on campus. This communication has been through the various electronic means and available on posters throughout the campus buildings.

We now invite all staff and students to the second and final question and answer session to be held in the Exhibition Suite between 12pm and 2pm on Monday 14th January, where we will be pleased to answer the queries and concerns not so far dealt with as a result of previous Campusstaff and Announce e-mails.

It is anticipated that this system will be introduced from the 11th February 2008. Warning notices will be issued for a period of two weeks to ensure that staff and students are fully aware of the new procedures and penalties will come into force from the 25th February 2008.

The University has approved the outsourcing of the civil parking enforcement scheme to a fully licensed company, Liberty Services, who will ensure efficient and timely collection of parking fines.

Contraventions include: failure to park in a valid parking space or display a valid permit/ticket; parking in a disabled person's bay without authorisation; causing obstruction for emergency vehicles; parking in a no waiting area; exceeding the permitted time limit; abandoning a vehicle.

If warning notices are ignored, a penalty notice will be issued by existing car parking management staff using handheld PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants) which record the date, time and offence committed and capture photographic evidence of the offence.

This is then downloaded daily to a dedicated central server. Liberty Services will then be able to request the car owner's details from the DVLA and follow up with legal letters if the penalty is not paid. The recommended penalty is £50 - which can be halved if paid within 14 days.

Currently all cars parked on campus are required to display an appropriate permit. Staff and student car parking is managed through the purchase of University permits, which designate the areas in which the various permit holders may park. Visitors should use pay and display.

Staff and student permits and the pay and display system will continue to operate in the same way but a visitors' car parking permit scheme will be introduced. Invited visitors will be given a professionally produced permit which uses scratch card features to validate it. Each permit will be valid for one day and will display the date, car registration number and the name of the person being visited, and will be traceable by its serial number.

For more information please contact

Deputy Director CFM

Does Keele not teach law?

[lamma]

indeed - take that to the law prof.

[Bav3333]

Finally a quick update on this matter, I finally had a reply from Car Parking Agency after waiting 5 weeks and I have had the ticket dismissed.

Thank you for all your advice and the brilliant FAQ's which helped in a huge way in guiding my arguements.

[Al27]

That was good of them. Acting all illegally and all.