Threatened with a PCN for failing to display a visitor permit ON A MOTORCYCLE

[pt2537]

Hi Everyone,

 

I had a strange conversation with a traffic warden regarding parking outside my mother in laws on my motorcycle. in their road it is a permit parking area and their permits are around 4 inchs wide by 12 long and are paper, which you need to write the day sate and reg no for each day you wish to park in the street.

 

anyway, i parked my motor cycle and went in to visit my mum in law, when i came out i was greeted by Mr Jobsworth who pointed out i didnt have a paper permit on display (10 out of 10 for observation) he went on to say i was breaking the law as i needed a permit to legally park. i tried to reason that its a motorbike and where exactley are you supposed to display this permit on a motorbike? he said basically thats not his problem and if he saw my bike again he would ticket me

 

anyway he did (saw the bike) and he did ( ticket me)

 

when i argued with the local authority that it was obsurd to expect a motorcycle to use a permit which was clearly designed for a car IE to be left on the dashboard and they say the cant be seen to discriminate between car and bikes ( but isnt that what they are doin) so they use one permit for all

 

anyway they told me that the way i should get around this is to fix another tax disc holder to my bike and then use it to house the permit. i points out that a tax disc is circular and these permits are rectangular and they said to cut it up so it fits. i did just this and then got another PCN this time for defacing the permit

 

 

does anyone know if this is legal IE requiring motorcycles to display parking permits in the street and if the local authorities action are legal

[Rob S]

Have you got it in writing that they told you to adapt the permit to fix a circular tax disc holder?

[pt2537]

Hi Rob

 

No i didnt get it in writing as it was in the course of a phone call.

 

my main gripe is where the hell are you suppossed to place a permit of that style on a motorcycle. i mean if its windy it will blow away, if it rains it will turn to mush and not only that as our council charges 7 pound a strip as each permit covers five days some little sod would nick it as our council limits the number of perrmits it issues for free. i even approached the council about a motorcycle freindly version I E round one so that it would go in a tax disc but they said no

 

 

 

regards

paul

[Rob S]

I would suggest, if you haven't done so already, that you write in and outline all the above and ask them to waive the PCN's. It is unreasonable to expect you to place a ticket on a motorcycle where it could so easily be removed by other persosns, or be destroyed by inclement weather. And then make the point that following advice from their own officials, you get another PCN for defacing it! If necessary, it might be worth taking this to the appeal stage.