Sunday, October 14, 2007

Free Parking in London ...

Last Wednesday we attempted to get a Penalty Charge Notice in a pretty high profile location. Luckily, a space became available ... outside the Department for Transport's offices in Horseferry Road.


The location purports to be a pay and display bay but, as any of the officials inside the building would point out, any road markings and signs would need to comply with the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2002.


Now, one would not expect any of the officials in the building to exploit their knowledge of the law ... and use the space for their own personal free parking. So, it appears as though the officials who walk past the unlawful bays either turn a blind eye or have not yet tipped the nod to Westminster Council.

However, Westminster Council officials have already been made aware ... as the result of signing expert Richard Bentley's comments at this location on the Trevor McDonald Tonight special that we did over a year ago.

To continue to enforce in this location in the full knowledge that the signs were unlawful is a little naughty indeed.

So, we tried to get a parking ticket ... by not buying a pay and display ticket. We ordered a coffee and waited, and within minutes a Parking Attendant came by. He logged the vehicle and departed. The vehicle, being a commercial vehicle may have been afforded its '20 minute casual observation.'

He duly returned 20 minutes later and bingo we thought. He stood by the vehicle logged it again and we got ready ... first Westminster ticket. And then, after looking around, he walked off.

We waited another hour but still no luck.

The bay is incorrectly marked and if you do get a ticket we will prepare your defence.

We repeated this at a number of locations across Westminster and Camden and failed to get a single ticket.

To find out why this bay is unlawful visit http://www.parkingappeals.co.uk/



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