New parking rules may make appeals harder ... Which? Report

New parking rules may make appeals harder

Councils will be able to issue tickets by post

New parking charge rules could make it more difficult for motorists to appeal an unfair ticket, Which? Legal Service warns today.

The new regulations will allow councils to issue a parking ticket by post for contraventions caught on CCTV, or if a motorist prevents a ticket being issued at the scene.
But our lawyers say the rules - which come into effect on 31 March - could make it harder for motorists to gather the necessary evidence to appeal against tickets they think have been unfairly issued.

Parking tickets

Which? Legal Service senior lawyer Joanne Lezemore said: ‘At the moment a penalty charge notice has to be given to the person believed to be the driver at the time of the offence.
‘The new parking regulations mean that you could wake up one morning to find a ticket in your post, which makes it difficult to collect evidence if you want to appeal.’
When challenging a ticket, it's useful to have evidence such as photographs that show, for example, your car's position at the time.
Recent figures from the Parking and Traffic Appeals Service showed London motorists had won more than two thirds of appeals.
Almost a third of these weren't even contested by the council, and it’s a similar picture elsewhere in the UK.

Appeal

The latest figures available from the National Parking Adjudication Service show 29% of appeals were not contested by the council, and a further 27% were won by the driver despite a council's argument.
Ms Lezemore said: ‘If you receive a ticket that you think is unfair, it is still well worth appealing as statistics show that many tickets do get overturned.
‘Act quickly, put it in writing and gather as much evidence as you can for the best chance of success.’
You can find more about your rights, and how to challenge a ticket, in the parking fines section of our website.

Alternatively, you can visit http://www.parkingappeals.co.uk/