Parking Infringement .... Help!!

If it was me, I’d just pay it. But considering you’re not me, then I think you should go to court. That way you go through all that stress to save youself $174 and I get maximum LULZ.

Gosh you people are cruel.
The point of this thread isn’t so much that the person was parked incorrectly, but that the spot had conflicting indicators. Yes there was a recently erected sign saying no parking, but at the same time had white dotted lines to suggest where the vehicle should be parked. If they have a roadwork sign saying 40km/h and then the existing 80km/h sign visible just after it with it’s temporary green hessian bag ripped off in the breeze, would you do 40 or 80? If there is contradiction and room for error or confusion, why should we be penalized for the government’s mistake?

Ive disputed parking infringements, especially as i try to park legally. where ive been caught out have been due to very confusing or recently changed signs and parking periods.

Write a letter – not an email.

If the signage is confusing, tell them. Take photos to support your case.
Draw a map and explain why you were confused. Recommend how they can make it less confusing.

Sometimes it works. It has for me.

As long as there is a sign for the designated area, they will ignore any markings on the road. You said there was a no stopping sign. That’s all that matters to them. You’re best off paying it.

If your right and there’re wrong, then you’ve got nothing to worry about. However if there’re right and your on the side of erring, watch out.

I was stung this week too Tuneman and am about to dispute the fact that there was no sign erected, no visible lines and not obstructing traffic and not pinning another vehicle in to get out.

10.00am starts/shifts are difficult as most parks gone two hours beforehand.

Thinking of catching the bus a few days per week instead.

I aim to take photos and pop them in the chronicle to see how many other poor blighters over the years were and are stung over the same spot – ie in a carpark, no visible lines, no sign and no obstructions.

Best wishes with your appeal – forget all the negative remarks – when these people are caught out, seeth and dont moan for fear of being hypocritical, a more unhealthy outcome for them.

troll-sniffer said :

Locking up my trusty horseless carriage, I stride purposefully towards my destination, where I arrive refreshed and stress-free 5 minutes later.

Apart from having a chuckle, I almost instantly pictured this:
http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/strutting-leo-leo-strut

This little black duck has learnt to rort the system, and if you listen very carefully kiddies, I’ll let you into my dastardly secret.

When approaching a shopping centre or any other area of buildings with the likelihood of pay parking, and more often than not, its attendant traffic hassles, I employ the devious ruse of just parking in the first spot I see within 5 minutes walk of my destination. Occasionally this means being in a 2 hour zone, mostly it means the parking is not controlled.

Locking up my trusty horseless carriage, I stride purposefully towards my destination, where I arrive refreshed and stress-free 5 minutes later. Meanwhile, cars that have roared past me as I strode the footpath are still milling about in confusion hoping to get a spot 20 metres closer than the one they just passed by.

Following my business dealings, I stride single-mindedly back towards my car, and during those long 5 minutes of striding, I await with anticipation the opportunity to drive away, unencumbered by a procession of cars and traffic lights that are faced by the lazy sods i have left behind.

Try it, once you get used to putting one leg in front of the other to get somewhere, it all seems so natural, almost as though our evolution had prepared us for the task.

phil m said :

I drove to Melbourne last year and was parked for all of 45 minutes before receiving a fine.
I thought I was parked well within a 1P zone around midday, the sign said 1P 7 – 11 PM. And I parked in a gap with a few other cars also in the same zone.
Turns out there was another sign above that one that said No Stopping 7 AM – 7 PM. Across the road was all 1P and each way down the street were meter parking.

I wrote them a nice letter and said I was interstate and I am not used to all these confusing signs and I legitimately thought I was parked in a 1 hour zone. But they wrote back and said we don’t care pay the money.

So I just paid the money by the due date.
True story.

Had more or less the same thing happen to me, except it was in the UK, was likely 3x more expensive, involved an A4 sign on a wall 2 parking spots down, having the wheel clamped and having to physically hand over the money before the clamp was removed.

Unsurprisingly the response from the council was that they quite liked my hundred quid, and didnt want to return it.

I think you should go to the magistrate and add some additional court costs to your fine, just for being a wiggling little fine-avoider.

Pay the fine. Pay more attention next time.

tuneman said :

Greta said :

Same happened to me. It rained the day I parked there and I didn’t realize that it is now a non parking spot because they sort of got rid of the white lines but in rain it looked like they were still there – I ended up paying the fine. I also complained to the ACT traffic guys so this wouldn’t happened again. Looks like it was a waste of time.

That’s interesting Greta, how long ago was that? Have you still got the paperwork?

No, sorry. I just sent an email to an address which was either on the infringement note or on an ACT government website. Can’t remember as it was last year… Paying the $174 really hurt, only soup and bread for us that week. Even cried a few tears, but it most probably taught my son who was in the car with me at the time a few lessons.

Greta said :

Same happened to me. It rained the day I parked there and I didn’t realize that it is now a non parking spot because they sort of got rid of the white lines but in rain it looked like they were still there – I ended up paying the fine. I also complained to the ACT traffic guys so this wouldn’t happened again. Looks like it was a waste of time.

That’s interesting Greta, how long ago was that? Have you still got the paperwork?

Same happened to me. It rained the day I parked there and I didn’t realize that it is now a non parking spot because they sort of got rid of the white lines but in rain it looked like they were still there – I ended up paying the fine. I also complained to the ACT traffic guys so this wouldn’t happened again. Looks like it was a waste of time.

My belief is that while you might have some luck in having an infringement withdrawn for overstaying your parking limit*, parking in areas like “No Stopping” zones are a different kettle of fish. These are marked as “No Stopping” for a reason, and it’s often for safety reasons.

* i’ve had one withdrawn in these circumstances. I swapped cars with my parents once and parked in a pay-and-display. The stupid slope on their cars dashboard caused the ticket to fall off the dash. I wrote a letter, along with a copy of the ticket, and they withdrew the fine.

In this case, you’re just gonna have to wear it.

I drove to Melbourne last year and was parked for all of 45 minutes before receiving a fine.
I thought I was parked well within a 1P zone around midday, the sign said 1P 7 – 11 PM. And I parked in a gap with a few other cars also in the same zone.
Turns out there was another sign above that one that said No Stopping 7 AM – 7 PM. Across the road was all 1P and each way down the street were meter parking.

I wrote them a nice letter and said I was interstate and I am not used to all these confusing signs and I legitimately thought I was parked in a 1 hour zone. But they wrote back and said we don’t care pay the money.

So I just paid the money by the due date.
True story.

Pay the fine… You’ve aleady written to them… Unless your unemployed on welfare (no offense meant to people who are unemployed on welfare) is your time really worth so little that a $174 fine is worth a day off from work where you either don’t get paid or you lose out on a day of annual leave?

Besides you may go through the expense of taking the matter to court to end up in exactly the same (or worse) position than had you simply paid the fine in the first place.

ConanOfCooma said :

If you ran over a child because you didn’t see them, do you think you should be let off for that, as well?

+1. And as JJ said, just pay the fine.

Pay the fine.

Pay more attention in future.

If you ran over a child because you didn’t see them, do you think you should be let off for that, as well?

Im so over these posts! You parked in the wrong spot -not seeing something doesn’t excuse you being in the wrong. Pay the fine and get over it!