Last week we noted that a crack-down was to begin on people making their own parking tickets.
The vengeful arm of parking law was to be armed with a holographic strip. This was intended to put fake ticket manufacturing beyond the capacity of the average bubblejet printer.
Below are two pictures of the new tickets under different lighting conditions. I have to say when I first got it I thought it was just a grey strip.
But will the fraudsters chance their arm on the lighting conditions?
here we go…
peterh said :
Since you don’t know the circumstances behind that insident you cannot comment on it, yes it’s funny looking at it at face value but if you knew the real story you’d be singing a different tune, the worst parking offenders are the ones that are supposed to be upholding the law, protecting us and leading by example, well guess what they’re not.
Holden Caulfield said :
They are set that way to do the exact opposite, I’m sure there is something a little more important you could bitch about?
blood_nut said :
+1, i reckon i could print off a weeks worth in 20-30min with the attached security seal.
The more we fight against the system the more they will find ways to make us pay – just look at the parking systems in some Sydney councils – Sensors in the parking space know when you park, and when you have overstayed and summons the PI to book you. So, dumb ass scammers will make it even worse for us.
As for getting on up on the system I am all for culture jamming – like say finding out where all the bombers park their cars (if in paid parking of course) then find a way to dispose of their voucher (macgyver style, compressed air and a magnifying glass?) then have them all booked by each other lol (BTW would they be sacked if the refuse to book their own vehicle?)
A friend suggested electrifying his wiper blades (joking of course, a form of therapy when dealing with things we cannot change) but then googled the idea to find he’s far from the first.
Alternatively we could encourage the (Chaser) idea of more Citizens Infringement Officers.
I have only ever gotten five parking tickets in as many years, and yes, all were unlawful.
Good on you “””ozinaussie””” now all you have to do is send an invoice for your call costs logged in a diary plus the counseling sessions (probably in the dozens of pints). Although an envelope full of cash on your doorstep is a funny way to keep you quiet!
ozinaussie said :
Thank you for going to so much effort on behalf of us all!
Procedures don’t equal law pelican.
I think you might find that by law they don’t!! they only give you a credit you could ask them for a copy of thier procedures under the freedom of information Act.
You can’t beat the ACT Govenment so just pay for the privildge of driving to work at $7.50 a day $+, afterall even the Brown bombers have to pay for parking don’t they ???? Just remember they are only doing what there boss tells them and if they say anything they would be out of a job. Shame they can’t tell the time though.
I hear that a congestion tax could come in after the election. More $$$$$$$ for the ACT Govt.
pelican
I just rang them once when the machine swallowed my money (7.50) and they just promised not to book me that day. Someone came around and put a note on my windscreen saying I’d rung.
Soudnds easier than the refund.
ozinaussie said :
Thank you!
And by law they would have to give a refund.
A true hero!
No I mean it.
By taking one for the team you gave the system a chance of being improved.
Not that anyone else will thank you for it.
I once parked on Christmas Eve in a car park at Tuggers. Walked to the machine and put a $2 coin int it and received no ticket. I walked over to another machine, put a $2 coin in it and got my ticket. Then I went to a pay-phone and spent 50 cents phoning the 1-800 number on the machine “in case of difficulties.” Was told by the guy on the phone that they don’t refund money, but just give a credit. I gave the analogy that if I was a visitor to the ACT, what good would a credit do me? Phoned back a few days later and found out that the first guy I talked to had told me a porky-pie and that they could give refunds, but they prefer to give credits. I pursued the $2 refund for three months & countless phone calls and threats to take it to the media. Finally, a white envelope was left in my screen door at home, with a $2 coin in it. Cost to me…probalby $20 in phone calls and a lot of frustration of red-tape gone mad.
All the parking machines I have used, have their time set forward between 5 and 10 minutes, I am only guesssing, but would that not give you extra time. ie if it is 3 o’clock on my watch and 3.10 on the parking machine and I purchased an hour parking ticket would it not expire at 4.10 not 4 o’clock so in effect I would have an extra ten minutes of parking without paying. So the clocks set forward I would say is a bonus for us.
Its easy, you just print off a label that fits over the top of the old date leaving the silver strip visible. All you need to do is buy one ticket and reuse the strip.
For F**k sake. It’s a service that you are using people. Just pay for it like you have to pay for rego, insurance and everything else. There is such a thing as karma I’ve learned. The only comment I agree with on here is when the wanker parking cops set the clocks incorrectly on the machines, or hover waiting for a meter to expire.
Other than that, stop moaning – stop forging and just bloody pay!
The random “number of the day” seems a good idea – should stop pre-offending. I would suggest that the penalty for fraud include the mandatory confiscation of the vehicle and that the grey ghosts get out and observe the comings and goings at early times in the morning – anyone that doesn’t bother to front up to the parking meter machine when leaving their car would be a suspect for further examination (although I assume that ticket pre-purchase may be an option in some carparks), as would those that return to their vehicles for spontaneous visits before the mandatory morning flex hours kick in.
Now that we’ve gone to all this trouble, it should be a cinch to finance since we don’t have to worry about the expense of keeping our murders locked up!
I think the most important question we should be asking is what are we going to spend the gained revenue from thwarting this evil criminal ring on.
lol the scheming criminal mind at work. I’m sure there would be many ways around it if you had the time and interest in doing it.
They would raise more money in parking tickets from people overstaying in parallel parking metres and other short term areas than from the people in the long stay car parks.
Anyway, now that they’ve wasted a bit of extra money, they will find that their machines still issue tickets after hours, even the day before, for the following day and will be valid to odd times like 5.31pm. Pity they don’t put the money raised back into providing adequate car parking.
If your smart and determined enough, just bust open one of the ticket machines and nick off with a whole roll of them. Pick up a thermal printer off eBay for $50 and presto.
Canberra times said the fines around the $400.00 mark, spose it depends on how often you get caught ! You can’t buy a ticket if the machines don’t work can you ? then you have to call ghost busters !. Do you move your car into another carpark where the machines do work yeah right ?