Car park paranoia

[TW]Fox · 1 Oct 2007 at 13:16

Trojan said:
Will you stop parking in P&C spaces if you start getting fined £60 for doing so?

Such fines are not legally enforceable. They rely on good faith and ignorance to get paid.

Trojan · 1 Oct 2007 at 13:22

[TW]Fox;10189039 said:
Such fines are not legally enforceable. They rely on good faith and ignorance to get paid.

How so?

[TW]Fox · 1 Oct 2007 at 13:28

They do not have the authority in law to 'fine' people, all they can do is issue an invoice for the supply of services, made to look like a fine. The DVLA will provide them with the registered keepers details. But, under the Road Traffic Act, the registered keeper is under no obligation to inform them who was the driver of the car - only a council appointed official or a police officer can legally demand such information.

This is, of course, my opinion, I am not a lawyer, etc etc

ethos · 1 Oct 2007 at 13:31

Sweet

Trojan · 1 Oct 2007 at 13:34

[TW]Fox;10189094 said:
They do not have the authority in law to 'fine' people, all they can do is issue an invoice for the supply of services, made to look like a fine. The DVLA will provide them with the registered keepers details. But, under the Road Traffic Act, the registered keeper is under no obligation to inform them who was the driver of the car - only a council appointed official or a police officer can legally demand such information.

This is, of course, my opinion, I am not a lawyer, etc etc

Where'd you get that information from? Why wouldn't it be legally enforceable like getting a parking ticket, or getting clamped and having to pay to have the clamp removed?

Muffin` · 1 Oct 2007 at 14:21

Trojan said:
Where'd you get that information from? Why wouldn't it be legally enforceable like getting a parking ticket, or getting clamped and having to pay to have the clamp removed?

Is that done by a traffic warden, so its the council property?

Private car parks don't involve wardens.

Trojan · 1 Oct 2007 at 14:37

[DW]Muffin;10189421 said:
Is that done by a traffic warden, so its the council property?

Private car parks don't involve wardens.

Traffic wardens don't clamp cars to the best of my knowledge, private firms do, yet they seem to be able to successfully charge people for their removal.

Muffin` · 1 Oct 2007 at 14:44

Trojan said:
Traffic wardens don't clamp cars to the best of my knowledge, private firms do, yet they seem to be able to successfully charge people for their removal.

They work on contract for the council like bayliffs etc?

wez130 · 1 Oct 2007 at 14:50

[TW]Fox;10186765 said:
I've just had the single carpark crease present on my car removed, so it's now utterly blemish-free. I'll be mighty annoyed if I pick up another.

I managed to pick up the last despite always parking at the opposite end of the carpark, always in the middle of nowhere, etc etc. The problem is, if you park miles away, you will often come out of the shop to find that people have parked around you for no real reason at all. I've no idea why people do it, but they will.

The only surefire way to avoid dents to your car is:

a) Park over 2 spaces in the middle of nowhere. This ensures that you don't annoy anyone, becuase you are right over at the edge of the carpark, and if you do get people herding around you as per usual, they can't park beside you. The downside of this is that people like wez130 might bump your car out of spite and/or a hidden desire to be a traffic warden.

b) Park in the parent and baby spaces becuase the extra clearance is enough to ensure nobody will damage your doors. The downside of this is that people like wez130 might bump your car out of spite and/or a hidden desire to be a traffic warden.

If you do a), people will think you are a ****. If you do b), even more people will think you are a ****.

Whats more important to you - a dent-free car or people thinking you are a ****?

Personally I just park as far away from the store as possible and spend as little time as possible in the store but I sympathise with people who chose option A or B as detailed above.

The real problem is supermarkets - had they not crammed spaces in so heavily making them so ridiculously narrow, there would have been no need for parent and baby spaces in the first place and thus no need for the cynical marketing gimmick that is the parent and baby space.

Oh, and FWIW, if you park in a disabled space without a blue badge, you are a scum of the highest order. Disabled spaces are protected by law and nobody choses to be disabled.

I'm sorry, but being a father, i don't even use the permantly installed car seat or the baby on board stickers as an excuse to park in a P+C place when i shouldn't so why should anyone else? Also, unless you drive something like a hummer, then every supermarket car park i've ever parked in has been adequate with space either side to comfortably get in and out of yet there's not enough space for anyone to squeeze a trolley past, therefore i have YET to get a bump in a car park on my car, and as i stated earlier in the thread i do take pride in my car, i've got over £300 worth of polishes and stuff to keep it looking good. Also, i've never caused any damage to anyone elses property nor would i, but i can assure you that there are people that do. and people who abuse disabled / P+C spaces deserve nothing less IMO. No excuse for it but lazyness.

Trojan · 1 Oct 2007 at 14:58

[DW]Muffin;10189524 said:
They work on contract for the council like bayliffs etc?

What, even the clampers who operate in private carparks for pubs, workplaces and the like?

ethos · 1 Oct 2007 at 15:13

Over the weekend I saw a bit transit van drive STRAIGHT into a car because the space wasn't big enough for the van.

Also a kid smashed his door into a nice bmw parked next to it.

Muffin` · 1 Oct 2007 at 15:18

Trojan said:
What, even the clampers who operate in private carparks for pubs, workplaces and the like?

Tresspassing?

Wouldnt of thought it would be the same for NCP/Tescos as they openly let people into thier property to park to shop there on a mass scale. Where the Pub/Business do not unless you work or go specifically to that pub.

don't be quoting me now

Trojan · 1 Oct 2007 at 15:26

ethos said:
Over the weekend I saw a bit transit van drive STRAIGHT into a car because the space wasn't big enough for the van.

Also a kid smashed his door into a nice bmw parked next to it.

So you witnessed a driver severely lacking in spacial awareness, and a kid who needs chastising and being made to be more careful by his parents. What are you trying to illustrate, that the OP is right to be paranoid? :confused:

[DW]Muffin;10189649 said:
Tresspassing?

Wouldnt of thought it would be the same for NCP/Tescos as they openly let people into thier property to park to shop there on a mass scale. Where the Pub/Business do not unless you work or go specifically to that pub.

I don't really see how a pub is any different to a supermarket in that respect. Both provide a carpark solely for the use of customers, and expect the customers to follow their rules, such as only parking in designated areas for example.

[DW]Muffin;10189649 said:
don't be quoting me now

Whoops

JIM_BOB7813 · 1 Oct 2007 at 15:34

[TW]Fox;10186765 said:
I managed to pick up the last despite always parking at the opposite end of the carpark, always in the middle of nowhere, etc etc. The problem is, if you park miles away, you will often come out of the shop to find that people have parked around you for no real reason at all. I've no idea why people do it, but they will.

Personally I just park as far away from the store as possible

So true, i think people do it because it's easier to judge the distance between their car and the white lines (by looking at the car next to them, instead of the ground). Conformity too?

In supermarkets especially, i can never understand why people are so desperate to park close to the entrance, instead of walking that little bit extra, but being able to open their doors as wide as they like and not having to shunt/worry about if they are bang smack in the middle of their space.

ethos · 1 Oct 2007 at 15:42

Trojan said:
So you witnessed a driver severely lacking in spacial awareness, and a kid who needs chastising and being made to be more careful by his parents. What are you trying to illustrate, that the OP is right to be paranoid?

It's not really that hard to understand?

Yes, I agree with the OP- although I would have thought that was obvious.

VBDub · 1 Oct 2007 at 15:51

Car parks have left me with a huge dent on one side of my car, a scratched bumper, a big dent in the rear quarter and a huge scratch/dent across the boot lid.

Luckily I clocked the asda delivery van doing the last one!
And I always park miles away from the other cars!

Muffin` · 1 Oct 2007 at 15:56

Trojan said:
I don't really see how a pub is any different to a supermarket in that respect. Both provide a carpark solely for the use of customers, and expect the customers to follow their rules, such as only parking in designated areas for example.

Looking at it as a case by case basis a Landlord will notice a car on his property overnight and if its still there the next day is in his rights to pay to get it clamped and towed away. So has the supermarket, the manager will have to take it out of his shops profits or petty cash to pay for it, which he isn't going to do.

Asda and I know Aldi do near us 'fine' you for parking in the wrong place or for too long through a camera system. They dont clamp you as that costs money - they do as mentioned send you a nice letter through the door which will be payed but 90% of the public. But there is no legal reson to do so.

Trojan · 1 Oct 2007 at 16:01

ethos said:
It's not really that hard to understand?

Yes, I agree with the OP- although I would have thought that was obvious.

Well you did throw that comment in right amongst a discussion over P&C spaces and fines, so I didn't know whether your comment was relating to that or not.

It's not really that hard to understand is it?

[TW]Fox · 1 Oct 2007 at 16:20

Trojan said:
Where'd you get that information from?

It's the law.

Why wouldn't it be legally enforceable like getting a parking ticket,

A Parking Ticket is issued by your local council. The law allows for this - council officials are specifically named in that they can give you a ticket and, as the registered keeper of the vehicle, you are legally obliged to inform the council who was driving the vehicle.

Penalty Charge Notices have a specific place within law. It's therefore no co-incidence that many of these private 'invoices' are worded to appear similar, most will be called 'Parking Charge Notice' for example. This confuses people into think they are the same thing..

or getting clamped and having to pay to have the clamp removed?

You need to be licensed to clamp vehicles, and the clamped motorist is payinhg the clamper for a service - ie, the removal of the clamp. No pay, no service..

ethos · 1 Oct 2007 at 17:19

Trojan said:
Well you did throw that comment in right amongst a discussion over P&C spaces and fines, so I didn't know whether your comment was relating to that or not.

It's not really that hard to understand is it?

Blah blah blah, that's what I see when you post.