Parking at Pride Park

[Trigger Blade]

This might be one for Darren. It might not even belong on General Blades Chat, though it is directly related.

I got there a bit late and ended up right by the ground. A friendly Bobby told me to go off at the roundabout onto an industrial estate and there was parking down there.

I expected to pay, but saw an inviting broad grass verge with pavement beyond and cars already parked up there. Needless to say, all of us got tickets. The road was double yellows, but none of us were parked on it and none of us were causing an obstruction, the pavement was clear.

The ticket says "parked in a restricted street during prescribed hours". I wasn't on the road, I wasn't on the pavement. You see cars parked half on pavements, half on roads all over the country, to the point where it's almost obligatory.

On match days at that type of out of town stadium, it must be a licence to print money, and solves nothing. Do I just pay up, or is it challengeable?

 

[parisblade]

Ay up Trigs, good to see you made over here as well. Here's a completely useless trick. Buy yourself a car with a foreign number plate and park where you like, they'll not bother chasing you. If not, join the diplomatic corps for some country. They'll not stop you doing anything then.

Glad to be of help mon ami!

 

[Santos Little Helper]

Fancy arriving late at Pride Park, I'd never do anything like that

 

[bricktop]

I would write or e-mail them to contest your ticket and explaining the grounds upon which your are contesting your parking ticket. I reckon if there is no signage to tell you not to park on the verge then you may well have a case to contest your ticket.

I've recently contested a parking ticket i picked up in Sheffield and had the ticket revoked, but my explanation was that i was in a rush to attend my sons birth and hadn't realise in my haste to get there that it was a restricted street and they revoked it on that basis but i did have to send a copy of his birth certificate in to prove i was not telling them porkies

 

[Trigger Blade]

brownie, I'm note sure I can compete with the seriousness of the circumstances and a copy of the Green'Un confirming the score is unikely to do the trick.

As for Parisblade, thank you for your completely impractical contribution, I'll bear it in mind for the future.

And for Rouleur Blade, I consciously thought of you as I looked desperately for somewhere to dump the vehicle. It had to be close as I wouldn't be fit enough to run the last half mile like you did that night ;-)

 

[Santos Little Helper]

does this help?http://www.derby.gov.uk/TransportStreets/RoadPathwaysMaintenance/Pavements/?qsNavSetting=max

 

[debbyblade]

Same happened to me in Stoke a few years ago Nigel - I complained till I was blue in the face ;-) It was actually a parking attendent who told me I could park there then I got a bloody ticket. Got no joy from whoever deals with Stoke's parking tickets tho'. I know you'll find it hard to believe but I was late cos I got lost ;-)

 

[Foxy]

I always find its easier just parking somewhere that you are allowed to

 

[debbyblade]

I agree Foxy but what annoyed me (and no doubt Trig) was that an "authority" figure told us we COULD park there - when in Rome and all that

 

[Linz]

I agree Foxy but what annoyed me (and no doubt Trig) was that an "authority" figure told us we COULD park there - when in Rome and all that

It's alright, but the authority figure might not be the land owner A rozzer could tell you that it isn't illegal to park on any driveway, which is true.... doesn't mean the owner of the driveway wouldn't be a bit pissed off if you left your car there

The first question to ask is who issued the ticket - Is it Derby council or a private parking company? The answer to that will then affect what any advice is.

 

[ghandi]

This might be one for Darren. It might not even belong on General Blades Chat, though it is directly related.

I got there a bit late and ended up right by the ground. A friendly Bobby told me to go off at the roundabout onto an industrial estate and there was parking down there.

I expected to pay, but saw an inviting broad grass verge with pavement beyond and cars already parked up there. Needless to say, all of us got tickets. The road was double yellows, but none of us were parked on it and none of us were causing an obstruction, the pavement was clear.

The ticket says "parked in a restricted street during prescribed hours". I wasn't on the road, I wasn't on the pavement. You see cars parked half on pavements, half on roads all over the country, to the point where it's almost obligatory.

On match days at that type of out of town stadium, it must be a licence to print money, and solves nothing. Do I just pay up, or is it challengeable?

Trig - it depends how far you want to take it to the wire. I was once given a ticket and contested it through the Parking Dept or whatever they're called. Naturally they didn't listen and they summonsed me for non payment. In the papers for the summons they ask if you want to call any witnesses. You answer the summons saying you want the attendant who issued the ticket, one of your passengers and the head of the Parking Dept. Then about one week before its due in court you should get sent a letter saying they're not taking the matter any further and they are withdrawing the case. I assume the reasoning is that they only ask for the unpaid parking fee from the court plus their small claim court costs but if you ask for two people to take a day off work and look like you going to build some type of case the cost of the recovering the fine is considerably more than the fine itself. Worked for me and a couple of others to whom I passed on this advice. Even if they had gone through with the case I would have had my day in court with the possibility of the local rag reporting the pettiness of the local council with regard to football parking.

 

[debbyblade]

I take your pont Linz but when someone who obviously works for the football club in question tells you that "everyone parks here, you'll be fine" and you're running late you tend to take their advice, expecially seeing as, like Trig, I wasn't causing any obstruction. I long to see the return of common sense where parking issues are concerned but fear it won't be in my lifetime ;-)