Anyone had a parking ticket overturned (or failed to get it overturned)?

[Dave7]

I've successfully challenged a couple of local tickets in the past, one after having actually paid.

I went on holiday, leaving my car parked outside my flat on a road with no parking restrictions. I returned a week later to find a parking restriction sign had been put up next to my car (no yellow lines) and it had been ticketed.

I appealed, and it was promptly turned down.

Then, a few weeks later, a gang arrived to paint the double yellow lines - but they stopped at the sign, and my car had been parked just beyond it. Needless to say, I requested that my ticket be cancelled and my payment refunded, which they did.

Then, a couple of years ago, I parked my car in its usual spot (with daytime-only charges) while attending an evening class, and returned to find a ticket on it. It turned out that a week or two previously the daytime parking restrictions sign had been replaced with a "Residents only" one. As well as failing to notice that (in the dark), I had failed to spot that the adjacent ticket machine, while still there, had been wrapped up in black polythene.

I invited the council to see me in court and they cancelled the ticket.

I once lived on a main road. There were no restrictions etc. I parked outside our front. Went to work one day and came home to find double yellows all along. The back door led onto a wide entry which, in theory, was OK but some neighbours had multiple vehicles which caused some fun.

 

[Fastpedaller]

About 30 years ago I parked and stuck the ticket on the inside of the car windscreen as requested on the signs. The car was a convertible, it was a nice sunny day and the roof was off. I returned to find a parking ticket. I appealed on the basis the ticket may have blown off or been removed for use by another parker (no putting car reg on the ticket in times gone-by). They waived the fine.
On another occasion a couple of years' ago, it wasn't a fine (but could have been)..... I'll explain.
Wife and daughter had gone to the cafe whilst I parked the car in the 'centre of the road' parking area in Westcliffe Southend-on-sea. The machine wouldn't accept the registration number, though it took the cash which had to be put in first! so I bought the ticket anyway, and wrote the number on. When I got to the cafe, Wife and Daughter suggested I ought to buy another ticket, as there could be a problem - fair enough. We went out to the machine and it indeed, wouldn't accept the reg number. We walked about 100 yds to another machine and managed to put in the number and pay using my daughter's phone. As we got back to the car 2 wardens came along so we told them what had happened. They said it often happens, and to write to the council with a photo of both tickets and it would be re-imbursed, and they would have been ok with the hand written reg number (is that true though?). I emailed the council, told this long story and included photo. Several weeks passed and no reply. I emailed again and they said I had to send it to a different email address. No reply for weeks, so I emailed again and they said the two ticket machines were if different parking areas that were 2 miles apart! I told them this wasn't the case, they were just making excuses, and I wanted an audited plan showing the machine numbers and locations. They returned my payment. It was only a fiver, but I won't be bullied and lied to

 

[Electric_Andy]

You had 10 mins to get out of your car and read them 🤔

I know that now

 

[Dave7]

Something I found out to my cost.
I wanted to go into a small shop but it was all double yellows. The nearby side street also had double yellows but there was an entrance to a disused factory ie no kerbstone and padlocked metal gates.
So.......I parked on the entrance so my car was 'inside' the yellow lines.
I was gone, I guess, 5 minutes and came back to find a parking ticket on the screen.
I photographed it and wrote to the council. They wrote back and explained that technically yellow lines should be painted on buildings but that's not practical so they paint them on the road.
I couldn't afford to fight it so paid up. To this day I dont know if they were correct.

 

[Bonefish Blues]

Yes, a couple of times in private car parks when the parking company failed to adhere to the rules laid down by the trade association they belonged to. I've also paid fines without query because I was in the wrong.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I know that now

You knew it then. I would never drive into a car park and not read the signage. First thing to do, even if you do not intend staying very long.

 

[DaveReading]

Yes, a couple of times in private car parks when the parking company failed to adhere to the rules laid down by the trade association they belonged to. I've also paid fines without query because I was in the wrong.

It's always worth bearing in mind that private parking companies can't legally fine you.

 

[Bonefish Blues]

It's always worth bearing in mind that private parking companies can't legally fine you.

No they can't, because contract law applies, not criminal. But that can be enforced too.