I arrived outside my workplace today at 3.25pm after a client visit.
Onstreet
parking there is for an hour maximum, and is free after 4.30pm.
Unsurprisingly I waited for a few minutes before putting my money in the
machine which showed 3.29pm on the digital display (slightly slow in fact).
After it moved to 3.30pm I pressed for my ticket - which showed I had paid
until 4.29pm! Surely these 2 clocks (which it appears they must have)
should be synchronised - unless 4.29 means until 4.29:59. Fortunately I
didn't get a ticket in the 60 sec window, I was going to go out and 'stand
guard' but forgot!

I was thinking though: if I had paid at 3.15 for an hour and decided to risk
the 4.15 - 4.30 period, but didn't get a ticket in that 15 mins, could a
warden coming round at, say, 4.45 see from the ticket I was displaying that
I hadn't paid for 4.15 - 4.30 and ticket me even though at that time I was
in the free period? I suppose not as

[a] he couldn't prove that I hadn't left at 4.15 and returned at, say, 4.35;
and
[b] I'm not sure they can issue tickets when the vehicle is in a free period
irrespective of what must have happened earlier.

There is nothing about 'not returning within an hour' - but if there was,
perhaps he could legitimately give me a ticket as I must have broken some
rule.

Any views?

On Wed, 24 Nov 2004 17:15:08 +0000, Alex wrote:

After it moved to 3.30pm I pressed for my ticket - which showed I had paid
until 4.29pm!

Assuming the seconds were not displayed, your 60 minutes ran from 3:30 until
4:29, inclusive.

I think you worry too much :-)

--
John Bean

Cynics regarded everybody as equally corrupt... Idealists regarded everybody
as equally corrupt, except themselves (Robert Anton Wilson)

"Alex" wrote in message ...
I was thinking though: if I had paid at 3.15 for an hour and decided to risk
the 4.15 - 4.30 period, but didn't get a ticket in that 15 mins, could a
warden coming round at, say, 4.45 see from the ticket I was displaying that
I hadn't paid for 4.15 - 4.30 and ticket me even though at that time I was
in the free period?

This will depend on the council and the traffic attendant. Many won't
bother, but as they're given bonuses on tickets issued (And not
penalised for incorrect tickets) some (Thankfully, the minority in my
experience) will probably issue one anyway. Assuming it's a council
using parking tickets as a profit centre, when/if you appeal it's then
up to the parking department to figure out some reason why it's valid.
If they can't, they'll typically reject your appeal anyway with vague
reasons in the hope you'll go away unless the issuing of the ticket
might cause political upset or was clearly very wrong for some reason.

When it goes to independant appeal, then they'll finally look at it
seriously and decide if they actually have any legal grounds for
issuing it.

It seems to be a fairly commonly held belief by various bodies closely
associated with this (Such as the appeals services) that the councils
are pretty much a law unto themselves and there's little you can do
about it. (You can't even sue in any meaningful way)

What's needed is the hypothetical lottery winner to challenge the
whole system being (ab)used by many councils...

John Bean wrote in message ...
On Wed, 24 Nov 2004 17:15:08 +0000, Alex wrote:

After it moved to 3.30pm I pressed for my ticket - which showed I had paid
until 4.29pm!

Assuming the seconds were not displayed, your 60 minutes ran from 3:30 until
4:29, inclusive.

I think you worry too much :-)

I don't. I got a ticket in a similar way in Cambridge.
Parking was £1 all night from 7pm onwards. I put my pound in the
machine in at 19:00 but the time stamp on the ticket said 18:59. I
was given a ticket later in the evening - after my £'s worth of
pre-19:00 parking had expired.

I wrote to the city council and politley asked if they would waive the
charge and they agreed.

Robert