Ticket
tactics: What to do when you are booked
READ THE TICKET CAREFULLY: It should give the date, time and place of the
offence and the date of notification. It should identify your vehicle, the rule
that has been broken and tell you how to deal with the ticket. If it fails to
do these things, it may be invalid.
GATHER YOUR EVIDENCE: If you have a camera phone, take pictures. Ask any
witnesses to sign brief statements.
UNOFFICIAL CHALLENGE: Within 14 days, write to the council explaining,
simply, why the penalty should be waived.
NOTICE TO OWNER: If the council rejects the first representation, it will
inform the vehicle’s owner by post, giving another 14 days to pay the discount
rate. After that, it will issue a notice to owner.
APPEAL: The "notice to owner" details the grounds on which the owner can
appeal. If your case doesn’t fit into these categories, you can still challenge
the ticket. You have 28 days to file.
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ADJUDICATION: If the formal appeal is turned down, you can now turn to
the adjudicators, independent lawyers paid for by a 55p levy on every ticket issued.
They will talk to you and a representative of the council in person, or deal with
evidence you’ve posted in, and reach an impartial decision. In more than half
of cases they back the motorists.
CONTACTS: In metropolitan London, visit www.parkingandtrafficappeals.gov.uk;
outside London, visit www.parkingappeals.gov.uk
1 CLAMPED
Moments after a warden slaps a ticket on, the clampers arrive. Ironically, this
means the car will be illegally parked for even longer
2 REMOVED
Towing cars that are blocking traffic is one thing, but when all you’ve done is
overstayed the meter, the cost is over the top
3 C CHARGE
The congestion charge has cut traffic in London, but drivers have been wrongly
ticketed when cameras have been left on at night
4 PAY AND DISPLAY
Stick your receipt upside down or on the wrong bit of window and you will earn
a ticket
5 LINE PAINTERS
Beware! If they paint yellow lines beside your parked vehicle, the traffic wardens
will not be far behind
6 HELPFUL SHOP ASSISTANTS
With the warden around the corner, it is a race to your car. But helpful store
staff may bring your purchases to you
7 CCTV CAMERAS
Pull into a parking bay, read the sign, realise you can’t stay, pull out again.
You may still be posted a ticket by an automatic camera
8 WARDEN WARNINGS
Some shops have started installing cameras that let patrons watch out for approaching
parking wardens
9 PARKING ATTENDANT
Underpaid, even if they are on commission. They have so little room for discretion
that it is not worth arguing with them
10 BROKEN METERS
Don’t expect any sympathy if they don’t work. Leaving a note saying you paid won’t
let you off a ticket
11 RUSH HOUR RESTRICTIONS
It may be OK to park here now, but not in half an hour. Some bays change status
as often as five times a day
12 WHEELCHAIR ACCESS
A dip in the kerb usually means access for vehicles or the disabled, even if it
is not marked. Park here at your peril
13 LOOK OUT!
One of the best defences against unfair ticketing comes from drivers warning each
other that parking attendants are near
14 RESIDENTS’ PERMITS
Being entitled to buy a permit doesn’t mean you can park wherever you want. Make
sure your permit is displayed properly
15 RED ROUTES
Don’t even think about stopping here in rush hour. If you do, you deserve the
fine you will almost certainly get
16 DOUBLE YELLOW LINES
Old, faded and patched lines may not be legally valid, but you will still have
the hassle of disputing a ticket
17 DISABLED BAYS
Even with a blue badge visible, disabled drivers are often given tickets for using
the bays reserved for them
18 HIDDEN SIGNS
Keep a sharp eye out when parking for signs obscured by trees or lorries. Not
seeing the sign is never an excuse
19 LOADING
Don’t take too long bringing that piano down the stairs. Parking wardens are not
renowned for their patience
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