Still on a role - 77% of appeals won

There were fewer cases at PATAS in the week commencing Monday 18 March 13 but still 51 parking tickets were cancelled and only 15 were upheld.

 

Interesting cases included one where the motorist stopped due to a nosebleed and were more than 50cm from the kerb (this rule is to prevent double parking). It seems that Barnet Council expect you to have your medical emergencies at the same time as parking neatly; luckily the independent adjudicator takes a more reasonable approach.

 

A parking ticket issued for parking on double yellow lines did not reveal any in the traffic warden's photographs. Result; ticket cancelled.

 

A motorist who was given a dispensation over the telephone was not told that it would not start until the following day. Given that payment information can flow from the Verrus Pay-by-Phone system to the traffic warden's equipment it is very disappointing that the council haven't bothered to also get dispensation and new permit info onto the handheld equipment in almost real time. Please all note that a dispensation you are given starts on the following day when, for example, you take delivery of a new car.

 

A parking ticket issued after 3 minutes grace and supposedly 7 minutes of observation for a motorist who took 4 minutes to pay, was cancelled. the adjudicator said that payment had clearly been made,  just not as quickly as the council would have liked.

 

A parking ticket issued for being parked in a bus stop was cancelled as there was not the usual single thick (about 15cm) yellow line marking out the extent of the bus stop.

 

A section of bay was suspended. A parking ticket was issued. the motorist successfully argued that they were outside of the section of 15m which was suspended. What a resident could do if a section of bay is suspended for, say, your removals van on moving day, is to take down the signs once the action for which the bay was suspended is over and done with. This would be helpful to other motorists to bring the spaces back into use at the earliest opportunity.

 

Keep those appeals coming. My friend Mr Mustard has written a quick guide to the procedure to follow as he thinks most people don't understand the three stage process. You can download it here for free.

Yours appealingly

Miss Feezance