PATAS - w/c 16 Feb 15 - Reversing the PCN

or a traffic warden

This week's statistics

	Barnet	London	%	Status
New Appeals	48	960	5	Higher than normal
	Won	Out of	%
Cases heard	29	43	67	Higher than normal

There were three cases that the motorist won which were of interest.

1.  Someone was not parked but only reversing, the adjudicator could see brake lights in the photos.

2.  A motorist paid £7.20 to park but used the wrong bay code. A PCN was given for code 16 "Parked in a permit space or zone without clearly displaying a valid permit" which is clearly not the contravention that was committed, so the PCN was cancelled.

3.  A workman was delivering tools (for which of course there won't be any paperwork which usually freaks the council out, their inability to double check what a motorist says) and my experience is that workmen can't manage with just a bicycle, hammer and screwdriver these days. The PCN was cancelled. The workman must have been a clear and truthful witness.

Yours appealingly

Miss Feezance

PATAS - w/c 9 Feb - all sorts of signs

I have decided to now present the weekly statistics in table form as regular readers will be used to them.

	Barnet	London	%	Status
New Appeals	41	1072	4	Normal
	Won	Out of	%
Cases heard	30	43	70	Higher than normal

Now for the details of the 4 cases which hinged on signs this week. the motorist won them all.

1. The sign in the Lodge Lane car park that tells you the market day restriction (Fridays & one Saturday a month) faces out so cannot be seen by a car driver. That is not good enough to count.

2.  A residents' bay sign was erected after the car was parked (you could see how shiny and new it was) and given that the motorist travels abroad a lot they couldn't be expected to check on their car.

3.  A parking restriction sign was sited so near to the bus stop that it would often be obscured by buses and so that was found to be not clear enough.

4.  Foliage was obscuring a business bay sign in West Heath Avenue (+ where are the businesses down there?) and that meant the sign didn't count.

A 70% win rate for motorists this week was really good. Well done everybody. Keep fighting the good fight.

Yours appealingly

Miss Feezance.

PATAS w/c 2 Feb 15 - crying wolf

How did it get to be February already?

There were 39 new Barnet Appeals out of 1004 London-wide which is 4% and perfectly normal.

There were 51 hearings of which the motorist won 26, that is 51%, and again that is the usual outcome.

Not much really to tell you about this week except

- if you are often at PATAS you can't run the same argument that you weren't served with a PCN and that the Evidence Pack didn't arrive as the Adjudicator will not believe the incredible and you will lose, as this motorist did.

- a CEO who was at the scene for 11 minutes and didn't take a photo of a PCN on a windscreen wasn't believed either. that PCn was cancelled

- a motorist who parked for free for less than an hour in the Moxon St Car Park but didn't get a voucher from the meter to evidence his time of arrival and was ticketed for being "parked without paying" won his case as no payment was due.

Another week soon. Will the motorist get back on top?

Yours appealingly

Miss Feezance

PATAS - w/c 26 Jan 15 - phone a friend

Another week gone by. How can it be February already?

In this week at PATAS there were 910 fresh Appeals lodged at PATAS with Xmas still depressing the figures slightly. Of those only 27 were from Barnet which is 3% and is below what I would expect so perhaps more challenges are being accepted.

There were 62 cases decided and 42, or 68%, of those went the way of the motorist.

First 3 cases which the motorist won:

1  The council took 2 months and 2 days to reply to the formal representations (the ones you do after the Notice to Owner) and the legislation says they are only allowed 56 days. it was naughty of the council (NSL) to continue to PATAS.

2  Saracens signs were found to be misleading. So many people get PCN that they must be.

3  There was no evidence from the traffic warden to support the issue of a Regulation 10 (drive away) PCN.

and two which the motorist lost:

4  stopped to take a phone call. You can't unless you get into a pay bay and pay.

5  In the orange bays in Woodhouse Road car park. These are for permit holders not people who have paid.

Keep those appeals coming.

Yours appealingly

Miss Feezance