One in five parking tickets waived
Norwich Evening News
David Bale
Nearly one in five parking tickets given out in the city are successfully challenged - with some of the reasons for them being waved including people desperate for the toilet and pregnant women needing to be sick.
A report to Norwich Highways Agency Joint Committee found there were 39,549 penalty charge notices (PCNs) issued during the period April 1, 2005 to March 31, 2006.
Of these, just over 19 per cent were challenged and waived for reasons, the report said, which would not have been apparent to the parking attendants at the time the tickets were issued.
These included cases where parking fines had been waived where people needed to go to the toilet - if they had a particular problem such as irritable bowel syndrome - or needed to be sick - if they were pregnant.
Other cases where fines had been waived involved people failing to display parking permits, but such excuses would not be acceptable if they were repeated, council bosses said.
The figures come at a time when it is increasingly difficult to challenge parking fines with all offenders' cars being photographed by the parking attendant issuing the ticket.
The report found the percentage of challenges to PCNs, which are taken to appeals and adjudication after the initial effort to get the council to waive them failed, remained at 0.36 per cent, compared with the national average of 0.37 per cent.
A city council spokeswoman said: “Our parking attendants are very well trained and use comprehensive equipment to assist them in doing the essential job of helping to keep the traffic flowing in Norwich and minimising hazards caused by careless parking.
“When it comes to processing PCNs there is an appeal process that people can follow. Each challenged PCN is taken on its individual merits and discretion is exercised, especially in mitigating circumstances.”
The Evening News revealed last month that tickets worth a potential £2.3 million had been slapped on cars across Norwich in the past year with more than £100,000 of those being in Colegate.
A report from MPs last month also branded parking policy and enforcement in Britain “inconsistent and confused”.
The report from the House of Commons Transport Committee added it was astounded by the number of PCNs which were issued, but later cancelled.
Recent cases where people have successfully fought the city council include Carl Fenn, of Rushmore Road, Sprowston, who last month proved he was given a parking fine when the meter was showing the incorrect time. Mr Fenn was given a £60 fine for being parked in a bay in Fishergate in August last year, but he took his appeal to the National Parking Adjudication Service and was let off the £60 fine and the council was asked to pay £15 costs towards his case.
And churchgoer Bob Gilbert, 68, was hit with a fine after parking his car legally on a Sunday afternoon in May in St Faiths Lane near Prince of Wales Road.
He appealed against that fine but it was rejected because the city council said he did not have a parking permit. However, after the Evening News contacted the council, it turned out the parking attendant had made a genuine mistake in issuing the PCN.
Have you taken on the council over a parking ticket and won? Write to Evening News Letters, Prospect House, Rouen Road, Norwich, NR1 1RE, email eveningnewsletters@archant.co.uk or visit www.eveningnews24.co.uk/forums
David Bale
Nearly one in five parking tickets given out in the city are successfully challenged - with some of the reasons for them being waved including people desperate for the toilet and pregnant women needing to be sick.
A report to Norwich Highways Agency Joint Committee found there were 39,549 penalty charge notices (PCNs) issued during the period April 1, 2005 to March 31, 2006.
Of these, just over 19 per cent were challenged and waived for reasons, the report said, which would not have been apparent to the parking attendants at the time the tickets were issued.
These included cases where parking fines had been waived where people needed to go to the toilet - if they had a particular problem such as irritable bowel syndrome - or needed to be sick - if they were pregnant.
Other cases where fines had been waived involved people failing to display parking permits, but such excuses would not be acceptable if they were repeated, council bosses said.
The figures come at a time when it is increasingly difficult to challenge parking fines with all offenders' cars being photographed by the parking attendant issuing the ticket.
The report found the percentage of challenges to PCNs, which are taken to appeals and adjudication after the initial effort to get the council to waive them failed, remained at 0.36 per cent, compared with the national average of 0.37 per cent.
A city council spokeswoman said: “Our parking attendants are very well trained and use comprehensive equipment to assist them in doing the essential job of helping to keep the traffic flowing in Norwich and minimising hazards caused by careless parking.
“When it comes to processing PCNs there is an appeal process that people can follow. Each challenged PCN is taken on its individual merits and discretion is exercised, especially in mitigating circumstances.”
The Evening News revealed last month that tickets worth a potential £2.3 million had been slapped on cars across Norwich in the past year with more than £100,000 of those being in Colegate.
A report from MPs last month also branded parking policy and enforcement in Britain “inconsistent and confused”.
The report from the House of Commons Transport Committee added it was astounded by the number of PCNs which were issued, but later cancelled.
Recent cases where people have successfully fought the city council include Carl Fenn, of Rushmore Road, Sprowston, who last month proved he was given a parking fine when the meter was showing the incorrect time. Mr Fenn was given a £60 fine for being parked in a bay in Fishergate in August last year, but he took his appeal to the National Parking Adjudication Service and was let off the £60 fine and the council was asked to pay £15 costs towards his case.
And churchgoer Bob Gilbert, 68, was hit with a fine after parking his car legally on a Sunday afternoon in May in St Faiths Lane near Prince of Wales Road.
He appealed against that fine but it was rejected because the city council said he did not have a parking permit. However, after the Evening News contacted the council, it turned out the parking attendant had made a genuine mistake in issuing the PCN.
Have you taken on the council over a parking ticket and won? Write to Evening News Letters, Prospect House, Rouen Road, Norwich, NR1 1RE, email eveningnewsletters@archant.co.uk or visit www.eveningnews24.co.uk/forums
posted by Neil Herron at 10:16 AM
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