Blue Badge parking

[mkmel]

I have recently been issued with a Blue Badge and a week or so ago I parked in a designated Blue Badge parking space in a multi story car park in Milton Keynes.
I of course displayed my Blue Badge by my car windscreen.

I went into the O2 store to have everything transferred over from my old mobile to my new one and to run through how my new phone worked.
Through no fault of my own I was in O2 for over 3 hours

Now with a Blue Badge you can park virtually anywhere for as many hours as you like
But today I received an excessive £100 fine reduced to £60 if I pay within 14 days.
Apparently on private land which this car park is on apparently even Blue Badge holders are only given 3 hours parking.

I did not know this so I am going to contest it but just wondering if any other Blue Badge holders on here have had a similar experience themselves.

I have just looked at the sign and it does say that Blue Badge holders also can only park for up to 3 hours.

Can I plead ignorance and get away with it?

[spadesclaret]

Did you not read the booklet that comes with your blue badge, the bit where it says that disabled parking is not necessarily free? It's always good to check.

[Foshiznik]

Just appeal it and when they reject the appeal go through POPLA and it won't be worth the companies time, so you will win the case as they will not respond to them. It's happened to me recently with one of those parking-eye hospital car park charges and several friends on private land.

Pretty stress free process too.

[Blackrod]

You clearly hold a blue badge because you need one. At least the jobsworth who gave you the penalty notice will feel good about themself.

[tybfc]

Tell them to stick it and don't pay it.

Always a good starting point.

[CrispyClaret]

You can’t park virtually anywhere and certainly not for as long as you want. Some car parks are free, some aren’t.
As for pleading ignorance, even the back of your blue clock says you must remove your vehicle within the permitted exemption period.

[mkmel]

Yes I did quickly read the booklet but I must have missed that bit
If I do have to pay the fine then it will be a painful lesson learned

[mkmel]

Ok I will just pay the £60 and know in future to think before I park anywhere

[paulatky]

Appeal as the keeper not the driver.
Say the driver was delayed in getting back to the car because of a flare up of the disability and that made the driver late. Under the Equality Act they have to offer more time than normal to take into account the disability.
No need plead you did not know and also do not name the driver,
Best to appeal ,as the keeper,by email on the 25th day after the offence took place

[paulatky]

Do not pay it without challenging it as I said above.

[Caballo]

Appeal as the keeper not the driver.
Say the driver was delayed in getting back to the car because of a flare up of the disability and that made the driver late. Under the Equality Act they have to offer more time than normal to take into account the disability.
No need plead you did not know and also do not name the driver,
Best to appeal ,as the keeper,by email on the 25th day after the offence took place

Yes, compound your error with dishonesty! what price integrity? £60 it seems.

[wilks_bfc]

How much over the 3hrs were you?

Was it purely down to being in O2 that you was delayed? If so I’d contact them asking for a statement from them saying that you were providing them your custom during that period.

[martin_p]

Pay the fine, move on and consider it a lesson learned.

[Foshiznik]

Don't pay the fine!! Appeal it. You have reasonable mitigation that can and should be considered by, at least the parking company, if not POPLA.

[paulatky]

Caballo,so you think £60 is a fair price to pay for being slightly over time.
Paying just funds the parking company to be able to continue in business and give more people tickets.
95% of people pay up to take advantage of ybr reduced fee,when many can be challenged and won.

[ClaretDiver]

Ignorance is not an excuse. All car parks have their rules laid out in black and white....some car parks have unlimited parking for BBH and many state clearly that the restrictions are applicable to BBH's too....regardless of whether it was the fault of the O2 store or not you broke the rules of the car park.....

[paulatky]

The parking companies are nothing but legalised muggers trying to trap motorists at every opportunity.

[dsr]

Ignorance is not an excuse. ....

But it can be a mitigation. If the penalty was assessed on a "fair and reasonable" basis, it would be a lot less than when it's assessed on a "let's make as much profit as we can from the disabled person" basis.

[mkmel]

Well this is what I am going to do

I have asked a member of staff at O2 who remembers that I was in the shop for over 3 hours through no fault of my own to get the manager of the store to ring me.
When he does hopefully ring me then I will ask him if he could write an explanation of why I was in the store for over 3 hours through no fault of my own.
I will then appeal and send that letter and explaining that I did not realise there was a also a 3 hour parking limit for Blue Badge holders.

If that is accepted then great but if not then I will just pay the £60 learn from this experience and know for future

[Caernarfon_Claret]

3 hours is definitely the rule on double yellow unless there is a no loading/unloading sign.

Best to know the local council set-up.

It should tell you which spaces are all day and which have time limits.

[mkmel]

Yes I knew that about Blue Badge holders and double yellow lines

[paulatky]

The parking company will reject the appeal as will POPLA as they are a Kangarow court made ip of members from the parking companies.
Not in their interests to allow the appeal.
Appeal as the keeper via email 25days after the offence took place,
Who is the parking company and how many minutes late were you,
Did you get a ticket on the windscreen or bis thr post,

[mkmel]

No ticket on the windscreen as it is all vehicle recognition and they sent me photos of my number plate with a time going in and time going out

So atm they don't even know that I am a Blue Badge holder so I will send them a photocopy of it.

I don't have the letter from them atm as I am not at home so can't remember how far I was over the 3 hours or the company name

[Caballo]

Caballo,so you think £60 is a fair price to pay for being slightly over time.
Paying just funds the parking company to be able to continue in business and give more people tickets.
95% of people pay up to take advantage of ybr reduced fee,when many can be challenged and won.

I don't think it's proportionate Paul, no. Neither do I think wilfully deceiving someone is the correct course of action either. Furthermore I find it laughable that you're trying to adopt some moral high ground with the parking company, whilst simultaneously proving yourself to be dishonest.

[paulatky]

Where have I been dishonest

[paulatky]

Where have I been dishonest

[mkmel]

I will not try and deceive them and will only tell them the truth and if that doesn't work then I will bite the bullet and pay the £60

[paulatky]

Mkmel when was the offence and what date was the letter dated

[paulatky]

Mkmel when was the offence and what date was the letter dated

[GodIsADeeJay81]

I will not try and deceive them and will only tell them the truth and if that doesn't work then I will bite the bullet and pay the £60

It used to be the case that blue badge holders were allowed up to 3 seperate offences before they actually had to pay the fine, but that's usually on council run parking areas.
This is to allow for errors whilst first using the badge for example.

Each car park does have its own set of rules but see link for help.

https://www.gov.uk/parking-tickets/challenging-a-ticket" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Go to the last section about appealing tickets from private companies.
Appeal it and if you lose but think it's harsh, then take it further.
Also worth checking signs at car park and seeing what information it says for blue badge holders.

[conyoviejo]

Tell em you were listening to northern soul music Mkmel..That should work..lol

[mkmel]

Mkmel when was the offence and what date was the letter dated

15/6 is when I parked there and 22/6 the date on the letter

The company running the car park are a company based in Birmingham called Smart Parking

[mkmel]

It used to be the case that blue badge holders were allowed up to 3 seperate offences before they actually had to pay the fine, but that's usually on council run parking areas.
This is to allow for errors whilst first using the badge for example.

Each car park does have its own set of rules but see link for help.
No
https://www.gov.uk/parking-tickets/challenging-a-ticket" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Go to the last section about appealing tickets from private companies.
Appeal it and if you lose but think it's harsh, then take it further.
Also worth checking signs at car park and seeing what information it says for blue badge holders.

When I checked today there were 2 or 3 signs in the car park stating clearly that even Blue Badge holders have only up to 3 hours parking.

No idea who owns the car park

[paulatky]

How many minutes were you over the 3 hours

[cricketfieldclarets]

Absolutely scandalous. Zero time for this sort of thing. You should pay up immediately.

[pureclaret]

my understanding is 3hrs is the max time for most parking and unless other wise stated for blue badge holders.
This sounds stupid for them as if you were parking due to your job then you may go 4 hrs before a lunch break, although when I once as a parking warden he said if you have a job why should you not pay to park like any one else, As it is only to assist you to not have to walk as far as an able bodied person. Harsh I thought but I suppose it may be true

[JohnMac]

You clearly hold a blue badge because you need one. At least the jobsworth who gave you the penalty notice will feel good about themself.

Exactly, I mean, who wants a job where they are obliged to do their job?

[Foshiznik]

DO NOT PAY!

Appeal it all the way.

[ChrisG]

Might be worth reading up on Parking Eye v Beavis.

The Supreme Court ruled in favour of Parking Eye which has had implications on all sorts of penalty clauses.

http://www.hardwicke.co.uk/insights/art ... e-v-beavis" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Makes it more difficult to argue a case against the charges if they are clearly signposted, however if you can get evidence from store manager as mentioned above, would help your argument of mitigating circumstances.

[UpTheBeehole]

If the time limits are clearly signposted, which they will be, then you haven't got a leg to stand on.

Maybe literally, if you've got a blue badge.

[Foshiznik]

I appealed and lost so then appealed via POPLA.

[ŽižkovClaret]

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