Parking ticket - was I right or wrong?

aoibhebree

OK, this isn't a rant against traffic wardens, because most of the wardens I've ever met have actually been really decent people, but this morning I had two separate incidents which were quite irritating.

First - I got into town at 9 this morning and paid for a one-hour parking slip. I got back to my car at 10.30, with the intention of paying for another hours parking, and found a ticket on it for a €40 fine. The traffic warden was just a couple of cars away but I didn't bother saying anything to him because I was obviously in the wrong. So, I just left my bags into the car and was about to leave to do a few more bits of shopping, when the warden came over and informed me that if I didn't get a new parking slip he'd give me a second fine. I argued (politely!) that I was already going to have to pay €40 for the morning's parking, but he was adamant. In the end I just drove away. But really, he couldn't have given me a second ticket could he? I'd genuinely like to know what the story is there!

Then - I went to the tax office, which has one of those Euro car parks, so I paid the minimum charge of €3 for two hours parking. I was finished there in half an hour, so on my way out I gave my slip to a woman who'd just arrived. The warden came out of his little hut and said she'd have to get a new one, because transfers aren't allowed. I said to him, as far as I'm concerned, I paid for a space for two hours and should be allowed use it as I wish - in this case giving it to someone else! However I was in a bit of a rush so didn't stick around to see how it panned out.

So what's the deal, was I wrong in each situation, or were they?

Thanks!

Anan1

You were completely wrong in the first situation, I sympathise in the second but I suppose at the end of the day it's down to the rules of the car park.

aoibhebree

Anan1 wrote: »

You were completely wrong in the first situation, I sympathise in the second but I suppose at the end of the day it's down to the rules of the car park.

OK that's fair enough. I just thought that some sort of "double jeopardy" might apply - that I couldn't be fined twice for the same thing on the same morning - but I'll know for next time (hopefully there won't be a next time though!!)

Anan1

aoibhebree wrote: »

OK that's fair enough. I just thought that some sort of "double jeopardy" might apply - that I couldn't be fined twice for the same thing on the same morning - but I'll know for next time (hopefully there won't be a next time though!!)

I've seen cars with up to four parking tickets on them, it could have been a lot worse.;)

Looneytours

In case 1, the warden could have given you 2 tickets (Fixed Charge Offence).

However a second ticket would have been invalidated upon appeal to the Local Authority (or Court) - except if it was for a non display of Tax Offence.

Anan1

Looneytours wrote: »

In case 1, the warden could have given you 2 tickets (Fixed Charge Offence).

However a second ticket would have been invalidated upon appeal to the Local Authority (or Court) - except if it was for a non display of Tax Offence.

How so?

-Chris-

Anan1 wrote: »

I've seen cars with up to four parking tickets on them, it could have been a lot worse.;)

So if your car is parked without a valid parking ticket, the warden can fine you every time they walk past the car?
I would have presumed parking the car without a valid ticket is a single offence and you shouldn't be able to receive multiple fines for the one offence...


What about if two wardens are patrolling the same street, can they both give each car a ticket?

Anan1

-Chris- wrote: »

So if your car is parked without a valid parking ticket, the warden can fine you every time they walk past the car?
I would have presumed parking the car without a valid ticket is a single offence and you shouldn't be able to receive multiple fines for the one offence...


What about if two wardens are patrolling the same street, can they both give each car a ticket?

I honestly don't know, the car I saw with four tickets was on the footpath in the middle of Blackrock on the Monday morning after a bank holiday weekend. I'm guessing they might ticket once per cycle, ie one ticket every hour or two when the wardens repeat that route?

aoibhebree

Anan1 wrote: »

I honestly don't know, the car I saw with four tickets was on the footpath in the middle of Blackrock on the Monday morning after a bank holiday weekend. I'm guessing they might ticket once per cycle, ie one ticket every hour or two when the wardens repeat that route?

Some of the tickets could have been for tax or for illegal parking maybe?

-Chris-

Anan1 wrote: »

I honestly don't know, the car I saw with four tickets was on the footpath in the middle of Blackrock on the Monday morning after a bank holiday weekend. I'm guessing they might ticket once per cycle, ie one ticket every hour or two when the wardens repeat that route?

I'm not doubting you, I've seen it too - but there must be some kind of guidelines or limit.

You can't have a traffic warden ticketing a car, covering their eyes and counting to 30, opening their eyes and saying "woah, it's still there - I'd better write another ticket".

Anan1

-Chris- wrote: »

I'm not doubting you, I've seen it too - but there must be some kind of guidelines or limit.

You can't have a traffic warden ticketing a car, covering their eyes and counting to 30, opening their eyes and saying "woah, it's still there - I'd better write another ticket".

No, but on the other hand a parking ticket can't be expected to obviate the requirement to pay for parking. I can't see a warden ticketing a car for a second time before their round takes them past the same car again, although i'm only guessing here.

jonnygee

I read somewhere recently, cant remember where that it,s one ticket or fine per 24 hour period.

aoibhebree

Well I suppose it was a bit cheeky of me to put my stuff in the car when the warden was still there, I should have just waited til he was gone and he wouldn't have known I'd gone back to the car. I just presumed that, once I'd been charged the forty euro fine, he wouldn't care if the car was left there the rest of the day!

I got the fine cancelled anyways, my uncle is a traffic warden and was able to sort it out for me, but I'll definitely have to be more careful in future!

polyfusion

aoibhebree wrote: »

Well I suppose it was a bit cheeky of me to put my stuff in the car when the warden was still there, I should have just waited til he was gone and he wouldn't have known I'd gone back to the car. I just presumed that, once I'd been charged the forty euro fine, he wouldn't care if the car was left there the rest of the day!

I got the fine cancelled anyways, my uncle is a traffic warden and was able to sort it out for me, but I'll definitely have to be more careful in future!

Now that's cheeky!

There are probably some guidelines on how frequently they can ticket a car, maybe the lowest unit time that a ticket can be paid for in that area. But also something that if you're seen to return to your car, see the ticket, and don't move the car or pay for another hour or whatever, then they can ticket you again.

Surely your uncle could tell you what's what?

As for passing on your unexpired ticket, I do it all the time, and I'm sure lots of others do it too, and unless there is small print on the back, I'm sure there is nothing illegal about doing it.

Anan1

aoibhebree wrote: »

I got the fine cancelled anyways, my uncle is a traffic warden and was able to sort it out for me

We're still a third-world little country in some ways, aren't we?

aoibhebree

Well to be fair, I always pay for parking even if I'm only going to be gone a few minutes - I just totally lost track of time today. Yes I know I was in the wrong, but it was a total once off and has never happened before. And my uncle's a fair man, he wouldn't mind giving me this one chance but I can assure you if it happened again he wouldn't do it for me! It's very easy to judge, but can you really say you wouldn't do the same if you were in my position? And if you can honestly say you wouldn't, then fair play to you, but I'm just not in a financial position to do so.

Spiritoftheseventies

think they are trying to discourage people as much as possible from parking in town. I once got a ticket for parking on a very wide footpath where five other cars were also parked.

markpb

bayviewclose wrote: »

think they are trying to discourage people as much as possible from parking in town. I once got a ticket for parking on a very wide footpath where five other cars were also parked.

Parking on footpaths is against the law, simple as. It doesn't matter if you have only two wheels on the footpath, if you're only popping into the shop for a minute or if the nearest parking space is a walk away. The attitude of some drivers that you can block a footpath (not aimed at you bayviewclose, I know you didn't) and make pedestrians and disabled people walk on the road to get around you is unbelievably ignorant.

I can't understand why some people have a problem understanding it. It might help if the Gardai and traffic wardens consistently enforced it instead of this sporadic it-depends-on-the-guard enforcement they have at the moment.

Rant over

andybdub

Get the family member to cancel it fair play.

Until you ask your uncle about the clamping guidelines this argument will probably go round and round.

Whats to stop people on holiday for few days in dublin parking illegally and getting clamped, prob cheaper to do it that way, so i'd imagine clampers have some sort of procedure for re-issuing fines and notice to remove your car.

Thats what i did when i was flying to USA few times through dublin airport, parked in Alsaa sports complex and was clamped for 70euro for my entire stay which works out cheaper than paying airport parking

Padraig Mor

I would imagine the second ticket would have been for parking on the same street within an hour of having already parked there - not for the same offence. Not too many people realise that this is - technically - illegal!