Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Pre-Christmas RANT about traffic wardens and the Council
We live on Grand Parade. We park our car (with paid for permit) on Umfreville Road. We try not to use the car that much and had left it unchecked for three weeks or so.... in which time the Council painted new lines on the road to delineate a disabled parking bay... leaving our two front wheels 'encroaching' on said bay. FOUR parking tickets later 10th 11th 12th and 14th Dec the car was removed to the pound where we have just had to pay £550 to retrieve it... let alone the tickets. The neighbours (the disabled lady) even asked the traffic warden not to ticket us as we'd been parked there before the new lines were put down.
I am exceedingly angry and my partner hasn't stopped crying as it effectively quashes our usually bouncy Christmas spirit. OBVIOUSLY... we will fight.
In the meantime... can I take this opportunity to wish all members of this great site a merry Christmas. I'm going to sing carols and get pi**ed.
Jimbo
I am exceedingly angry and my partner hasn't stopped crying as it effectively quashes our usually bouncy Christmas spirit. OBVIOUSLY... we will fight.
In the meantime... can I take this opportunity to wish all members of this great site a merry Christmas. I'm going to sing carols and get pi**ed.
Jimbo
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Hugh on
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Hi Jimbo, Sorry to hear of your tribulations. Can I suggest a quiet word in the ear of the Patron Saint of Justice for Parking in Haringey. I shouldn't really be pointing people his way since he's not a councillor here, but he may at least point you in the right direction.
Have a great Xmas.
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Permalink Reply by Birdy_Too on
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Fight it Jimbo, you should win even if you'll get no apology for a gutless department who don't adhere to their own charter. I have fought the parking department on a few occasions and won, well didn't pay although no apology was given.
Good luck and let us know how you get on. Seasons greetings to you too.
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Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on
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Jimbo, going just on the facts you describe, this is not just personally very upsetting for you and your partner, but incredibly silly. People do go away on holiday or for their work. They may leave cars parked in CPZ bays with valid permits. Unfortunately, your story is not unique. A Google search on say, "lines painted round car" produces similar examples from all over the country.
However, as a councillor who has been highly critical of the Parking Service, I'm pleased to say that recent cases I've come across show a more sensible approach to what seem errors by parking wardens. (Civil Enforcement Officers). So contact the Parking Service; make a "representation", if possible, including a written statement from your disabled neighbour. It will help if you can send in photos. (Apologies if I'm stating the obvious.)
In the interest of transparency, please post on HoL and let us all know how you get on.
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Permalink Reply by stuart on
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Did the new disabled bay have a sign post to show this is a disabled bay ? If not the bay is not legal.
Look at the traffic act 1988 , there might be more legislation to help you.
Don't be bullied it's war.
Good luck and merry xmas
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Permalink Reply by Jimbo on
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The bay was already there but redelineated and enlarged overnight. The sign was also put up at that time. Sadly, those that COULD have seen the light and helped us yesterday... didn't. However, I enjoy a good fight and 2010 will kick off with a really good one. I will keep HoL informed. And many thanks again.
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I'm actually really touched by the feedback so quickly and all suggestions will be looked at. We WILL fight. Already mailing David Lammy. Now, back to the carol singing and vastly intoxicating winter drinks.
Thank you.
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Permalink Reply by Anette on
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Fight it! You'll win.
This might cheer you up and show you how thick they are: we had a parking ticket issued about 6 months ago. The car had valid permits in it, they were on the driver's side, clearly visible. Do you know the reason for the ticket? "permits displayed on the wrong side". Seriously? They were the guest-permits, as this was a new car. Lucky for us, the idiot warden had taken the registration number down wrong, so some confused motorist somewhere will probably be chased for a ticket he's not liable for. And neither are we.
Jobsworths. Never heard anything about it though.
Have a great one!
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Three years ago when I was on holiday my car was ticketed and then towed away so that road works could be undertaken. I arrived back to find no car and £390 of fines, storage charges etc. (My son had already paid some of these in case the car was crushed in my absence). I fought it and the council said that they would refund or cancel all charges etc. however I am still owed £140. I have phoned, written, and visited the relevant offices many times but I never receive a response or the £140. It really should not be necessary to have to fight over these situations, if a more efficient and sympathetic system was in place in the relevant council department then it would cut the stress for us and for the people who work there.
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Maggie, the situation you describe is utterly unacceptable. Can I suggest you email the Chief Executive with a copy to the Director of Urban Environment: Ita.O'Donovan@haringey.gov.uk Niall.Bolger@haringey.gov.uk
Summarise what happened including the number of times you've had to chase. Say what was agreed; and the calculation of what was repaid and the balance due. Offer - if they wish - to copy them the email/paper trail. Give them a reasonable time - say ten working days - to investigate and arrange for the repayment, plus a reasonable additional payment for your time and trouble in having to pursue this.
Make it plain that if this is not forthcoming you intend taking the Council to the Small Claims Court and/or the Ombudsman.
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Our council are gits when it comes to parking... I've fought them on many occasions.
1) my car permit ran out, but no renewal notice was sent. 2 tickets and a clamp to pay... Paid one ticket and the clamp fee to get de-clamped. Was told by the parking team that there was a problem with the renewal reminders going out, and to appeal. I appealed both tickets and the clamp in one letter, only to get three back. The unpaid ticket was waived, the two I had paid were not. No difference in situation or reasoning, so I concluded that they'd had £140 out of me and were happy to leave it there, rather than have me appeal. Really wish I'd fought that one further.
2) 6 tickets from cameras were sent to a friend, showing various "offences", however, the most recent was over 10 months old, and the oldest was over 18 months old, but all were sent out on the same day. None of the images actually showed an offence in any way, but it took ages to get those quashed (decided to request meetings with the head of parking and the CEO, to discuss HC's bullying and underhand tactics). All were quashed without payment, or without even having to write in!
3) An abandoned car, outside our house for weeks, no tax, no insurance, and only ever received a max of 4 tickets. Would get another as soon as one had fallen off. So I asked a warden why, and was told that it would have to be removed otherwise. "Remove it then", I said, and he admitted that there was no revenue in this, so that's why it stayed there. I called the council, and was told that there were "too many abandoned skips" in the area, for them to act on abandoned cars. So, spoke to a very nice lady in the Mayor's office, and suggested to her that I might tow the car down to the Civic Centre, and leave it for them to deal with. She suggested that I might leave it in the Mayor's space, and get the local press down, but suggested I offer that idea to the CEO's office. Funnily enough, within an hour, there was a 24 hour removal notice for the abandoned car (never seen one that short before), and in under 24 hours, the car was shifted.
4) A friend parked in front of a disused dropped kerb. He was towed, and charged £250 to get his car back, even though the dropped kerb only provided access to a private garden that no longer has cars parked. Totally illegal action from the council, and some phone calls and emails back and forward, the £250 is on it's way back to my friend.
So, the clear state of play to me is that if HC can see a way to make money, they will enforce regardless of legality. They will hound people and bully them into paying unfair fines. They will in effect steal or disable your car and ransom it back to you. If it were anyone else, this would be criminal activity, but not from a council?? However, if HC can legally enforce, but won't make money, they won't bother, even if it would make life better for the locals that they are there to serve.
All in all, over the past few years, I have become disgusted with Haringey Council's parking service. They seem to run the department like legalised mafia. Would a change in administration help? Probably not - it's in the blood of the parking service I think, and the whole department should be given a stern and public kick up the backside.
Good luck Jimbo, fight them tooth and nail. Ask for your money back and some. And, ask for an apology, and push until you get that - it will stick deeper in the throat of the parking team to apologise than to simply refund your money ;-)
Haringey Council's parking service simply bully and money grab from those of us that are within the law, but don't give a damn about using their massive powers against those who are not!
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