Parking Fine In The Mail

[gel]

Couple of weeks ago, my car was involved in a very minor accident. There were no injuries but I stopped on the side of the road (where they were "No Stopping" signs) so we can exchange details.

Yesterday, I received a parking ticket from the Council in the post!

I mean, can they do this? Am I not supposed to stop at my own accident scene or am I supposed to drive away and be charged with "Hit and Run"? Maybe, I should just circle around till I find a parking...

Not sure about the laws to this in other states, but I'm in Sydney..

Any advise on my rights?

[steveo_r33]

does that mean a parking officer saw your car their and just took your details?

I thought they put a ticket on ya windscreen and then mail you a copy 2.

Well you can take it to court and get let off but that will cost you 65$ :-(

did the officer write his name on the ticket?

[gel]

I just spoke to them and yes, it was recorded by a parking inspector. According to them, they have the option of placing the ticket on the windscreen or posting it out to the registered owner of the vehicle.

The officer didn't write his name. In the Issuing Officer field it had the Council name.

They said I can dispute it by writing them a letter explaining the situation and to provide a claim report from my Insurance company, then they will review and see if I still have to pay.

[Chris_R33GTSt]

There are 2 laws here. 1) is the fact that you are not allowed to leave the scene of an accident (Police, Government of Australia, insurance company regulations etc.) 2. You cannot park in a no parking zone (Council rangers who would give your grandmother a parking ticket).

I say get a good lawyer, take the pricks to court and sue them for all costs including lost wages. I can PM you the details for a very good lawyer in Sydney if you like...

[steveo_r33]

lmao bit over kill for a parking ticket dont you think chris.

how much is a parking ticket thesedays!!!!?

[Gazee]

in vic no standing zone tickets are $107

but you can dispute it, try that they should let you off... pricks don't even have the decency to come upto you and hand you a ticket these days... shame

[gel]

lmao bit over kill for a parking ticket dont you think chris.

how much is a parking ticket thesedays!!!!?

$179...

I'm just pissed that they didn't have the guts to come over and hand it to me or find out what's going on coz I was standing next to my car.

What a waste of tax payer's money by posting it... Lazy bastard!

Edited March 6, 2007 by gel

[rukus]

lmao bit over kill for a parking ticket dont you think chris.

how much is a parking ticket thesedays!!!!?

not at all

i met a parking officer at a party once and after about 5mins of chatting about his job, i wanted to strangle the cock.

these guys are the biggest wankers - if they ahve a bad day, they're going to make sure everyone else has one too.

take the dipshit to court and contest it. don't pay it.

[Chris_R33GTSt]

Exactly. A relaive of mine got a ticket for parking in her own driveway. Get lawyerd up and take them to court. You would win hands down and the rangers would have to pay all legal costs and also lost wages. It is ridiculous what they get away with and its time to give it back to them.

I have connections to a very prominent Sydney legal firm if you need any contacts.

Jesus christ, giving people a parking ticket at the scene of an accident, now that has to be a new low! Get Current Affair involved

Edited March 6, 2007 by Chris_R33GTSt

[silver gts-t]

he must of been short of his quota for the day.

no joke by the way..

[Gazee]

oh my god... $179..? yea i can see why he posted it... cos he would have got f*kn kicked in the teeth...

they are very low, in the city here in melb, they drive around now looking for cars, they don't walk as much... outside my work i see at least 10 cars everyday getting tickets... why can they park in no standing zones? why can the police park in no standing zones and go into the coffee shop and kick it in there, eating cake and drinking latte's...

waste of tax payers money +1

he must of been short of his quota for the day +1 (sons of bitches get commission i reakon... they say no but i think they do!)

i met a parking officer at a party once and after about 5mins of chatting about his job, i wanted to strangle the cock. +10000 i wouldhave loved to smash him, at least you can't get in trouble he aint in uniform

these guys are the biggest wankers - if they ahve a bad day, they're going to make sure everyone else has one too +1 (f*king assholes)

They carry batons around now... little bitches... 2 many of em got bashed

[Liz]

oh my god... $179..? yea i can see why he posted it... cos he would have got f*kn kicked in the teeth...

they are very low, in the city here in melb, they drive around now looking for cars, they don't walk as much... outside my work i see at least 10 cars everyday getting tickets... why can they park in no standing zones? why can the police park in no standing zones and go into the coffee shop and kick it in there, eating cake and drinking latte's...

waste of tax payers money +1

he must of been short of his quota for the day +1 (sons of bitches get commission i reakon... they say no but i think they do!)

i met a parking officer at a party once and after about 5mins of chatting about his job, i wanted to strangle the cock. +10000 i wouldhave loved to smash him, at least you can't get in trouble he aint in uniform

these guys are the biggest wankers - if they ahve a bad day, they're going to make sure everyone else has one too +1 (f*king assholes)

They carry batons around now... little bitches... 2 many of em got bashed

calm down please sir /dan

lol

[Gazee]

lol sorry

[-= SKiZO =-]

Just typing this quickly excuse the brief sentences.

A little bit of practical experience as I have taken a parking find to court and won.

I got done for "No Stopping" doing a 3 point turn in a tight culdesac where there was a No Stopping sign at the end. Yes that's right - the prick booked me for stopping for that split second while doing a 3 point turn! I also got the ticket sent in the mail. It was $172.

This seemed ludicrous to me so for 1.5 years I fought it with anyone that I could hunt down to show them just how stupid this was. No one cared. I had no choice but to take it to court representing myself.

At court the judge put it all down to word against word and I won. Not so much because it was a stupid fine, but simply that the prosecution didn't present a more concrete case.

I wasn't allowed to claim court costs because legally only a a solicitor representing you can claim costs on your behalf is what I was told. At that point I lost it and gave the judge a good serve. I wasted a whole work day plus literally hundreds and hundreds of hours of my time on this insanely stupid case and I wasn't allowed to claim costs. But again it was like talking to a brick wall. Judge didn't care. Was also told that even if I did get representation, that not all my solicitors fees are paid for so you have to weigh this up too.

My advice:-

First up - definitely do what's been advised above and send in your accident report to the IPB for review and possible overturn of the fine.

If they say no, in writing to the IPB, ask for all the officers notes(they write these against the ticket). Also ask for any photos if any they have taken of the infringement. If they don't have any this is great for you and you have basically already won.

Advice for all, all letters to the IPB asking for legitimate information must be replied to. Use this to your advantage as everytime they give you an extra 21 days to respond. What this does, and it did help me in my case, if you drag it out enough, the ticketing officer may forget specifics when it comes to court time, so if you go in and are confident about all specifics then it looks good in your favour, at least it did for me. Whatever you do, do not go past the 21 day deadline as the fine will be passed to the SDRO immediately.

Weigh up if you can waste a day of work to take it to court. They told me 9am to be at the courthouse, but my case started at 1.30pm and took 2.5 hours! If you can, do it for the experience. If you can't, then just pay it and try and forget about it.

When you go to court be prepared. Take photos of the scene/road. It will help the judge visualise better. Say, "well where else was I meant to stop?" Write up some good cutting questions. You can make the prosecution look like idiots if you do it well - all those years of watching The Practice and Boston Legal paid off for me!!!

Finally don't try and change their thinking - you lose a heck of a lot of respect for people that you thought were meant to look out for you, and you soon come to realise they are all mindless idiots.

Best of Luck.

[gel]

Thanks Skizo, for the info...

You deserve respect for taking it to Court and representing yourself and won!

It's just crazy at the way they hand out Infringments. It's down right robbery and irresponsible. It just goes to show that they are just renevue raising.

Being done for stopping illegally while doing a 3 point turn is just as insane as me stopping after an accident.

Well, I hope it all works out and doesn't go as far as a Court case, but I definately be asking for proof if it does gets that far...

Cheers for all the advice. I'll let you guys know how it pans out.

[Gazee]

It's just crazy at the way they hand out Infringments. It's down right robbery and irresponsible. It just goes to show that they are just renevue raising.

Thats the story of the government/councils in a nutshell..

Grrr wankers

[br3tt]

There has gotta be some consideration as you were doing the right things and exchanging details after an accident.

All the best

[HolyEvil]

This is taken from my blog.. written about dec 14th

Parking Inspectors.. I HATE THEM

Okie, there is nothing good about a parking inspector, I mean are they really proud of what they do?

What do their parents tell their friends? 'Oh my son/daughter is a parking inspector" *horrified looks*

Are parking inspectors actually proud of what they do? I mean everyone should take pride in their work.. but parking inspectors?

Why am I bitching? Well a few weeks back in Chinatown Sydney, as I was pulling away from my parking spot.. seriously.. I was already driving off.

This parking inspector, who happened to be giving the car in front of me a parking ticket, RAN to my car as I was pulling away,

glanced at the windscreen. At that point of time, I was bitching to my friend about what the f**k did she do that for.

About 2 weeks after, I got a parking fine. She f**king gave me a ticket because she THOUGHT I didn't pay, because she didn't have a chance to look properly.

This is totally unacceptable, a parking ticket should be placed on the windscreen of the car she's booking, not mailed to the guy. I mean luckily I have the parking meter ticket still in my rubbish bag in my car, or else how the f**k am I going to explain that I didn't do it? Seriously, parking inspectors are the scum of the earth.. That's it.

----------------------

resolving it.. I wrote a letter to the council and told them the situation and said if the fine is not cancelled, i'm going to court with them...

and they wrote back saying that the fine is cancelled..

fight it.. don't take this lying down.. those freaking parking inspectors are c**nts most of the time anyway..

[Chris_R33GTSt]

I mean, do you sit down one day and say to yourself, "Gee I hate the world, so I am going to become a parking inspector??". These guys must be the worst kind of EMO's ever! I just dont get it. Parking inspectors are getting abused, having rotten fruit and eggs thrown at them and they still keep on with it.

I say KICK THEM IN THE FACE!!!

[steveo_r33]

I say KICK THEM IN THE FACE!!!

+1