on 30 Apr, 2024 15:08 in Civil penalty charge notices (Councils, TFL and so on)
on 28 Apr, 2024 22:05 in Civil penalty charge notices (Councils, TFL and so on)
on 21 Apr, 2024 02:11 in Civil penalty charge notices (Councils, TFL and so on)
on 21 Apr, 2024 00:04 in Civil penalty charge notices (Councils, TFL and so on)
Google Street view - I was in front of the white posts (car would be facing towards you when viewed from this angle). Google says it's number 9 Kensington Road:https://maps.app.goo.gl/9Si358gJtNSVeokz7Pic added to make it clearer (area roughly marked in red):
And this is the view from behind where the car was:
Oh and no blue badge, council ignored mountains of medical evidence.Thanks
on 20 Apr, 2024 01:13 in Civil penalty charge notices (Councils, TFL and so on)
There was one opposite the one on the right, as shown by my photo, is hidden by a tree that the council has not bothered to prune (Sefton council neglecting Southport - until they want to make money - is common).
That photo is taken from (a significant distance) behind the car, on the left (so if I was filming a video, and I moved to the right, you'd see the car as shown above or as shown below). It's opposite the sign shown in the council photo (the one shown on the right).<br /><br />There was no other sign nearby. The sign in the photo below is roughly opposite the obscured sign in the photo above, just to give more of an explanation of the above photo.
My car is a massive car (grand voyager) and you could fit at least 5 cars behind it there.There are no signs, heading in that direction (my car is on the right), until you get to the end of the road (again, not where I'd entered):
The council has refused my appeal based on this:'I refer to the representation made by you in connection with the issue of the above penalty charge notice.Your comments are noted with regard to the penalty charge notice issued to your vehicle and I can confirm that the reason for issue of the notice was that your vehicle was parked in a lined and signed resident privileged parking space without a valid permit on display.I understand that you state you where unaware of the restrictions in place however any vehicle observed not displaying a valid permit after a five minute observation period will be issued with a penalty charge notice. If a permit is not available for your use then you should have sought alternative legal parking nearby. It is the responsibility of the driver to make themselves aware of all restrictions in place before leaving there vehicle parked and unattended. I feel there are appropriate signs to alert you of the restriction and therefore I am satisfied that the contravention occurred and do not find the grounds of your appeal warrant cancellation of the charge.'which was in response to this:'Dear Sefton Council, I am writing to appeal against the penalty charge notice (PCN) issued to me today, number SF06034079. I had parked in what appeared to be a marked out area for free parking, being careful to avoid blocking any driveways, in order to get some medication for my disability. When I returned to the car (as the PCN shows, it was issued within 10 minutes), my friend found a PCN on my car. This PCN is unfair and invalid and I am therefore writing to challenge it. I have attached photos as evidence. These show: 1. That there were no signs at either entrance to Kensington Road, facing traffic, warning of restricted parking.2. That there were no signs in the area where the car was parked, either on the side that the car was parked on, or the opposite side.3. The only signs were as follows: 2 signs away from where I parked - one on the right but a significant distance from where I parked, the other on the left and also a significant distance from where I parked and obscured by a tree, neither with any indication that the restrictions applied to the area where I was parked, a significant distance away. 1 sign with an arrow (the only one) that, as the direction of my car shows, I could not reasonably have been expected to see as it was at the other entrance to the road than the entrance I drove in, and, like the other signs, a significant distance away from where I parked. It would not have been reasonable to have expected me to see any of those signs. There was also no sign where I entered the road. Where I parked, there was no sign on either side of the road. Drivers cannot be expected, in a place where parking appears to be free, to play a ludicrous "game" of "hunt the signs just in case the council is trying to sting disabled people for money just before a local election". I am therefore appealing on the following grounds:The permit zone (and therefore the PCN) does not comply with The Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016, part 3 of schedule 5, as there was, as the photograph shows, no sign at the entrance to the zone where I entered. The regulations make it clear there must be a sign at each entrance.2. Of the signs that did exist (none of which were at the entrance where I entered the road), they were not, as required, clear and unobscured signs within a reasonable distance (three car lengths) away from the area where parking was restricted.3. There were no signs where I parked nor within a short distance.'Where do I stand? Is it worth waiting for the Notice to Owner and making further representations, risking paying the higher fine (which, despite what some muppet magistrate once said, absolutely should be illegal as the Bill of Rights 1688 is unambiguous about fines, there's no "unless you can appeal" in the text)? Or do I not have a leg to stand on?It doesn't seem fair to expect drivers to hunt for signs, but what do people think based on their experience? Have I got a chance?By the way, as I've parked there for so long - always making sure not to block driveways regardless of whether they have H markings - and the white lines seem to have been repainted, I think those signs are new, which means the council intentionally hid one behind a tree, which makes them especially scummy.Thanks.PCN:
Street view from Google maps:https://maps.app.goo.gl/FNrkxENeC7MofRr66