Parking fines, the record?

[Bill_56]

Anybody beat 43 years?

In over 43 years driving, mixture of inner city and rural, I have never once (temting fate!) had a parking fine of any kind. Not private, and not local authority or police.

I like to attribute that to a little known legal loophole... If you read the signs, and obey the rules, they won't fine you.

But I've been lucky too. Recently had to park in a local pay & display and had no change, but the warden was present and friendly and agreed to give me 10 minutes grace to go and get change. Which I did of course, and paid for parking, even though he was by then nowhere to be seen. Lucky though, that the warden was there when I parked.

[Proghound]

I've been careful but can't beat 43 years, I've not been driving that long! My only paid parking fine since passing my test in 1986 was in Cheltenham in 1990, for parking on some hatchings (although not causing any obstruction). There was another one in the mid-90's for not displaying a tax disc which I'd bought and was waiting in the glovebox to go on the windscreen. A photocopy of the tax disc got the fine rescinded.

My only recent history was an inadvertent straying off the straight and narrow in London a few years ago, when a left-turn filter at a set of lights turned out to be for buses only. Cars had to enter the junction through the lights and then turn. That camera was apparently the most profitable (ahem ... busiest ) by far in Lambeth. The video I received of my infringement showed the car in front of me doing exactly the same thing! But what annoys me more than the fine is that the previous two times I'd been there, I navigated that junction correctly ... I blame distractions from the back seat!

[Baxlin]

Congratulations, Bill, I wish I could claim the same.....

I have just two, the first at the age of 17 when I stupidly thought 'no waiting' was if I was in the car, I was PARKING, and leaving the car! The second was in the Borough of Camden, well known for its leniency, and which I challenged over bad/obscured signage. They of course ignored my challenge.

Not 43 clean years, but not too bad for 53 years, either.

[tt82]

I've successfully ignored one I got several years ago. Had a couple over turned on appeal but had to pay a few.

[christheancient]

Two for me over the years (and there are very many of them)

First one was one I fought. I had parked on a limited patch (1 hour and no return within one hour) just outside my flat while I went in to get my shopping bags and disappeared off to do my weekly shop (gone for well over an hour). Then returned, parked in a slightly different place, unloaded the shopping and went back to move the car to a place where I could park.

You've guessed right! In the time I had been unpacking my shopping, the bluddy warden had given me a ticket! I contested the case and even produced the supermarket receipt (which did, of course have location, time and date of my shopping) to prove that I had been miles away and had very obviously been away well over an hour. I didn't win.

The second time was in Bristol.

I had an interview for a job and managed to find a meter to park at. Whoopee! Fed a small fortune in the meter to buy two hours (well, that should be long enough for a job interview?) You've guessed right. The were late interviewing me... at length, and I exceeded the two hours and got a ticket. And I didn't even get the job!

[Bill_56]

Closest I came with traffic wardens was one day I passed a pair going the other way as I walked back to my car. One of these situations where we all reacted the same to get past one another, I stepped one way and so did they, then vice versa, then we all had a giggle about "shall we dance?". The kind of moment that leaves you with a smile on your face, exchanging a chuckle with complete strangers.

I wasn't the least bit worried about the wardens' activities as I knew I was parked legally, but was suddenly dismayed to see they'd left a notice on my windscreen... it was for my tax disc which, like Proghound's, was in the glovebox - I'd just forgotten to stick it on.

Fortunately the windscreen notice just warned something to the effect that I had been 'reported', and could expect a fine, but I heard nothing more about it. Maybe the DVLA systems were clever enough in those days (early 90s) to figure out for itself that the car was taxed, really. Or maybe I benefited from the unofficial grace period that was rumoured to exist.

[Rossi-fan]

Can't top your 43 years, only 34 (up to now) parking ticket free years for me

[Marty Dolomite]

About 15 years ago I bought a new-ish Vectra, the day I bought it we went off to the Glastonbury Carnival and managed to park on a side street between other cars and having seen some no parking cones I took photos of where I had parked and the parking signs.
a few weeks later I received a parking ticket which I appealed with a letter and photos only for the reply to be that they are not responsible for the cones being removed by an unauthorised person, I sent a letter back explaining that I'm happy to attend court and will claim back my expenses if I win. never heard anything more from them.
Next month a speeding tickets appears on my door mat for exceeding a 60 limit on our way to the carnival as which point I remembered saying to Mrs D 'Lets see what the kickdown like on this hill' (obviously I hadn't seen the big yellow camera)
I unhappily paid that fine.


Never had another council parking ticket on a car

[Bill_56]

I have had one speeding fine, early 1990s, exceeding a temporary 50 on a motorway. But handed over in person by motorway cops that pulled me in, somehow makes it more palatable, and at least I got to sit in their car and admire the toys of the period.

Not long after I got my Saab with the big turbo I got snapped by a mobile speed camera, high 60s in a 60 NSL. But I'd shared driving on that journey with other half and we genuinely weren't sure which of us was driving at that exact location. They obligingly sent us quite a high resolution front facing photo that showed the driver clearly. And it was the other half, not me. Phew.

[richardt1994]

Many, many years ago was caught by an unmarked police van in Wolverhampton doing 36 in a 30 zone which used to be 40 until a few weeks earlier. It was absolutely tipping it down with rain and a very wet and miserable officer waved me into a side road 100 yards past the camera van. I pulled in and wound down the window as he approached and shouted for him to get into the passenger seat. He gratefully got into the car, water pouring off his hat, explained to me what speed I had been doing and advised me to pay more attention to the road speed signs and then said, "thanks for letting me get out of the rain for 5 minutes, I think a warning is good enough". An example of a little bit of human kindness being recognised. :-)