Imagine my reaction on opening the post last week to find a Penalty Charge Notice for £110 from Havering Borough Council.

It seems that when I picked up my sister from Gidea Park Station the act of pausing momentarily in a bus stop incurs an instant fine. I didn't see any signage or cameras. I had however carefully checked there were no buses to be inconvenienced.

Where I live in Hertfordshire we don't (yet!) have any such system and I see cars parked in bus stops every day.

What really hacks me off is that I don't speed, park illegally, throw litter, use my phone at the wheel, jump red lights or drive irresponsibly . I pay taxes, keep my car in roadworthy condition and am generally a model citizen. This is the thanks I get!!!

If on the other hand I was a slack jawed waster, high on crack, commiting crime and stealing stuff no doubt I would have money thrown at me by the liberal loony tw*ts who run National and local governments in this messed up country.

On the day in question I was on a mercy mission to help my old and infirm mother with my sister . It was 11.30 a.m. not busy and I didn't cause any problem to anyone else by pausing in the bus stop.

Is it any wonder we are all so angry at the way we are treated by the overpaid arrogant gits who run our local boroughs? How about getting tough on the dozens of drivers I see every day with phones clamped to their thick skulls, weaving around or driving at a steady 50 in the middle lane of motorways completely oblivious to the traffic backed up behind them and being forced to filter past in the outside lane. It's a bl**dy joke!!!

I'm appealing of course but not expecting common sense to prevail. 2008 MY Java Black TDV8 HSE

Go back and take pictures showing no signage etc.
Appeal and they will probably back off. No £ to take it any further.
 Visitor from fullfatrr.com
* GONE. 2012 RR Sport HSE SDV6 Orkney Grey. Now being piloted by RRSTDV8
* Current: 2011 4.4 TDV8 Full Fat. Amazing piece of kit.
* Current. 1974 Lightweight 2.25L petrol. Old skool
* GONE. Freelander GS TD4 Manual MY2013. Orkney Grey with privacy, cold and clearview packs, armrests (a must!) and a spoiler.
* GONE. Range Rover Classic '93 200Tdi Factory fit
* 1949 80" in family since 1975

Is it actually the council or a third party company that is managing infringements for the council? Definitely follow it up as the 3rd party guys often get a portion / percentage of the money collected so they have a vested interest in getting as much fine out of you as they can. 2020 Pangea Green 1st Edition D240 New Defender 110 is here and loving it
2018 Melting Silver Mini Countryman PHEV - soon to be replaced
2015MY Corris Grey SDv6 HSE Dynamic, the best car I have ever owned, totally reliable only a cou0le of rattles in 3 years, now no longer in my care
Also in my garage is a 1996 TDi300 Defender 90 County HT made into a fake CSW

Definitely worth appealing especially if there were no signs. A couple of years ago I got a penalty charge letter from a council (not my local but still within Greater London) for parking on a bus stop which shocked me because I would never do that knowingly. They had photos and a video web link as well. Upon examining the evidence it was clear that I did park on part of the bus stop for a few minutes but it was not my fault and here's why:

- The bus stop shelter, bench and road-side sign were so far ahead that you would never imagine the "bus stop" extended that far back.
- There were FOUR cars parked in front of me (whose drivers would have received similar letters I'm sure) and even the first one was way before the bus stop shelter etc.
- Those other cars were parked on the "BUS STOP" road marking so I couldn't have read it.
- The thick line separating the bus stop from the right hand lane was the only thing that could tell you that lane was different to the rest of the road. That line was so worn out that it was hardly visible at 11pm on a dark night.
- Even if visible, that line could equally have been there to mark a bus lane (which didn't apply that late in the evening) rather than a bus stop because the "BUS STOP" marking was hidden from my view.

I reviewed daytime photos of that road on Google street view and that confirmed the bus stop was a very long one and they only had one road-side sign at the beginning of it. I researched and found that if a bus stop extended beyond a certain length, by law they were required to put up signs every certain yards which clearly weren't present in my case.

I appealed based on the absence of signs at regular intervals and the hidden road marking due to other parked cars. The fine was overturned but they couldn't help themselves and added a note at the end of the letter "not to do it again"  Current: Volvo XC90 T8 Inscription Pro PHEV with some optionals on top
Gone: MY16 RRS2 3.0 SDV6 Autobiography Dynamic, Carpathian Grey & Santorini Black Sliding Pano/Ebony & Ivory 2 Tone
Gone: MY13 RRS 3.0 SDV6 HSE Black Edition, Orkney Grey/Ivory
Gone: MY09 RRS 2.7 TDV6 HSE, Santorini Black/Almond

Thanks for the sympathetic replies. I 'made representations' using their online system and received an auto acknowledgement including the advice that I would receive a reply........ within 56 days (!!).

Found information on the local Government website to the effect that they can exercise discretion in deserving cases so not exactly confident but there may be some hope. 2008 MY Java Black TDV8 HSE

Paddi,

Unfortunately, the powers that be see people who can afford to run cars (i.e. motorists) as resources that can be milked very easily. They know where most of us live and will send bailiffs round to our houses if we do not pay their fines. Boils my blood!

I would certainly revisit the scene to establish whether there were relevant signs/lines/etc and take photographs if you think you have grounds to appeal.

Did they offer a discount for early payment by the way?

I wish you luck with this.

Thanks Phil,
Next time I am over there I'll try and get some pictures but it isn't worth making g a trip just for that purpose. 50 % discount for prompt payment bit I think that goes on hold when representations are made. 2008 MY Java Black TDV8 HSE

If you read the latest (and has been in for many a year now) Highway Code, it says you must never Stop or wait in a designated bus bay, (that is where the bus goes either into a bay, or a marked bus stop on a road.) This is a "Law" not just advisory as are several sections of the Highway Code.
In this instant the Road Traffic act states for this section, that warning/notification signs are not required to enforce the parking law, (not that unusual actually). Saying you didn't know that you couldn't stop in a Bus Bay in Law is no good a reason, as all drivers are responsible for reading the ne code as issued, and many have/were prosecuted when I was in the Police, then fixed penalty tickets.
Since much of parking enforcement has been handed over to Council Control, I am not currently up to date if there has been any amendments to Stones Justice Manuals, but often you find old acts are not cancelled and ere in fact still law.

An interesting never cancelled Law is the one where you mustn't park within 6' of the kerb, going back to Victorian times when rubbish was placed in this area.
More recent, but still current is the speed permitted of car indicators must flash at, still a way to bring a suspect in if nothing else can be found. John

RRS MY12 SDV6 HSE. Sumatra Black/Ebony & Walnut + Dynamic Pack, + Cold Climate Pack + Memory Pack, Digital TV/DVD, Premium Leather, Cornering Lights, Cooler/Fridge Box, & most Options.

Paddi wrote:

Thanks Phil,
Next time I am over there I'll try and get some pictures but it isn't worth making g a trip just for that purpose. 50 % discount for prompt payment bit I think that goes on hold when representations are made.

Google Street View

Always appeal...

I dropped my niece off in a Loading Bay on a Sunday evening (Red Route) and appealed (as there's no legal definition of what loading/unloading is). Went to adjudicator but TfL pulled out before the date and waived it.

Reversed through a No-Entry in order to do a safe 3-pt turn as road blocked - waived.

Make a reasonable argument and say it was a "de mininimis" infraction. Brief stop for reasonable purpose, no blocking of Bus Stop or Buses for their legitimate use, safe for other road users etc.

They try & word it that the 50% is a one-off offer but as long as you appeal in time, its put on hold.

It is always worth appealing.