Shared use or pay and display in Coulsdon - the £60 question

If you've ever parked on a Coulsdon street, you may not be aware of the latest Croydon Council scam that could cost you £60.  They caught me.

The trick is, they've introduced two different types of pay-and-display bays, but one is free.  Confused? You will be when I tell you that one type of bay delights in the Croydon Council-speak term, 'shared use bay'!  It's all too confusing.

It gets worse ... there are now two types of pay-and-display machine - one of these is free too.  But they LOOK identical.  And they both issue tickets.

The trick is, that tickets from the 'shared use' machine give you a half an hour or so of 'free' parking, but ONLY IN THE 'shared use' bay, if you can spot it.  The other one dishes out tickets at an hourly rate as usual.  This was the machine I used.

So, I got caught by BUYING a ticket and using it in the 'shared use' bay. Or at least I think that's what happened.  I argued that it seems unfair that I was fined £60, after appeal, simply for paying to park in a space I later discovered was free!

To be truthful, I am still a bit confused about exactly how Croydon Council pulled this scam off.  The letter I first received, supposedly in response to my origial 'appeal' didn't exactly enlighten me.  It's reproduced below - see if you can work out what they're on about.

CROYDON                                    Parking & Departmental Support Services
www.croydon.gov.uk                                                                                                  
PO Box 1462
                                                                                                                                                                                      CROYDON
                                                                                                                                                                                         CR91WX
                                                                                                                                                                      Fax: 020 8667 1066
                                                                                                                                                Email: parking @croydon.gov.uk
                                                                                                                                 Please ask for/reply to: PCN Processing
CHRIS MYERS                                                                                             Your Ref: CR91430140
XXX                                                                                                                 Our Ref: PDSS/PM/D1
KENLEY                                                                                                                Date: 12 Jul 2011
                                                                                                                                              <Note: no ‘phone number given>
SURREY
XXX
Dear CHRIS MYERS

Penalty Charge Notice: CR91430140 Date of Contravention: 05/07/2011

I refer to the representations received on 06/07/2011 in connection with the issue of the above Penalty Charge Notice. After full consideration of all the circumstances I have to advise you that the Council will not be cancelling the Penalty Charge Notice.

The reasons for rejection are as follows:

Vehicle registration XXX was parked in a Pay and Display Bay, without clearly displaying a valid ticket or voucher. A ticket must be purchased on arrival.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
I note your comments but must advise you that you purchased a ticket from a shared use bay machine, but you have parked in a pay and display only bay.  Drivers must ensure that they are parked in the bays that are serviced by the machine that they use.

On investigation I can confirm that there are signs in place clearly indicating that you are in a pay and display area and these meet all the statutory requirements.

There are now two options

1) Pay the discounted rate of £30.00 before 02/08/2011 after which date the full charge of £60.00 will be payable. If this option is chosen, the Registered Keeper will lose the right to appeal to the Independent Parking & Traffic Adjudicators and the matter will be closed. The reduced charge will no longer apply after this date.

OR

2) If the Keeper wishes to appeal to the Independent Parking & Traffic Adjudicators, reduced payment should not be made. Instead, the Keeper must wait for the "Notice to Owner" to be received. There will then be a further 28 days to make full payment or for the Keeper to make representations in writing to this office, which the Council is under a statutory obligation to consider.
There is no formal right of appeal to the adjudicators before the "Notice to Owner" is issued.

Failure to make representation or full payment to this office within 28 days of the service of the "Notice to Owner”, will result in the issue of a Charge Certificate, which increases the charge by 50%. There is no formal right of appeal to the adjudicators after the Council issues the Charge Certificate.

If you are not the registered keeper of the above vehicle, you must inform the registered keeper of this letter as a "Notice to Owner" may be issued to them if this charge is not settled.

Yours sincerely

PCN Processing
Parking & Departmental Support Service



INVESTOR IN PEOPLE
                 

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