There goes the upgrade budget...

[pippin88]

Just a warning and a vent.

Received a parking fine for $175 in the mail. Turns out I stopped for all of 10 seconds in a bus zone - which is a no stopping zone for cars - to drop of my girlfriend.

Expensive lesson, especially considering I was stopped for a very short time and not inconveniencing anyone.

[Nnnnsic]

Do they have a nice little picture of you to prove it?

[johndec]

Do they have a nice little picture of you to prove it?

Even if they do, ask them to prove that the photo hasn't been doctored Worked for that guy with the speed camera fine !!!!

[pippin88]

Yeah, I'll probably write a letter asking for proof etc.

Still bloody annoying.

[PiroStitch]

Well just paid for a new pd70x as well as a parking ticket not happy jan!

bloody vultures still out on patrol at 6:05pm on a saturday! That's 5 dumb minutes :S Ahh well lesson learnt to follow the parking rules

[Nnnnsic]

Do they have a nice little picture of you to prove it?

Even if they do, ask them to prove that the photo hasn't been doctored Worked for that guy with the speed camera fine !!!!

Based on all these quotas that I've heard about that are happening, they're seriously going to have to start shooting pictures of every offence to prove that these offenses are actually happening.

I mean, it's a "your word against mine" sort of system and quite frankly, I have no faith in the parking inspection system at this point.

[pippin88]

Do they have a nice little picture of you to prove it?

Even if they do, ask them to prove that the photo hasn't been doctored Worked for that guy with the speed camera fine !!!!

Based on all these quotas that I've heard about that are happening, they're seriously going to have to start shooting pictures of every offence to prove that these offenses are actually happening.

I mean, it's a "your word against mine" sort of system and quite frankly, I have no faith in the parking inspection system at this point.

That's the thing, we are meant te be innocent until proven guilty (a central value in our legal and social systems) yet an accusation is enough to prove guilt? If I took this to court, I would be expected to provide evidence that for example, I was elsewhere, rather than them providing evidence that I was there.

[stubbsy]

Can't remember how much, but if you want a photo you have to pay for it.

[Nnnnsic]

Seems a tad ridiculous that you have to pay for a photo of something they may or may not have a photo of to clear your name.

Logic would dictate that in cases like this, the enevelope that has the ticket or fine in it should contain a laser printout of an image showing you doing what you did wrong, that way contesting it follows a better approach.

[radar]

Pretty sure they don't take photos for the type of fine that pippin got. There would have been a parking ranger on the side of the road, he took down the plate number and then the ticket gets sent.

Similar to parking fines, no photo required, except you get the ticket when you get back to your car, not in the mail. Just assumes that the parking ranger took down the details properly.

Basically, you are innocent till proven guilty. Paying the fine proves you guilty, taking it to court, you can contest it. Most people don't take it to court, even if they feel they are innocent, it ends up being too much trouble, so they count on that.

But if you do plan to contest, don't use the fact that you were not inconveniencing anyone. They´ll just point you to the sign that says "No Stopping", case closed, pay up

Good luck,

Radar

[big pix]

........ I have some nice photos of my car speeding..... the image was part of the speeding fine......

[Alex]

Don't pay it. If you did not receive the fine in person, you do not have to pay it. If you get it in the mail, do not open it but cross out your name in the window and write "RTS". I have a close friend who does just that with over 50 unpaid parking fines behind his belt and never got into trouble. He happens to work for a major international bank and checked his credit history and nothing is recorded against his name. His friend a high profile constitutional lawyer gave him an idea... never failed.

Alex

[Andyt]

Pippin88,

Sorry to hear, just a thought though, if you remained in the vehicle with the engine running then you are standing the vehicle, if you leave the vehicle then it isparked. What does it say on the ticket? (it worked for me once )

A slim chance I know, as, if there were "No Standing" signs delineating the bus stop then its a letter asking for consideration as you 1) "my girlfriend was car sick and I had to stop. 2) "I just had a near miss after a maniac cut me off and was to distrought to drive". 3) "it was dark and the street lights did not illuminate the parking signs". 4) All of the above.....

Comisserations.........

[johndec]

Don't pay it. If you did not receive the fine in person, you do not have to pay it. If you get it in the mail, do not open it but cross out your name in the window and write "RTS". I have a close friend who does just that with over 50 unpaid parking fines behind his belt and never got into trouble. He happens to work for a major international bank and checked his credit history and nothing is recorded against his name. His friend a high profile constitutional lawyer gave him an idea... never failed.

Alex

That may work in Victoria, but up here we are required by law to inform the Roads and Traffic Authority of a change of address within 21 days so that they can update our licence and registration information. Pretending you don't live at the mailing address may well incur an even larger fine for not updating them.....

Also here in NSW, unpaid fines lead automatically to the suspension of your registration and drivers licence... Ignoring the problem and hoping it goes away is not good advice in this case

[Alex]

Don't pay it. If you did not receive the fine in person, you do not have to pay it. If you get it in the mail, do not open it but cross out your name in the window and write "RTS". I have a close friend who does just that with over 50 unpaid parking fines behind his belt and never got into trouble. He happens to work for a major international bank and checked his credit history and nothing is recorded against his name. His friend a high profile constitutional lawyer gave him an idea... never failed.

Alex

That may work in Victoria, but up here we are required by law to inform the Roads and Traffic Authority of a change of address within 21 days so that they can update our licence and registration information. Pretending you don't live at the mailing address may well incur an even larger fine for not updating them.....

Also here in NSW, unpaid fines lead automatically to the suspension of your registration and drivers licence... Ignoring the problem and hoping it goes away is not good advice in this case

I must say, I don't like this solution myself, neither have I ever tried it. But as I said a friend has many times. I can't understand how they didn't catch up with him...

Alex

[Willy wombat]

Spewing. $175 is a serious fine!

I have also been stung by the vultures. After one offence (my first in 9 years of driving) I have 2 points left on my licence for next 2.5 year. Hooray for double demerits!

[sirhc55]

It could have been a bus driver that booked you Nick - not many people know that by law they can book anyone in a bus zone whether parked or just stopping to drop someone off

[Nnnnsic]

It could have been a bus driver that booked you Nick - not many people know that by law they can book anyone in a bus zone whether parked or just stopping to drop someone off

Can we book them for talking on their mobile phones while they drive?

[sirhc55]

Of course you can Leigh Mind you, they may stop you taking POTW on buses for ever

[atencati]

Do they have a nice little picture of you to prove it?

Even if they do, ask them to prove that the photo hasn't been doctored Worked for that guy with the speed camera fine !!!!

Actually, the guy was able to prove the algorithm (MD5) used to calculate and print the speed on the photo was not reliable and could not be altered. Not wanting to give up the secrets (or defects) they refused to show the source code and were unable to find an expert to defend it (I guess including the original programmers??). This is actually a common defense here in the states now with all the tech savy programmers. It costs them far than the price of a speeding tiket to dump the system.

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,16204811-1242,00.html

Andy

[chris1968]

what a bummer - at least over here the wardens leave a ticket on your screen so you know you've been done,

its getting silly now though- i've seen the traffic wardens, bless em , using digital compacts to record the car registration and them taking a shot of the clock on the ticket vending machine - apparently to prove what time they booked you into your 'slot', same process applies to prove what time you were there when they issue a ticket. alledgedly they could not be trusted to write down the correct time they found your car parked in its slot...that what setting targets does for you............

on a photographic note -

story goes a chap got a ticket through the door for speeding, he disputed it, asked for the photo evidence, boys in blue send him the photo, bloke sends a phots of his payment cheque back to them , boys in blue send a photo of handcuffs , guy send the real chq ..........

[big pix]

.....traffic wardens here, in and around London, all carry compact digital cameras and shoot every car they book..... makes it hard to say I was not there....