# Fixed penalty in a private car park (me not present)



## rik-e (Feb 26, 2007)

Hi all,

took the missus shopping tonight to Westfield, Derby. returned to my car and i'd been fined for my illegally spaced number plate????

As I got to the car a car park patroling warden came over and said that there were a number of cars that had them on and he said they couldn't fine me as it is a private car park and I had to pay to park there, plus I wasn't even in my car :?

Can I still be fined? I took pics and am going to appeal it. fair enough if i was on the roads but in an underground car park :x

Surely if i was taking photos with a show plate on, nipped to get them processed and returned my legal number plates to the car before driving off I can't get fined? the legal spaced plates are actually on the car now btw.

all help/advice appreciated.

thanks


----------



## Wolfsburger (Oct 21, 2002)

rik-e said:


> Returned to my car and i'd been fined for my illegally spaced number plate????


You`ve pretty much summed it up here to be honest. You`re aware they`re illegal so what is your beef?

The fact the ticket was issued in a car park is irrelevant.

Dry your eyes mate!


----------



## YELLOW_TT (Feb 25, 2004)

If the car park was private land then I dont see how they could give you a ticked I would defo question it


----------



## Whack01 (Feb 23, 2008)

As far as i'm aware although it's a private car park it probably is still a public place in relation to road traffic legislation, doesn't make any difference that you had to pay to get in. Sorry looks like you'll be paying up


----------



## rik-e (Feb 26, 2007)

Wolfsburger said:


> rik-e said:
> 
> 
> > Returned to my car and i'd been fined for my illegally spaced number plate????
> ...


my beef is that it was a private bit of land which I was paying to park on that belonged to the shopping centre.

It's like removing your number plates if you've had some new ones made up for your car, whilst your in your garage applying the tape to stick them to your car a police officer walking on your drive and slapping a fixed penalty on your window for not displaying number plates...

my point is e.g. if i went to some private land, put my 'show plates' on, taking photo's and a policeman strolls up and issues me a fine for the show plates even though I have the originals with me (which I did tonight, they were just in the boot) :?


----------



## conlechi (May 6, 2006)

How illegally spaced were they ?

Mark


----------



## rik-e (Feb 26, 2007)

conlechi said:


> How illegally spaced were they ?
> 
> Mark


6 digits together, a space, then last on its own e.g.

A123BC D

instead of

A123 BCD


----------



## ResB (Apr 17, 2005)

Whack01 said:


> As far as i'm aware although it's a private car park it probably is still a public place in relation to road traffic legislation, doesn't make any difference that you had to pay to get in. Sorry looks like you'll be paying up


This is likely correct. A road or car park can be privately owned but still be a public road or car park, therefore you can still be caught out.


----------



## rik-e (Feb 26, 2007)

ResB said:


> Whack01 said:
> 
> 
> > As far as i'm aware although it's a private car park it probably is still a public place in relation to road traffic legislation, doesn't make any difference that you had to pay to get in. Sorry looks like you'll be paying up
> ...


oh dear,

Â£30 it is then :?

how many times can you get the penaltys until your plate is taken from you?


----------



## denTTed (Feb 21, 2007)

I thought they changed the law some time ago regarding car parks and I'm mean about 15 years ago.

If you think about it, if you witnessed a joy ride hand-braking his metro around your precious TT or even around people who would you call? If the police said they could do anything because it was a private car park, would you be satisfied with that.


----------



## p5owt (Oct 18, 2007)

thats so unlucky rik

i parked there all day yesterday even in the mother and todler section

i never got a ticket

my plates r ilegaly spaced aswell

not sure if it counts as a mark against your plate tho

ive been warned twice by police to change it(no ticket isued)
and had a ticket to get it changed once 
police officer who isued the ticket told me that if he caught me again (in his astra :lol: )he would contact dvla and it would be a first warning and if i get two the dvla would take the plate off me(they better send a van full)

paul

paul


----------



## fut1a (Dec 28, 2006)

jonson said:


> I thought they changed the law some time ago regarding car parks and I'm mean about 15 years ago.
> 
> If you think about it, if you witnessed a joy ride hand-braking his metro around your precious TT or even around people who would you call? If the police said they could do anything because it was a private car park, would you be satisfied with that.


Yup you would deffo call the police, and then wait, and wait, and wait until the joyrider had long gone. Now if you call the police remembering they are just another division of the tax man, and said there is a car not taxed or used any other reason, they could get some easy revenue, then they would be there in a heartbeat :wink:


----------



## ResB (Apr 17, 2005)

rik-e said:


> ResB said:
> 
> 
> > Whack01 said:
> ...


I've been collared twice by the traffic police. They advise DVLA apparently and the third ticket is supposed to mean DVLA can take the plate away from you. Apparently the local plod don't get involved with this issue and to be honest I have never been stopped by the local constabulary but always by the traffic police.


----------



## garyc (May 7, 2002)

It's an occupational hazzard for all you Clever Spacers. There is a simple way to avoid this happening in first place. :wink:


----------



## garvin (May 7, 2002)

p5owt said:


> thats so unlucky rik
> 
> i parked there all day yesterday even in the mother and todler section
> 
> ...


Even though you may have paid for the registration number it does not belong to you - it belongs to DVLA (the physical plate belongs to you but the number on it is DVLA's). So they won't be sending a 'van full' just a nice note through the post saying that the reg no has been withdrawn and you can no longer use it!


----------



## zorg (Apr 25, 2006)

i have a private plate with 5 digits.

i thought about putting a shotend plate on the front but thought nah all cops are TTossers im not gonna give them an excuse to pull me. got to ask yourself is it worth the hassle?

i STILL get pulled though, not had a valid reason yet for getting stopped.

my favorite thing to do is as soon as the blue lights come on i indicate and pull an emergency stop :lol:

sooo funny watching them in the mirror. if they hit me its thier fault and will have to pay out. hopefully getting them in trouble at the same time.

everytime they ask what speed i was doing its ALWAYS 1mph under the limit which pisses them off :lol:

z


----------



## mde-tt (Aug 7, 2007)

ResB said:


> Whack01 said:
> 
> 
> > As far as i'm aware although it's a private car park it probably is still a public place in relation to road traffic legislation, doesn't make any difference that you had to pay to get in. Sorry looks like you'll be paying up
> ...


I agree, the same rules apply to wearing seatbelts and private roads.
There seems to be this misconception that getting of the public highway allows people to drive without wearing a seatbelt - also wrong.

Re the plate, think it wouldn't stand up if you appealed.


----------



## cuTTsy (Jan 31, 2003)

p5owt said:


> i parked there all day yesterday even in the mother and todler section


Did you have toddlers with you?


----------



## chrisabdn (Aug 15, 2007)

was it just a fine, and no penalty points? it's frustrating, but i guess you'll probably just have to swallow it. as far as i know irregular plates is a customs & excise offence, attracting a fine only - and not a traffic offence, so it's doubtful you could get points unless you were a persistent offender.

i think odd spaced plates are OK for track days, etc., and - like you say - if you were just taking photos whilst stationary, and not moving on the public highway, then it might be worth chancing your arm and seeing what they say ... on the one hand they'll ask how you got to the car park in the first place, and will presume you've driven on the public highway to get there, but if you stick to your story of switching plates and forgetting to switch them back before you went to get your photos developed that's about all you can do.

personally, i wouldn't buy it ... people have odd spaced plates for a reason, and i've rarely met anyone who only switches for show days, i imagine plod & co have heard all the excuses.

a friend of mine had an irregularly spaced plate and got pulled a few times about it ... don't think he was ever fined though. feel for you bud, but it's doubtful there's much you can do.

i don't have a particular problem with irregularly spaced plates, someone once suggested that if it makes the plate more memorable then it might actually be a good thing ... however the law's the law, and that's that, we know the score and if we choose to ignore it that's our look out. i don't, and wouldn't, have a private plate, so it's not a problem for me.

what i do think is terrible, and should be dealt with most severely, is people who used inappopriate fonts on their plates which make them more difficult to read, and people who strategically plates dots or screws to make letters appear to be something else ... either of these confuses the plate and makes interpreting the letters difficult ... the police would be quite right to harangue someone for this, and people should know better.


----------



## GRANNY (Jun 18, 2002)

Totally confused now, where you in an undergroud park lot or on a piece of rough land.


----------



## Nimbus (Sep 20, 2002)

I'm confused too..

Whom was the fine from ?

Surely if it was from the police they have to talk to you in person, give you a cation and say how they are dealing with the offence ? I dont think they can just stick it on your windscreen ?

I got done just before xmas, Â£30 fine and no points, but I did get reported to the dvla, who sent me a shitty letter about it....

Still, it was better than the 96mph on the M1 that they originally pulled me over for.. they let me off for that 

In general I think there is a clampdown on mis spaced plates going on, which is b%&$ox really, given that the dvla actively sell them on the basis you can make a 'word' from them..


----------



## rik-e (Feb 26, 2007)

Nimbus said:


> I'm confused too..
> 
> Whom was the fine from ?
> 
> ...


I was in an underground car park and it was a police fine stuck to my window when i returned from shopping 

standard plates now on and cheque in tomorrows post 

I was in the wrong by having the plates in the 1st place but it annoys me when you see people driving like looneys endangering peoples lives and never get a caution or caught also the people that don't insure!!!!

Just had a bad day when I made the original post... needing new suspension struts, just paid for a big service, paying crazy insurance/tax prices  it's never ending but worth it in the end


----------

