How to Gather Evidence to Successfully Contest Parking Tickets

Successfully contesting an incorrectly issued parking ticket depends on your ability to gather compelling enough evidence to have it vacated.

It is a myth that the Council takes a stupid approach to parking ticket appeals, and rarely defends them. In fact, records show that almost 70% of appeals are upheld by councils across the UK.

But what evidence is required to successfully support a challenge against a parking ticket or ticket notice?

It largely depends on the reason why it is being questioned.

The reasons can be broadly categorized under the following headings.

• Wrong lines and signs
• Upload/download in progress
• Meters/ticket machines out of order and valid permits or tickets displayed.
• vehicle position

The type of evidence required when contesting tickets under any of these categories has been explained under each category below.

Collection of wrong lines and signs ·Evidence

• Record an accurate description of the nature of any defect. This could be a broken or severely faded yellow line, a defaced, faulty, or incorrect sign. ·
• Take a photograph of the defect, remembering the time and date of the image.
• Always use a street reference point to identify the location of the defect. Choose an outside or opposite number to help identify the location. Such as the number opposite 20 or the exterior of the number 30. You can also use the name of a building, such as the exterior of Nando’s or the opposite of Burger King.
• If practical, collect witness statements from other members of the public in the immediate vicinity.
• Another useful technique is to ask any other parking attendants in the vicinity to record the details of the alleged defect or sign or wrong line and also record or log the complaint. Take the number of any law enforcement officer or parking attendant who records such evidence if he or she was not the one who issued the ticket.
• Lines must be clear and legible and marked in accordance with the Traffic Signs and General Instructions Regulations 2002 (TSRGD).
• All parking lots (except motorcycle parking lots) must be accompanied by vertical signs or time plates specifying the nature of the parking lot located in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Collection of evidence on defective meters and payment and display machines

• Record the machine numbers of the appropriate display and payment machine if a ticket was issued on a faulty machine.
• Check the time on the pay and display machine, which must be accurate. An inaccurate time on the machine would result in an inaccurate time being recorded on the tickets it dispenses.
• Make sure that the display and payment machines that serve the bay were working at the time of the infraction. Parking is permitted at out-of-service pay and display machines as long as valid pay and display tickets are purchased at other nearby machines.
• If you dispute a ticket issued on an out-of-service meter, a photograph of the exact meter reading must be taken.
• If a pay and display ticket was purchased and displayed, but a parking ticket was issued, probably because the compliance officer was unable to see the pay and display ticket, the motorist should keep it in a safe place and a copy (not the original). ) submitted as part of an appeal to the local authority.

Collection of upload and download tests

• The most obvious and substantial proof of loading or unloading will be invoices, paperwork, etc. This must be dated and time stamped and must clearly show the activity that took place during the period the parking ticket or ticket notice was issued.
• While not conclusive, signed witness statements are also helpful in proving you were loading/unloading at the time of the violation.
• If there are signs allowing charging at the location, record the position of these road signs using an appropriate outside or opposite number and, if possible, take a photograph (sign time and date).

collection of evidence on vehicle position

• Some of the most controversial violations tend to be those that relate to a vehicle’s exact position on the road: violation codes 61 and 62 dealing with curbside parking, codes 26 and 27 dealing with jaywalking and double-parking and code 24 issued to vehicles parked outside the one-bay markings.
• Always take a photo. If you are disputing a violation applied to your vehicle for parking in an incorrect position, either on the sidewalk or over an intersection. Always take a dated and timed photo which should include key details including wheel position and vehicle registration.
• For a penalty applied for parking outside the bay markings, there must be some form of clear daylight between the wheels and the bay markings.
• A parking ticket issued for parking outside the bay markings may not be issued outside of operation during all bay hours; check the time controlled parking zone vertical sign or plate.