London Motorists Action Group

AppealNow - Westminster F3 CPZ Landmark Adjudication Victory

In a landmark case at the London Parking Adjudicator, Barrie Segal, the founder of AppealNow.com, got the Controlled Parking Zone for the central zone of London’s West End declared illegal.

Barrie represented transport company, Keystone Distribution UK Ltd in a case against Westminster Council where he claimed that the Council’s massive F3 Controlled Parking Zone in the heart of the West End was illegal and that no parking tickets could be issued to motorists on single yellow lines in that zone. Barrie’s argument was that Zone F3 did not have the correct signs at each vehicle entry point and therefore the zone was illegal. After a site inspection the Parking Adjudicator agreed with Barrie.

The effect of the decision (Keystone Distribution UK Ltd –v - City of Westminster Case 2080274557), is that every single yellow line must have a time plate showing the parking restrictions along its length (The Department for Transport recommends every 30 metres). As hardly any single yellow lines in the area have these individual signs no parking ticket can be issued to vehicles parked or waiting there.

Ealing Council to Remove 6 Unlawful Box Junctions

THE MOTORISTS LEGAL CHALLENGE FUND - Press Release 6th November 2008

On 4th November 2008 Ealing Council issued a press release (ref: ST 203) stating that it intends to remove 6 yellow box junctions in the Borough thereby ending four years of unlawful enforcement. This change has been brought about as a result of a sustained campaign by motorists and residents principally led by Jim Douglas, creator of the website Money Box Junction with assistance from with the local press.

Ealing’s press statement attempts to deflect blame for any mistakes away from the Council and onto the Department for Transport. However, that does not alter the fact that the ultimate responsibility lies with the Council’s Highways department to ensure that all lines and signs are legal. Freedom of Information requests have been lodged with the Council and the Department for Transport, so the truth of ‘who said what to whom’ will become clear in due course.

Traffic signs expert for the Motorists Legal Challenge Fund, Richard Bentley said “They ought to be able to get it right. It’s not rocket science. The Traffic Signs Regulations and General Descriptions is mainly pictorial and is very clear. After studying that, if you still are still not sure, then the Department for Transport produces the very helpful Traffic Signs Manual and loads of working drawings to ensure that Local Authorities deploy signs and lines that are lawful.”

Islington residents gets the hump with the bump

Drivers in Islington, north London, have complained that their cars are being damaged because the speed bumps are too high.

A council spokesman acknowledged there were a few which which are "probably too high" and it would put them right.

Harrow 3,400 CCTV PCNs cancelled

THOUSANDS of people will not have to pay parking fines due to flaws in the wording on tickets.

Harrow Council was forced to cancel around 3,400 unpaid penalties issued to people caught parking illegally on CCTV after it lost an appeal in September. The error, which is likely to cost around £95,000, crept in after changes to the format of tickets were introduced on April 1 and the now void fines were all between that date and October 13.

But the 9,380 people who paid their charge on time will get no money back because the authority’s legal advisors say coughing up is an admission of guilt.

PATAS annual report

Chief Adjudicator’s Foreword I am pleased to present to the Committee this joint report of the Parking Adjudicators for the year 2007-2008.

The most important event this year, although it only occurred on 31 March 2008, the last day of the year covered by the report, was the introduction of parking enforcement under the Traffic Management Act 2004, replacing enforcement under the Road Traffic Act 1991. We deal in detail with this development below. Enforcement of other matters under the 2004 Act – bus lanes, moving violations and the London lorry ban – has not yet been introduced. Enforcement of those contraventions therefore continues under the existing legislation. This means we continue with several different regimes operating in parallel. This is less than satisfactory. It has never been clear to us why enforcement under the 2004 Act could not be introduced for all contraventions together. Until these other contraventions are enforced under that Act, a principle aim since the legislation was enacted four years ago, a single coherent enforcement regime, will not be achieved.

This year we received 64,072 appeals, the highest number ever. At present there is no sign of the increase abating.

Croydon orders CEOs to issue PCNs or face disciplinary

Croydon Council has ordered traffic wardens to hand out a minimum amount of parking tickets or face disciplinary warnings.

The council, which has in the past vehemently denied giving the attendants targets, has had its cover blown by furious employees who are unhappy with the "unfair" system.

Barnet Bus Lane PCNs found unenforcable

Tens of thousands of motorists fined for driving in bus lanes could have their penalties overturned after a council oversight. Barnet issued 33,817 penalty charge notices which failed to use the correct wording - and one was quashed at appeal last week.

London Cab Drivers Club support the Motorists Legal Challenge Fund

LCDC Chairman Grant Davis & Ranks Officer Paul White present a £500 cheque on behalf of the London Cab Drivers Club to the Motorists Legal Challenge Fund ( www.motoristslegalchallenge.co.uk ).

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=BwxNdDai_70 LCDC Chairman Grant Davis urges taxi drivers to support Neil Herrons Judicial Review via the Motorists Legal Challenge Fund

British Parking Association relaunches Bailiff Enforcement Agents Council propos

The British Parking Association (BPA) has set up a new Special Interest Group for Civil Enforcement, chaired by Philip Evans, and issued a revised Bailiffs and Enforcement Agency Council (BEAC) proposal.

Security Industry Authority not to regulate Bailiffs

Following debate that the Security Industry Authority (SIA) was likely to be appointed by the Govt as a bailiff regulator, it has been confirmed by a Ministry of Justice official in the industry press that the SIA will not be undertaking complaint handling.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) will have to take on complaint handling for bailiffs, a senior official said yesterday.