Free Parking? Pay and Display experiment.

cormie

Taken from http://www.vantasks.ie/blog/136/pay-and-display-experiment/

Pay and Display Experiment

So recently some roadworks were completed on a local street which is covered in Pay and Display parking bays. Most bays and markings are still fine but one remains unmarked. Today my friend is in the area and we decided to test it out and park his car without a ticket in the newly surfaced area which had no markings or sign at the time of parking. The wardens are like snakes around here and it’s rare you’d get away with parking without a ticket.

When last winter was upon us and the snow was thick, I was personally told by somebody in the council that my van wouldn’t be clamped as long as the snow remains and the markings aren’t visible. There’s also a UK website I remember dedicated to helping people fight their parking tickets and incorrect markings are a big “get out clause”.

Will update with the result

Has anyone done similar here before? It's not a clamp zone, just tickets at €40 a pop, costly experiment if an appeal isn't won but free parking if it doesn't get ticketed

Berty

It depends on how you view it.

Is somebody parking in a bay then know to be a pay and display area and then "throwing a hissy fit" when they get a ticket crying out that there was snow/ice/mud/ugly children covering the markings or bird/eagle/ostrich crap on the sign on the pole?

I used to park on Great Strand Street in Dublin for free because whilst the derelict buildling was knocked the developer gave up the ghost and the hoarding was still there. Everybody just parked against the hoarding and nobody got a ticket. Last year DCC moved the hoarding and the P&D signs went up. Boooo

MrDerp

A colleague of herself lives in Dublin City Centre and has no resident's permit. For about 18 months she has been parking on a speed-bump that has no double yellow lines painted on it.

She has only been clamped once, in all that time, and that was a few months ago. She decided to pay the clamping fee and keep doing as before, so as not to draw attention to the technicality. Haven't heard of any trouble since.

soundbyte

Be careful OP. In Galway a few years ago, they lifted cars, painted double yellows and replaced the cars. Cant remember if they got tickets though

Pyridine

MrDerp wrote: »

A colleague of herself lives in Dublin City Centre and has no resident's permit. For about 18 months she has been parking on a speed-bump that has no double yellow lines painted on it.

She has only been clamped once, in all that time, and that was a few months ago. She decided to pay the clamping fee and keep doing as before, so as not to draw attention to the technicality. Haven't heard of any trouble since.

Emm is a parking permit for DCC not 62€ for the year? How much was the unclamping fee? Sounds like a false economy to me.

MrDerp

Pyridine wrote: »

Emm is a parking permit for DCC not 62€ for the year? How much was the unclamping fee? Sounds like a false economy to me.

Not entitled to a parking permit.

cormie

Although it wasn't a full day trial, after 2.5 hours he was still without a fine. The area is notorious for parking fines so 2.5 hours would probably be akin to a full day elsewhere.

Anan1

If there are no markings then why would you get a ticket? Isn't it simply a free parking space in the middle of a pay & display area?

cormie

If you check the photo, you'll see the remains of the old markings. It was a pay and display area only a month ago before the roadworks, only a section of road was dug up and this bay just happened to have it dug along the lines, the rest of the bays had their markings untouched. I've seen people park in the same spot recently and put tickets in their window when there's no need

rebel.ranter

One of the lads in work has told me about a spot that is unmarked between the end of double yellow lines on a corner (suitably far enough from the corner though) & the start if a parking bay. It is technically not marked either way so is this a "free" spot?
Also there is a whole street down near the Point Depot somewhere left unmarked, there is a scramble in the morning for parking there.
There's one other spot next to a well known hotel on the canal that's also free.

Forest Master

soundbyte wrote: »

Be careful OP. In Galway a few years ago, they lifted cars, painted double yellows and replaced the cars. Cant remember if they got tickets though

Why are you making stuff up?

cyclopath2001

rebel.ranter wrote: »

It is technically not marked either way so is this a "free" spot?

Is there, perchance, a continuous white line in the centre of the road at that location?

Anan1

cormie wrote: »

If you check the photo, you'll see the remains of the old markings. It was a pay and display area only a month ago before the roadworks, only a section of road was dug up and this bay just happened to have it dug along the lines, the rest of the bays had their markings untouched. I've seen people park in the same spot recently and put tickets in their window when there's no need

Still and all, if it's not marked as P&D then it's just a normal parking space.

cyclopath2001 wrote: »

Is there, perchance, a continuous white line in the centre of the road at that location?

I'm pretty sure that's the line marking out the parking on the other side of the road.

cormie

Cyclo is referring to rebel.ranter's post about a different parking location as opposed to the one in my blog

newkidonblock

To issue a ticket / clamp a car there needs to be parking signs and road markings.

If either are missing you can park there.

I parked for almost a year in montique lane in a single parking spot where the lines had not been repainted after the road was resurfaced.

It was actually a clamper who told me it was alright to park, and in the year i never got a ticket.

cyclopath2001

cormie wrote: »

Cyclo is referring to rebel.ranter's post about a different parking location as opposed to the one in my blog

Is your's a on a one-way street?

-Chris-

It looks two-way with no centre line marked.

http://www.vantasks.ie/images/altopad.jpg

cormie

That's right Chris, two way, no centre line at all.