Parking Fines - do you pay yours?

trotter_inc

Got my first parking fine there last week - waheyy!!

I got it for being parked in a clearway. I really dont want to pay it because first of all the clearway sign was WAY up the road from where I was parked and there were no double yellow lines anywhere near my car. I honestly didnt realise I was parked illegeally.

I rang the local cop shop to complain about it and they said I just have to pay it - end of story.

I really dont want to give them the satisfaction of taking my money, I wouldnt mind paying it if I deliberately parked illegally.

Do people pay all their parking fines? What will happen if I just ignore it and dont pay up?

Interceptor

I ignore ALL of them and have probably only paid 20% or so. I only pay when the summons thingy comes in.

I'd say wait and see - it depends on who ticketed you, if it was a cop then you will likely get off. Traffic wardens etc are a different matter.

'c

Our man in Havana

If its a traffic warden you can be sure they will follow up with a reminder in about a months time and then a summons 7 days after that. If you go to court you are looking at €200 for that clearway ticket.

Pataman

Pay your dues, learn your lesson, move on. If your car is towed away afaik you have to pay all outstanding fines anyway.

Mutz

Pataman wrote:

Pay your dues, learn your lesson, move on.....

Exactly - you live in Ireland - not Iraq. The rules of the land apply to you too. Honestly - "I don't feel like paying it" :rolleyes: No wonder society is the way it is.

P.s its something like €19 anyway :eek: Might break the bank :eek:

ando

19, you mean €90?

My last ticket was around 2 yrs ago and was 80, I'm sure its gone up since then

Lenny

no

dahamsta

Bond-007 wrote:

If its a traffic warden you can be sure they will follow up with a reminder in about a months time and then a summons 7 days after that. If you go to court you are looking at €200 for that clearway ticket.

I got caught for tax six months ago and never heard another word from them. As it happens the car was new and all I have to do is pop into the traffic department with the VLC to prove that, I just haven't had a chance. But still, not a peep from them. Must pop over some day actually.

(Actually the reason I haven't gone in is that the VLC is made out to "Mrs Adam Beecher", and I'm too lazy to fix that. I've checked an' everyfing, I ain't a missus!)

adam

trotter_inc

Mutz wrote:

Exactly - you live in Ireland - not Iraq. The rules of the land apply to you too. Honestly - "I don't feel like paying it" :rolleyes: No wonder society is the way it is.

P.s its something like €19 anyway :eek: Might break the bank :eek:

If you read the post properly you would realise I said I wouldnt mind paying it if parked illegally on purpose. I didnt want to pay it because the sign was way up the road from where I was parked and there was no double yellow lines anywhere around my car!

trotter_inc

ando wrote:

19, you mean €90?

My last ticket was around 2 yrs ago and was 80, I'm sure its gone up since then

The one I got was for €25, that was for parking on a clearway.

spockety

trotter_inc wrote:

If you read the post properly you would realise I said I wouldnt mind paying it if parked illegally on purpose. I didnt want to pay it because the sign was way up the road from where I was parked and there was no double yellow lines anywhere around my car!

Ignorance is no defence when it comes to the law. Any cop or judge will tell you that.

Not debating the rights or wrongs of it, just saying it like it is.

J.

ando

trotter_inc wrote:

The one I got was for €25, that was for parking on a clearway.

hmm, well it cost 80 for me to get unclamped along the canal near the big Esat building

Our man in Havana

ando wrote:

hmm, well it cost 80 for me to get unclamped along the canal near the big Esat building

Clamping is €80
Most parking tickets are €19
Clearway tickets are €25

Tommy Vercetti

If you feel you were wrongly fined, then get a solicitor and some evidence together (photos of the signs, etc), and lodge an appeal; if you're just moaning because you got caught then pay it or whatever.

puntosporting

Swallow your pride and pay it,it will be done and out of your mind.

Capt'n Midnight

dahamsta wrote:

(I've checked an' everyfing, I ain't a missus!)
adam

maybe he'll get you the ring this christmas..

Tommy Vercetti wrote:

If you feel you were wrongly fined, then get a solicitor and some evidence together (photos of the signs, etc), and lodge an appeal; if you're just moaning because you got caught then pay it or whatever.

Not really worth it, since a solicitor would cost the guts of a parking fine.

Take pictures of the area ASAP so you have hard evidence of what lines were where if you want to brazen it out in court. To park in clearway, you must have passed one sign though...

trotter_inc

Capt'n Midnight wrote:

Not really worth it, since a solicitor would cost the guts of a parking fine.

Take pictures of the area ASAP so you have hard evidence of what lines were where if you want to brazen it out in court. To park in clearway, you must have passed one sign though...

Nah - solicitor wouldnt be worth it!

I didnt pass the sign as I drove up the other road to where the sign was.

Going to pay the fine anyway - Im just annoyed at the fact that the whole area has no double yellow lines but yet it has one small clearway sign for the whole stretch of road! Will make sure to tell the cops that when I pay the fine tonight.

Our man in Havana

yet it has one small clearway sign for the whole stretch of road!

The signs must be of a certain size. This could get you off.

sceptre

Limerick Corpo got smart. If you don't pay the fine and they have to send you a letter these days (oh and they will pursue for the money as they've got none of their own these days) they'll give you a deadline date. Don't pay by that date and they'll tack on a 30 euro admin charge. Then they'll think about sending you a summons (oh and they will pursue you for the money as they owe 14 million at the moment)

/strokes residential parking disc that costs €6.25 for the year

Our man in Havana

Where I worked as TW you could pay for the ticket at €19 up until you got the summons. Once the summons was issued it went up to €50, after that take your chances with the judge, who will if convicted add on €50 costs to whatever fine you get.

samo

I didnt pay a €19 fine and then got a summons which didnt think would happen for a parking ticket and felt stupid at having to pay whatever it was €38 or something at the time!!

Victor

interceptor wrote:

I ignore ALL of them and have probably only paid 20% or so. I only pay when the summons thingy comes in. I'd say wait and see - it depends on who ticketed you, if it was a cop then you will likely get off. Traffic wardens etc are a different matter.

And people complain about revenue protection / enforcement measures like clamping :rolleyes:

Interceptor

Victor wrote:

And people complain about revenue protection / enforcement measures like clamping :rolleyes:

Hi Victor,

I'm starting to feel like you are following me. Clamping is to traffic management what prostitution is to marriage guidance.

The question asked by trotter_inc was whether people payed parking fines and in my experience if you don't pay them nothing happens. I can also tell you that if you don't NCT your car nothing happens either, but if you don't pay your TV license, An Post send so many tersely-worded reminders that you are bullied into paying it and eventually a guy with a clipboard shows up at your house and BAD THINGS HAPPEN. Its simple - if you are a good citizen then only park in designated areas and pay any fines that accrue as a result of your mistakes, or if you are like me, do your best with the pile of crap you are stuck with and f3ck the begrudgers.

'c

Pataman

I can also tell you that if you don't NCT your car nothing happens either...'c

I am sure it is an offence to have a car without a nct disc if it is old enough to have one. I am not talking about taxing the car but the interest the guards will have.

Great to see people still have respect for the laws of the land!!

Interceptor

Pataman wrote:

I am sure it is an offence to have a car without a nct disc if it is old enough to have one. I am not talking about taxing the car but the interest the guards will have.

Great to see people still have respect for the laws of the land!!

Oh you are right and its an offence to do lots of things in this green and fair land of ours. I pay my taxes, I respect other citizens and I refuse to NCT my cars. Its also an offence to sodomise farm animals but I don't see the cops checking for that either.

'c

trotter_inc

interceptor wrote:

I refuse to NCT my cars.

Have you never got stopped at a check-point?

Our man in Havana

trotter_inc wrote:

Have you never got stopped at a check-point?

From talking to a few Gardai it seems that most couldn't give a rats ass about the nct. They only ever do anyone for it when/if they are gonna do a full monty on a motorist, ie Tax, Insurance, DL, etc.

Pataman

we could all break the law and most of us would not be caught, but the law is the law and in a modern society it is respected by the vast majority of people.If you think about it, it is to keep unroadworthy cars off the road.

trotter_inc

Pataman wrote:

If you think about it, it is to keep unroadworthy cars off the road.

more like make some more money for the government!

peterk19

Pataman wrote:

we could all break the law and most of us would not be caught, but the law is the law and in a modern society it is respected by the vast majority of people.If you think about it, it is to keep unroadworthy cars off the road.

what so a registration plate missing the "Baile Athat Cliath" is unroadworthy
Pete

Seth Brundle

Pataman wrote:

If you think about it, it is to keep unroadworthy cars off the road.

The NCT was brought in as both an environmental and safety measure (as per the EU regulation). However, safety wasn't really an issue (then cars were responsible for about 2% of accidents) compared to driver behaviour (which nothing is realistically being done to tackle this).

However, if you look at cars driving past you there is a high proportion of badly aligned headlights or cars with one or more bulb gone. Given that a high pewrcentage of cars have visible defects, can we assume that there would also be a high proportion of cars with defects that we cannot see (bad brakes, suspension, tyres, etc.)?
IMO the NCT isn't keeping the unroadworthy cars off our roads because they are still out there!

Pataman

So what would you do? have people drive around in unchecked bangers?

Seth Brundle

I wasn't suggesting that - I was merely saying that the current (corrupt!) NCT system doesn't work.
There are still too many unsafe vehicles on the roads*. The car test did remove a significant amount of old bangers but so too did the scrappage scheme, etc. However as I pointed out there are still too many cars out there which are not roadworthy but most of these presumably have an NCT cert!

* I also include trucks, bikes, tractors, etc. in this statement but these are beyone the remit of the NCT.

Pataman

I am not argueing that the nct is or isnt doing what it is supposed to do, I am only pointing out that whether we like it or not, we (as law obiding citizens)are obliged to have it done. It's not a case that we can cherrypick which ever laws we want to obey.

Interceptor

Pataman wrote:

I am not argueing that the nct is or isnt doing what it is supposed to do, I am only pointing out that whether we like it or not, we (as law obiding citizens)are obliged to have it done. It's not a case that we can cherrypick which ever laws we want to obey.

I can do what I want so long as I'm not caught and since no-one is chasing me, the NCT can get snotted. There are several threads with my opinions very clearly laid out - the NCT was rushed in, poorly thought out and is inconsistent in its execution. As someone who is passionate about cars and meticulous about maintenance and safety, I will decide when my car is unsafe - not some untrained muppet who just landed from a country where they mostly drive tractors.

No - I haven't been stopped at many checkpoints Trotter_inc, they are scarce down here in the West.

'c

Seth Brundle

interceptor wrote:

not some untrained muppet who just landed from a country where they mostly drive tractors.

LOL