Getting out of Parking Tickets…
By Liam Hehir
Parking tickets are like mosquitoes. They are a constant, if minor irritant and, whatever precautions you usually take, you are going to be bitten from time to time.
There have been several items in the news concerning the great lengths and expenses some people have been willing to go to avoid paying tickets.
In most cases however, the level of the fine is never high enough to consult a lawyer over, so most people just pay them, even when they are undeserved.
But if you feel you have been unjustly fined, here's what you should do:
- The ticket should state an address for ticket appeals.
- Inspect the ticket. If some detail is incorrect (e.g. the car make or registration number), then you have an invalid ticket on your hands. Send a copy with a letter to the council.
- If you had paid for parking, send a copy of your pay-and-display coupon to the council with a letter of explanation.
- If you were misled by faded or badly placed signs, take a photo with your cell phone and send them to the council with your letter. The same goes if the parking meter wasn't working.
Sometimes there may be no getting around them. Nevertheless, if the ticket seems unfair in the circumstances, there is no harm in writing the council asking for clemency.
As a student, I once received a $200 parking ticket for having an out-of-date registration in my car window (more than the car was probably worth). The irony was that LTNZ hadn't sent me the new registration and I was waiting in a post office queue to get one when I was ticketed.
A politely worded letter to the Wellington City Council resulted in the cancellation of the ticket.
So you should always bother to challenge your tickets. There is nothing more satisfying than getting a victory over city-hall, even a small one.
