Taxi Driver Online

Chesterfield taxi driver slapped with £100 parking fine – after dropping off a customer

https://www.derbyshiretimes.co.uk/news/ ... er-3058284


Image: Brian Eyre/Derbyshire Times

A Chesterfield taxi driver says he dropped off a customer at a leisure park in the town – and ended up with a £100 parking fine.

Alnoor Mamdani told the Derbyshire Times he let the customer out at McDonald’s at the Alma Leisure Park then ‘immediately’ left the Derby Road site to carry on with his job.

He has now received a letter from the firm which manages the car park claiming he ‘exceeded the five-hour maximum stay allowed’ – and demanding payment of £100 within 28 days.

Alnoor – who says he returned to the site in the afternoon and again left ‘immediately’ – believes a camera at the car park got a shot of him entering but not exiting in the morning.

The 58-year-old, who works for City Taxis, said: “I’m not happy about this at all.

“On November 21 I picked up a customer and dropped them off at McDonald’s at the Alma Leisure Park at 7.21am.

“I left immediately and carried on working.

“At 2.40pm, I returned to the McDonald’s with another customer and again left immediately.

“I've now got a letter from HX Car Park Management Ltd saying I entered at 7.21am and left at 2.40pm.

“They claim I ‘exceeded the five-hour maximum stay allowed’ and are demanding £100 from me.

“They obviously got me on camera coming in at 7.21am – but they didn’t get me on camera immediately coming out.

“There’s clearly an issue with the camera at the site and they need to get it sorted.

“I want to warn other people that this has happened.”

Alnoor, of Chesterfield, added: “I’ve got evidence that I wasn’t at the site for all that time – I was out and about in my taxi serving customers – and we’re currently in the process of appealing.”

The Derbyshire Times put Alnoor’s concerns to Lancashire-based HX Car Park Management Ltd and asked for a comment – but the firm hadn’t responded by the time of publication.

The company’s website states it uses ‘intelligent ANPR systems’ which ‘record the entry and exit times of all the vehicles parked on your land’.

OK, so I get that the ANPR thingy might miss the car exiting the car park for whatever reason.

And that it does record the second later exit, therefore thinks the car has been in the car park all that time.

But what's the relevance of when the car re-enters the car park the second time? Isn't that recorded and then it's obvious that that's the relevant entry time, and not the earlier entry?

Only thing I can think of is that for whatever reason it fails to record the first exit and second entry. So movements 1 and 4 are recorded, but 2 and 3 aren't.

So basically a freak occurence, not just failing to record one movement, but two on the trot

Actually it's quite common, happens to me at least 2 or 3 times a year.

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IDFIMH

yes common occurrence round here as well you have to write and challenge the fine

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

It will almost always happen. The ANPR systems set up by PPCs are designed to make a profit. The 'double-dip' is a very common occurence over on Pepipoo. However, with the right, calm approach, it is also a guaranteed win for the defendant.

What I will say however, is that as it is quite common, you can use that common occurrence to your benefit.

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IDFIMH

Do what we do in Scotland , totally ignore them , and don't respond to any other correspondence , its a private car park

We can't as we have different legislation down here.

Doesn't mean you can't beat them because you almost always can, but ignoring them is about the only way they win.

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IDFIMH

Never had anything like that in my life

Partly because maybe not so much of that kind of stuff up here, particulary in a smaller town like St Andrews. Also maybe not so much stuff like that in Scotland because of the legal differences. And that's one reason I generally work nights and avoid town centre parking - rarely traffic wardens and the like about at night.

In fact last proper parking ticket I had was in the 1990s, when I left the car on single yellows all day. Parked there during the night, and that wasn't my usual spot, and completely forgot I'd left it there

Of course, Scotland not as easy on things like civil parking as some people like to portray it. I'm not sure the precise legal differences between Scotland and England, but recall the Dundee woman who racked up £24,000 worth of tickets parking outside her parents' house, and was taken to court, and eventually declared bankrupt?

There's also mention on here of nurses who thought they could park for free in the Ninewells Hospital car park in Dundee, but they too were taken to court:

https://www.accidentlawscotland.co.uk/b ... harges.cfm

Most of this article is just a rehash, so the following is just the most relevant bits:


Chesterfield taxi driver overjoyed as parking fine scrapped

https://www.derbyshiretimes.co.uk/news/ ... ed-3071816

A Chesterfield taxi driver has told of his joy after his £100 parking fine was scrapped.

He contested the fine with HX Car Park Management Ltd, which manages the car park at Alma Leisure Park.

The company has now written to Alnoor saying: “The appeal has been reviewed and on this occasion we have decided to rescind the Parking Charge Notice (PCN).

“During busy periods, close following vehicles may cover the vehicle registration number when exiting the car park.

“This PCN is now concluded and you won’t receive any further communication regarding this.”

Think the above should be remembered and used if anyone else gets a similar charge (the parking forums go mad when someone says fines).

Whether the charge is deserved or not.

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IDFIMH

Correct me if I'm wrong, but they're recording the car entering the car park at two different times, but only one exit.

So presumably their system should flag up that there's a problem somewhere? Particularly as they're using the first vehicle entry point to calculate the time spent in the car park rather than the second vehicle entry point? And ignoring the fact that the car is recorded entering the car park between the entry and exit times they're using to calculate total time spent in the car park?

So either their systems aren't fit for purpose, or they're knowingly trying to cheat people?

Both.

As you allude to even if the vehicle isn't registered when it leaves, one would assume once it returns the software should reset or delete the previous time.

But they don't because they are scammers who make money out of fear and intimidated.

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IDFIMH

We have a few of these scameras operating in our area, there is one car park that serves a hotel with a Costa drive through attached.
Cab drivers who receive a ticket just need to go into the hotel reception, show the ticket and explain the situation to them and the receptionist will cancel the ticket on their parking system, there should be no need for a driver to contact the enforcement company as the landowner/business also has the power to sort the ticket.
The anpr in this car park was switched off because of a glitch on the system which missed you leaving the first time, they claimed my cab was parked in there for 3 days.

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now a licensed hackney driver

It's happened again to the same fella.

Chesterfield taxi driver has fine scrapped – after being charged £100 for taking two customers to McDonald’s

A Chesterfield taxi driver has avoided a £100 fine for taking two customers to McDonald’s after a night out.

Alnoor Mamdani, who drives for City Taxis, was working in the early hours of Sunday, May 15.

Two customers who had been on nights out and wanted food were taken to the McDonald’s drive through at Alma Leisure Park.

He thought no more of it until a letter landed on his doorstep from HX Car Park Management three days later. It said that Alnoor had breached the one hour, no return period at the site, and had been issued with a £100 parking charge notice.

He said: “I got the fine in the early hours of the morning because I was taking two customers home from their nights out, and both of them wanted to get a McDonald’s.

“I went in once at 2.45am, and then went back at 3.17am – I’ve been charged £100 for returning during the one hour, no return period.

“If people want to order McDonald’s, you’ve got to go and take them – I don’t want to be arguing with people. It’s ridiculous to get done for £100 – that’s a night's work.

“They can plainly see that I’m a taxi driver because I’ve got my badges on the front and the back.”

After being contacted by the Derbyshire Times HX Car Park Management said that Alnoor will not have to pay the PCN.

A HX spokesperson said: “The PCN occurred at around 3am so, as the images were in the dark, our processing team couldn’t easily tell that this was a taxi.

“Delivery drivers and taxi drivers will not be issued PCNs whilst working, provided that they have made us aware by giving us their registration number. If we don’t have this, and it’s not clear that the vehicle is a delivery/taxi vehicle, then we are not aware that the driver is working.

“We will of course cancel this PCN and add this driver’s registration to the exemption list.”

Alnoor added: “It’s brilliant, and thanks to the Derbyshire Times for helping me get this sorted.

“I was really surprised when I was told that I wouldn’t have to pay – and I’m so grateful for the help.”

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IDFIMH