So today I parked the car - Pay By Phone; easier said than done. Kensington & Chelsea likes to make it difficult. Several times the stupid virtual woman gets cut off; eventually I am allowed to input 60 minutes. It tells me I am parked for ONE minute! I try again. Cut Off. Third time; finally get through. Cutting in and out I put in 60 minutes. It doesn't confirm; just tells me "your parking has started". I shop. Wander around Duke of York Square (terrific Saturday market; thoroughly recommended; just don't park nearby). Return to car - £80 fine. Accost warden who shows me his machine. Second time around I was given 10 minutes. Its obviously thinks 6 is 1. Grrrrr.

Meanwhile, I sat in Ikea cafe for an hour watching my son and daughter in law drive round and looking for a parking spec.



Happy news... I am going to be a grandmother in the autumn.

Simple solution, go by tube. Its really not that bad.

Yes, the entire process can be tedious. Made simple by number plate recognition systems - becoming quite ubiquitous.


Drive in and park; before you drive out - tap your credit card on the console, inserting reg number - and drive out.


No barriers, no tickets, no humans, no talking, no instructions, no hastle, no paper, no phones, no receipts (unless you want one), no time period to select, no arm stretching to insert ticket on exit, no coins/notes, no number plate logging (on entry), no brainer.

Oh Robbie I do go by Tube; love it, with my Freedom Pass. But that's only when I have to turn LEFT into Central London (both cars fail emission tests).

Also because of vehicle recognition technology, monitoring the usage - of tolled motorways, crossings and bridges - is invisible.

QEII bridge, for example - at Dartmouth. Payment is made online, within 48 hours of travel - and no humans are involved.

When walking to my Twickenham seat today (v Ireland), I shall only swipe a card for entry.

Soon ticket offices at tube/railway stations will vanish.


Many already have - and face recognition will be common, by the end of the decade.

Then chipping....

I don't like these car parks where you have to type in your reg no. If you don't use all your parking time, why shouldn't you be able to give it away to someone else, you have paid for it after all. It is one of the few acts of kindness you find in today's society when someone gives you their parking ticket when they leave before their time has expired.

robbiex wrote:
It is one of the few acts of kindness you find in today's society when someone gives you their parking ticket when they leave before their time has expired.

Perhaps - but foolhardy nonetheless.

Tickets aren't transferable, and such action is both fraudulent and illegal.

Fines of up to £1,000 are applicable to the benefactor - and, in some cases - to the beneficiary.

Car parks have visible bye-law/conditions boards - and you'll note the specific penalties for misguided 'kindness'.

Barney wrote:
robbiex wrote:
It is one of the few acts of kindness you find in today's society when someone gives you their parking ticket when they leave before their time has expired.

Perhaps - but foolhardy nonetheless.

Tickets aren't transferable, and such action is both fraudulent and illegal.

Fines of up to £1,000 are applicable to the benefactor - and, in some cases - to the beneficiary.

Car parks have visible bye-law/conditions boards - and you'll note the specific penalties for misguided 'kindness'.






You'd have to be a mean spirited jobsworth to enforce that rule.

Happy news... I am going to be a grandmother in the autumn. [/quote]

Many congratulations Honey.

wyot wrote:
Happy news... I am going to be a grandmother in the autumn.

Many congratulations Honey.[/quote]


Thank you Wyot. I am thrilled.

robbiex wrote:
You'd have to be a mean spirited jobsworth to enforce that rule.


Technology does that.

But the 'kindness' interpretation intrigues me - a feel good factor, for giving something (valueless to you) to a stranger!

Apart from the illegality and theft from the car park owners - it also compromises the recipient, as they will display an invalid and fraudulently applied/placed authorisation.

Making them liable for penalties/fines.

Kindness, with dangers for all - and a misguided act that has repercussions all round including
the possibility of a criminal record...

By the way Robbie; public transport not always perfect either. Coming back Saturday from the movies; had to emerge at Tottenham Court Road as Central Line closed (strike). Walked for miles; caught a taxi.

Try getting a seat from London to Southampton on weekdays even after rush hours. Public transportation is shit in UK and Ireland.

It isn't a criminal record, just breaking council rules, like getting a parking fine. It is only a criminal offence if you fail to pay fines. Also it isn't theft from the car park owners, as you have paid for the parking, like buying a cake and giving half of it away. I don't think you will find many supporters in this Barney, outside those greedy car park owners, who don't even give you change if you don't have the correct money.

No, public transport is not perfect, but generally the quickest, safest, and most enviromentally friendly way of getting around London. The M25 is rammed, pretty much every waking hour of the day, and smart motorways are fraught with danger.

Robbiex wrote:
No, public transport is not perfect, but generally the quickest, safest, and most enviromentally friendly way of getting around London. The M25 is rammed, pretty much every waking hour of the day, and smart motorways are fraught with danger.

I never had any real issues with the M25 a little traffic jam here; but still got to meetings and seeing clients on time. I haven't managed that by travelling by train.

I tell you what Robbie, I will send you invoices and documents, every time I am late or missed a meeting by using the trains. Will you cover my lose of earnings and reimburse my train tickets ?

Can I bill ER for lose of money also ? I have sent emails to then got no replies.

Green Man wrote:
Robbiex wrote:
No, public transport is not perfect, but generally the quickest, safest, and most enviromentally friendly way of getting around London. The M25 is rammed, pretty much every waking hour of the day, and smart motorways are fraught with danger.

I never had any real issues with the M25 a little traffic jam here; but still got to meetings and seeing clients on time. I haven't managed that by travelling by train.

I tell you what Robbie, I will send you invoices and documents, every time I am late or missed a meeting by using the trains. Will you cover my lose of earnings and reimburse my train tickets ?

Can I bill ER for lose of money also ? I have sent emails to then got no replies.

I find it hard to believe that you have never had any trouble travelling on the M25. I recently nearly missed my flight from Stanstead because of heavy traffic on the M25 (on a Friday afternoon during working hours), despite allowing 1.5 hours more than the google estimated travel time. If your Virgin train is more than 1 hour late you can get a full refund less £10 admin fee. I recently got £90 refund on a trip to Cheshire, delayed because of floods. Travel by road was also badly delayed, but they got no refunds. I used to drive from Surrey to Cheshire every 6 weeks, and the journey would take anywhere from 4 hours to 7 hours, on average about 5.5. You have to allow extra time for travel, whatever way you go.

Robbiex wrote:
It isn't a criminal record, just breaking council rules, like getting a parking fine. It is only a criminal offence if you fail to pay fines. Also it isn't theft from the car park owners, as you have paid for the parking, like buying a cake and giving half of it away. I don't think you will find many supporters in this Barney, outside those greedy car park owners, who don't even give you change if you don't have the correct money.



Parking tickets are non-transferable.

Barney wrote:
Robbiex wrote:
It isn't a criminal record, just breaking council rules, like getting a parking fine. It is only a criminal offence if you fail to pay fines. Also it isn't theft from the car park owners, as you have paid for the parking, like buying a cake and giving half of it away. I don't think you will find many supporters in this Barney, outside those greedy car park owners, who don't even give you change if you don't have the correct money.



Parking tickets are non-transferable.




Yes, it may break the councils petty rules, but not the law. It is like not having a valid ticket, you can get a £40 fine. Morally I think you have the high ground, if you have paid for 4 hours parking, why shouldn't you give part of this time away, since you have paid for it. It would be very difficult to know if a parking ticket has been transferred to another person, on a car park where you don't enter your reg no and you pay by cash. I find it strange that people are so strict on minor parking offences when they think that serious sex offences are all just false allegations.