Unfair Parking Fines Can Be Reimbursed
< From: Rachel Graham, Communication
Team, Christchurch City Council Date: 24th June
2008 CHRISTCHURCH CITY COUNCIL MEDIA RELEASE Unfair
Parking Fines Can Be Reimbursed Last week the Council voted to reimburse
motorists who were incorrectly fined since February 2005 for
a variety of offences where there were no signs advising
them their actions would be illegal. The fines largely
relate to parking on grass berms and verges. Government
regulations which came into force on 27 February 2005 say
that where a Council is imposing parking, standing, or
stopping regulations it must have prescribed signs to inform
people. Council records show that 1946 fines have been
paid since that requirement for signage came in. To apply
for a refund people need to contact the customer call centre
with the full name and address of the person seeking the
refund, a contact day and night phone number, and the
registration number for the vehicle which received the
infringement notice. Those details will then be forwarded
to the parking administration team, who will check the
Council's records. It its expected that it may take up to
three weeks for refund requests to be processed, due to the
potential volume of requests and the need to check
historical records to determine if the particular tickets
was issued in error.
Since February 2008 the Council's
enforcement staff have only been issuing tickets in relation
to vehicles parked in those areas of Hagley Park which have
permanent no stopping signs. Last weekend Council
enforcement staff initiated an education campaign in those
areas re-enforcing to people that stopping on the grass
berms and verges covered by the no-stopping signage is an
offence, contrary to the Christchurch City Council's Traffic
and Parking Bylaw. Gary Lennan, the inspections and
enforcement manager, says motorists who park on the grass
area in contravention of the no stopping signs cause damage
to the city's infrastructure, and can be fined. "In
particular around Hagley Park, the stopping and subsequent
movement of the vehicles back into the traffic lanes poses a
significant safety hazard for all road users and visitors to
the Hagley park area."
People who believe
they are eligible for a reimbursement from the Christchurch
City Council for certain parking fines issued in error can
now contact the Council's customer call centre to apply for
a refund.
ends