WGTN Parking Enforcement Camera Car

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gehenna

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#73053 8-Dec-2010 08:44

Related to this: Wellington Parking Enforcement Camera Car Gets Snapping

My partner received a letter 2 days ago stating that she was photographed while double parked on Victoria Street, outside the central Library. She was fined $60 for this.

In actual fact she was stopped there only long enough for me to walk from the curb to the car door and to get into the car. This took about 5-10 seconds. In fact she often picks me up after work from the same spot.

My problem with this is that the driver of the council car has no context for what s/he is taking the picture of. For example, my partner was stopped for less time than it would take to let someone out of a car-park that she may have been waiting for. Is the council going to start fining people for parallel parking? Alternatively she may have just left her car park and was waiting for traffic to start moving so she could merge. There are many reasons that the driver of the camera car has no context for.

By all means, snap and fine the double-parker who has left their vehicle empty, or has clearly stopped for over a minute. But snap and fine the 10 second picker-upper? That's just a slap in the face.

I'm going to contest the fine with the council, but I was wondering first if anyone here has had experience with this same phenomenon? Is the Wellington City Council just having a laugh at our expense now? $60 is nothing to sneeze at, when you consider a standard parking infringement is $12...it's a bit of a leap and smacks of revenue gathering.

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#414441 8-Dec-2010 09:11

Saw someone complaining of the same thing several weeks ago in the Dom post, at the same spot too I believe. I personally agree with you, I am not privy to the exact laws/by-laws so couldnt comment on whether it is a legitimate fine though.

The problem is even if you contest and win the fine, they are going to keep doing it!

geek4me

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#414443 8-Dec-2010 09:14

I thought the driver had to get out of the car for it to be double parked otherwise it is just stopped.

itxtme

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#414445 8-Dec-2010 09:16

Got me curious so I had a look,

http://www.wellington.govt.nz/services/parking/parkingtickets/parkingtickets.html

Parking offences incurring a $60 fine:
parking on or within six metres of an intersection
parking on or near a pedestrian crossing
parking on a broken yellow line
double parking
inconsiderate parking
parking on a clearway
parking on a bus-only lane.

All other parking offences under the Act incur a $40 fine, including parking on footpaths.

http://www.legislation.govt.nz/regulation/public/2004/0427/latest/DLM303607.html#DLM303607

Double parking

A driver or person in charge of a vehicle must not stop, stand, or park the vehicle so that any other stopped motor vehicle is located between his or her vehicle and the nearest edge of the roadway.

Compare: SR 1976/227 r 35(2)(i)

jjnz1

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#414452 8-Dec-2010 09:25

itxtme: Got me curious so I had a look,

http://www.wellington.govt.nz/services/parking/parkingtickets/parkingtickets.html

Parking offences incurring a $60 fine:
parking on or within six metres of an intersection
parking on or near a pedestrian crossing
parking on a broken yellow line
double parking
inconsiderate parking
parking on a clearway
parking on a bus-only lane.

All other parking offences under the Act incur a $40 fine, including parking on footpaths.

http://www.legislation.govt.nz/regulation/public/2004/0427/latest/DLM303607.html#DLM303607

Double parking

A driver or person in charge of a vehicle must not stop, stand, or park the vehicle so that any other stopped motor vehicle is located between his or her vehicle and the nearest edge of the roadway.

Compare: SR 1976/227 r 35(2)(i)

Is there a terms (glossary) section for stop and stand?

chiefie

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#414460 8-Dec-2010 09:44

I would suggest, challenge the WCC, and perhaps get in touch with DOM to see if they're interested to cover this story.

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Bung

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#414462 8-Dec-2010 09:50

gehenna:
I'm going to contest the fine with the council, but I was wondering first if anyone here has had experience with this same phenomenon? Is the Wellington City Council just having a laugh at our expense now? $60 is nothing to sneeze at, when you consider a standard parking infringement is $12...it's a bit of a leap and smacks of revenue gathering.

That area in front of the library is one of the few areas in Wgtn where there is room to stop without blocking the traffic lanes. It is almost as if the area was designed for pick up and set down. A form of entrapment?

technicaljoe

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#414468 8-Dec-2010 10:03

I was behind one car yesterday at a one-way one-lane street, and they decided to stop and drop off, had kiss, waved goodbye, then strolled across right in front of me like I don't exist...

Right after that 2 minutes later, I was stopped by another car decided to have a stop and drop off right on the main road...

I sincerely hope my comment won't offend you, I'm simply trying to provide another perspective on the impact of stop and drop off.

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kingjj

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#414481 8-Dec-2010 10:17

gehenna: Related to this: Wellington Parking Enforcement Camera Car Gets Snapping

My partner received a letter 2 days ago stating that she was photographed while double parked on Victoria Street, outside the central Library. She was fined $60 for this.

In actual fact she was stopped there only long enough for me to walk from the curb to the car door and to get into the car. This took about 5-10 seconds. In fact she often picks me up after work from the same spot.

My problem with this is that the driver of the council car has no context for what s/he is taking the picture of.

What if the driver of the council car saw you walk from the sidewalk and hop into the car, would that add context? Thats not waiting for another car to move from a park, thats stopping for the express purpose of picking up or dropping off a pedestrian, or double parking.

Bung

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#414504 8-Dec-2010 10:45

Just so we know what "double parking" involves in the context of the library and Victoria St. The yellow wiggle shows the dead area between the active lanes and the parking spaces.

chiefie

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#414515 8-Dec-2010 10:54

@Bung, dead area means, it's "safe" to park momentarily like few seconds without interruption to the main flow of the traffic?

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technicaljoe

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#414519 8-Dec-2010 10:57

Would it be correct to assume that the extra space there helps people to safely move in/out of the parking space?

Bung

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#414526 8-Dec-2010 11:00

@ Chiefie Maybe but not according to the definition of double parking supplied by jjnz1.

Why would that area need more room for parking manoeuvres than any other part of Victoria St?

gehenna

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#414531 8-Dec-2010 11:02

kingjj:
What if the driver of the council car saw you walk from the sidewalk and hop into the car, would that add context? Thats not waiting for another car to move from a park, thats stopping for the express purpose of picking up or dropping off a pedestrian, or double parking.

The problem with that logic is that there is literally nowhere for anyone to be picked up from in the CBD, at least nowhere that doesn't require either being in a carpark, or being double parked for a few seconds. If stopping in an area with little to no adverse effect to the flow of traffic, for 10 seconds while someone enters the vehicle, earns an infringement then what are the other options?

Let's say the other option is for the car to find a parking space and use it. The pedestrian then needs to be able to communicate with the driver to find said carpark. At that time of day there are no carparks, anywhere. Even if one were found, entering and exiting the carpark can also be annoying to the flow of traffic - especially a parallel park which is the main source of parking in that area.

I agree that doing such a thing in a small street where traffic has to wait for the vehicle to start moving again is annoying and frustrating, thus we'd never do it in that location. Given the space available outside the library - and given the tendency for people to park, exit, walk to the library, drop off their books, return to the car, enter, return to the flow of traffic, I would think a 5-10 second walk from the curb to car entry is perfectly acceptable.

I can totally understand there are two sides to this - the council are either right or they're wrong, legally or ethically. But I still intend to contest it and I imagine most people would in my situation.

gehenna

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#414533 8-Dec-2010 11:04

technicaljoe: Would it be correct to assume that the extra space there helps people to safely move in/out of the parking space?

I wouldn't expect so, I think the extra space is specifically for drop off of books and pickup of people. I can't really see any other use for such a wide space to be honest.

technicaljoe

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#414538 8-Dec-2010 11:09

From the aerial map, it looks like the parking spaces in front of library should have been a 5 minutes drop-off/pick-up zone instead?

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