I was wrongly fined for parking on my DRIVEWAY – along with dozens ‘mistakenly charged’ by ‘over-zealous’ traffic cops
A LOCAL has claimed they were wrongly ticketed for parking on their own driveway, while dozens of others have been “mistakenly charged” by “over-zealous” traffic cops.
Residents living in the shadow of the Co-op Live arena and the Etihad in Manchester say they have been “incorrectly given parking tickets” which has created a “weeks long appeals backlog”.
A local councillor says they were contacted by a motorist who was fined for parking across their own driveway.
The chaos was sparked after a new residents’ parking scheme was introduced in the Eastlands area of the city which was launched in conjunction with the opening of the 25,000-capacity venue on April 20.
The scheme replaced an existing one which was in place for event days at the Etihad stadium.
The new scheme was brought in to prevent gig-goers and football fans from causing traffic chaos for locals by parking on residential roads.
It is in operation seven days a week from midday to 11pm.
Since the arena’s opening weekend though, 159 parking ticket have been dished out by “over-zealous” enforcement officers.
Residents have reported there is confusion in how they can book a visitors’ pass to their home, if needed, meaning their guests have found themselves with a ticket.
There have also been reports there is confusion over exactly what the operational hours of the new scheme are.
Manchester City Council, who run the scheme, have seen a surge in appeals.
This is said to have resulted in “the backlog in dealing with appeals [being] weeks long”.
Ancoats and Beswick councillor Alan Good told the Manchester Evening News: “We’ve only ever asked for one thing with the changes to the Eastlands parking scheme, and it’s to remember that the scheme exists to protect residents.
“I’m beyond disappointed at how many problems have arisen from the introduction of the scheme and that residents have been left in the dark whilst challenging incorrectly issued tickets.
“We’ve asked questions about how the parking wardens have been trained and I’ve asked council managers for a plan on how they’re going to get on top of the situation.”
A spokesperson for the council has confirmed that any resident who has accidently been issued with a ticket can get it cancelled right away and “if an appeal is made the clock stops” on a 14-day half-price early-payment window for those correctly ticketed.
A Manchester City Council spokesperson said: “Through the Eastlands RPZ the council has worked to ensure that residents living in close proximity to the Co-op Live Arena and the Etihad will be able to park close to their home, whilst preventing out of area motorists creating logjams in the area during event nights.
I’m beyond disappointed at how many problems have arisen from the introduction of the scheme and that residents have been left in the dark whilst challenging incorrectly issued tickets
Ancoats and Beswick councillor Alan Good
“Engagement has taken place since March 2022, providing residents with information and updates on how they can apply for free permits, or how to apply for visitor or carer passes.
“All current information on the scheme is available on our website, at https://www.manchester.gov.uk/parking.
“During the opening weekend of Co-op Live there were 159 PCNs issued, 16 of which have been appealed.
“The Council can confirm when an appeal is made the case is frozen as is the 14-day early payment window.
“If a resident with a parking permit or a resident who is entitled to a resident parking permit has been issued with a PCN, the PCN will be cancelled if the resident appeals the PCN.
How to appeal a parking ticket
More than half of motorists have successfully appealed parking fines from local councils, an investigation by The Sun found.
The best way to beat a parking charge is to avoid getting one in the first place – but if you do come back to your car and find a ticket there are some ways of beating the system.
However, how you appeal will depend on the type of parking ticket you have – so it’s important to check before you start the process.
Here’s how the process of an appeal works.
Once you have received a parking notice, the first stop is hold off paying the amount fined if you’re hoping to appeal.
The second step is to read the information provided on the ticket so you know how long you have to challenge then fine.
Once you’ve got an idea of how long you have, you can make an initial appeal to the ticket issuer.
You can do this by phone, post or email – make sure to include supporting evidence as to why you believe you have been incorrectly fined.
One example would be to provide evidence showing the parking signs weren’t clear.
“This also applies to visitor permits as well.
“The Council will support residents when applying for a permit, but we would remind people that it is their responsibility to ensure that they have applied for a permit, in order to avoid any future penalties being issued.”
The Sun Online has contacted the Co-op Live arena for comment.