Parking ticket - help required

[vicious_sid]

I received a parking ticket this evening - unfortunately I failed to notice the pay and display sign ( the sign was situated on a wall and is only in drivers sight whilst turning a corner into a car park, so I was watching the road, not looking for signs!)

The ticket machines aren't clearly marked and to make things worse I was booked at 18:29 and free parking commences at this sight at 18:30

Can anyone help me ?

Also are the parking meters and wardens equipment set to GMT because I was wondering, due to the time of my ticket (see above) if I could claim that I was parking legally as, surely, Maidstone, which is where I live would fall into a time different time zone to Greenwich so If Maidstone is a couple of minutes ahead of GMT it would make the ticket invalid - grasping at straws I know

[Whickerman]

on this one I'd let them take me to court and make that jobsworth explain why he ticketed you with seconds to go. You could make it a nightmare for them - when were the watches calibrated etc...

If you have sufficient means and a sense of humour let this one go all the way

[New Judge]

Regardless of your means or your determination, you will not get a chance to argue this in court, but only before a parking adjudicator.

As for the time issue, as I�m sure you know, the whole of the UK falls into one time zone. We�re currently on BST (British Summer Time) and, regardless of what time the sun sets in Maidstone, when it�s 6:30BST in Dover, it is also 6:30BST in Lands End, and 6:30BST in Maidstone.

[ray_vonne]

ray says............
all of your life you have lived with gmt (greenwich mean time) now cos you are in the wrong you want to run mmt (maidstone mean time) are you sure sure you havent got pmt (periodical mean time) if you went to brussels and contested the rights of your time line in pounds and ounces instead of kilos and grammes i'm sure they would test the straightness of your banana and find you correct
thankyou for your time
ray

[CheekyChops]

Lol at Ray_vonne's answer :-)

Just pay it - you may have been ticketed at 18:29 but what time did your ticket run out? Or did you even have a ticket?

You could have been parked there since 17:00 for all we know and in which case, you didn't pay and display and therefore should get fined.

Car parks are very rarely free, did you even look for a ticket machine?

[Coobeastie]

Seems harsh booking you with only a minute to got but having a quick look on the maidstone council site some of their car parks switch to an evening tariff after 6:30...are you sure you weren't in one of those?

http://www.maidstone.gov.uk/Default.aspx?page= 1344

[Ethel]

You were obviously there before 18.29 or you would have seen the parking attendant.

[vicious_sid]

arrived there from between 18.20 - 1825, not a parking attendant in sight, not that it mattered as at the time, as I mentioned, I had no idea that this was a pay and display car park.

Also the ticket "said" that I was first observed at 18:29 then ticketed at 18:29. what happened to five minute waiting time. I.E no time to go to, be at, or find parking meter as I went back next day to find their location. I could never of got a ticket and return to my car within ,say, 3 minutes.

As for whickerman his answer is actually one of my grounds for my appeal - I.E machine calibration, accuracy over period of time and the non-appearance of "seconds on the parking ticket.

And yes New Judge I did know about GMT - but did love ray_vonne's answer all the same