GaryK

Sounds like the parking scam is (and a profitable) biz! Have to agree, if its private land and there is a sign clearly displayed saying cars parked without permission will be clamped what can you do?

Parking is all fcked up *everywhere* in my town the council introduced controlled parking zones and they can (and sometimes) give you a ticket for parking in one street and buying the ticket in another even though its classed as the same 'zone'. There was even a case of someone getting a ticket because their tyres were not within the width boundaries of the parking marks! absurd or what!

[Edited by GaryK - 11/4/2002 4:51:17 PM]

Scooby-Doo

Ignore me didn't read the second page

[Edited by Scooby-Doo - 11/4/2002 9:03:10 PM]

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

Saw a story on this in last week's local paper.
Apparently, this guy looks around for a shop/other premises to rent with parking in front belonging to it. He then pays 1 month's rent, up front.
As soon as his month's rental starts, he post an A4 size warning poster in the shop window etc, telling people that anyone parking on "his" property will be clamped, release fee £90!!!
He then sits back and aims to clamp at least one car per day.
AND IT ISN'T ILLEGAL!!!!!
Come on councils/government. Let's have this sort of thing stamped out. It's legalised theft.
[img]images/smilies/mad.gif[/img]
Alcazar

Avi

Time to start looking for a Shop me thinks

dazc2

£630 a week for essentially doing nothing aint a bad wage

Katana

Group buy on parking spaces anyone?

MattN

what's the problem? He's rented the property and can do what he likes, there is a sign saying do not park here, so don't park there.

Tiggs

matt- are you mad? you think common sense has any place here?

dazc2

common sense....now thats a novelty for some people is'nt it!!

i mean.....if there is a sign saying "do not park here" it doesnt mean "all are welcome to park here" does it

Tiggs

to many times im affraid- this place is getting like dixons car park on a sat night.

dhorwich

alcazar,

Heard about that in the evening telgraph... it was on newland avenue wasnt it..??

Dan

TonyBurns

iTrader: (3)

If there are no yellow lines, no signs that have been posted by the council or no allocated spaces for residents only then you can park where ever you want to
If this guy is clamping himself then he's doing it illegally as i believe you need a licence for that? and also the sign in the window isnt an official council/police sign then he doesnt have a leg to stand on and should be done for extorsion IMHO.

Tony

Tiggs

at a guess i'd say it was full of kids who spend their entire earnings from macdonalds on giant exhaust then moan about getting nicked and not being allowed to park where they want.

MattN

I just don't see the issue. If I go to find a parking space and there is a sign Do not park here... then wether it is legal or not why give yourself the aggro, say he clamps it and you call the police they tell him to take it off. All that aggro for what - to save a 5 min walk or a pound for proper parking. You lose more than that pi55ing around.

And tiggs - I hope the you're trying to insult me with the Dixons comment.

swan

If he were running a "legit" business and clamped cars whose owners weren't shopping at his store would you feel the same way?

NotoriousREV

As I see it, you have 2 options.

1) Don't park where it says "No Parking"

B) Carry a set of bolt-cutters with you at all times.

MarkO

I think people are forgetting the point that just 'cos he's put a no parking sign in front of his shop, it doesn't mean he owns the stretch of public highway outside the shop. Which means he has absolutely no right whatsoever to clamp anyone who decides to park there.

Clever scam - relies on the fact that people will just pay up. Bolt-cutters are the best option.

Jen

....er...if it's private land (shop with parking out front?) then he can do whatever he likes. However, if it's Public Highway (either the Council or the Highway's agency) then he can't do anything to stop you parking there without the precense of a waiting restriction or if you're causing obstruction, in which case he could call the police to have your car removed...

Surely as it's private land you can't moan about that one?

Jen

MarkO

Sorry, yes. Missed the bit that the shop has private parking outside the front of it. In which case what exactly is the problem here Alcazar?

If you bought a house with a drive on the front of it, and people started parking on it, you'd clamp/fine/complain wouldn't you? What's the difference if it's a shop?

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

Well I thought the problem was obvious, but maybe I'm being thick here.
I could see his point IF:
1. he was carrying out a legitimate business from the shop, he isn't, the shop remains empty, virtually inviting people to park in front.
2. people parking there in any way impeded his access, work etc.
Unfortunately, this seems to be matey's sole source of income. He carries out no business at the shop, has no vehicle that anyone can trace, only takes out a short term lease, and moves on to another area/shop/premises when people realise what he's up to.
As I said in the title, it's just legalised theft.
What got the local paper riled up was that the latest one was round the back of the hospital, which has terrible parking problems at the best of times. This led to people parking there, thinking they'd got a good space, and not noticing the tiny warning sign in their haste.
When the local paper rang the guy on his mobile number to ask how it made him feel, he just laughed and said "tell the suckers thanks for paying my bar bill".
Alcazar

Tommy 2000

not the most ethical of business ventures but it's no worse than the 5-0 'trapping' people for speeding in order to gain revenue...

NotoriousREV

I just wish I'd thought of it first, to be honest.

Scooby-Doo

It refers to "his" land not the public highway, if your upset about what he is doing would you be upset if someone parked a transit on your drive and then told you to sod off when you get upset.....think not.

MarkO

You're still missing the point. It's his shop, and his land. It's no different to you owning front garden - whether or not you actually use the garden, doesn't have any bearing on whether I should be allowed to park on it, does it? Or would you be happy if I stuck a transit there and left it for a few weeks on the basis that you don't often sunbathe or play footy on your front lawn?

What's that got to do with it? Private property is just that - private. As long as he has it clearly marked that it's private property and people shouldn't park there, he's well within his legal (and moral, IMO) rights to enforce any parking restrictions that he might want to.

Bear in mind that only a couple of weeks ago on SN people were arguing the toss about whether somebody should be able to protect his/her private property from intruders with barbed wire, etc, and claiming that it is unfair if you're not allowed to defend their land. Now you come along and claim that this guy is being unfair by fining people for parking on a piece of clearly-marked private no-parking land.

Fact is, if people have a problem with it, then they just shouldn't park there!
So what? Sounds like a great plan to me, frankly. You're only jealous 'cos you never thought of it, and/or don't have to ***** to do it yourself.
That's an oxymoron and as such is absurd.
That's the hospital's problem for not providing parking. Perhaps the hospital should have leased the parking area in the first place?
Which, funnily enough, is what I think to myself when my client pays each monthly invoice. It's how capitalism works - if you don't like it, you could always move to China.

gimlet

Nuff said really, but what would happen if "I stuck a transit there and left it for a few weeks". If it was left there for 4 weeks and then got unclamped, the guy would only get £90 and I guess he paid more than that to rent the shop.

jasey

Britain = Scamming scumbag
Anywhere else in the world = Entrepreneur

Who's right ?

MarkO

I am, always.

TolTec

There is an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone here. All you need to do is get all the car dumpers to leave their old metal in front of his shop. That way it is not on the road and he (shop leaser) has to pay to have it removed.

OK it would not work because he would not pay but it would cost him the rent at least.