More motoring problems

[Baldhead]

Today the wife got a letter from York City Council accusing her of driving in a bus lane (during the hours of operating as a bus lane), it's even got a picture of the van just entering the bus lane, just to make sure they have enlarged the number plate of the van, and yes it's the wife's registration number, unfortunately it is very difficult to read the logo on the bonnet of the van, You would think they would have at least had the decency to enclose an envelope so she could pay the fine (£60 but reduced to £30 if she pays with 14 days of the date of the letter which is 8 days ago)

On the day in question my wife was at work (she works in an emergency control room) it is approximately 90 miles from where the alledged offence took place, oh and just to make absolutely certain it wasn't her driving, her car is a Peugeot 308 which she has had for several years.

Possible case of mistaken identity perhaps. What really makes my blood boil is she will have to prove it was not her driving, or even her vehicle, at her own expense, she is guilty and must prove herself innocent, my understanding of English law is you are innocent until proved guilty, am I right?

Baldhead

 

[wellywood]

Sounds like someone driving with false plates if the van plates match your wife's. Hope you get it sorted satisfactorily.

 

[Flynnwood]

Ring them first. If that doesn't work, reject their claim in writing.

I am in receipt of your letter dated .... asserting that (insert reg no) was photographed driving in a bus lane. I reject your claim. I have enclosed a copy of my V5 which confirms my vehicle as being a Peugeot 308 and NOT a van as depicted in your photograph.

The vehicle in your photograph is therefore displaying incorrect/illegal registration plates.

Please respond within seven days confirming that your claim has been withdrawn.

Yours etc

 

[Grayo]

Good information above that's what I would do in this situation.

 

[carlb40]

Do they not do checks when getting the address for these fines? Surely it would have shown up during their search what vehicle is actually registered to the Number plate?

Maybe let it go to court, take the evidence of the v5 etc and let them incur court costs into the bargain. :lol:

 

[Robbo3]

OT
Some years back I received a letter from Surrey police saying that my car had been reported being driven in a dangerous manner & that they were considering what action to take.

I replied that the vehicle with that registration had been off the road & not moved for some six months (pre SORN) & I would canvass the neighbours for written statements which could then be called as witnesses.

I received a snotty reply to the effect that the police were only doing their job & had to follow up all reported incidents. Not even an apology for any inconvenience or worry.

 

[sawdust1]

Hi one and all, many years ago i started to receive parking tickets from an area in London, unusual, as i live in Devon . I disputed each of them
saying someone was driving around with my registration and eventually persuaded them that it was not my van. A month later i had a visit from
the police in 2 patrol cars asking where i was on such and such a night, finally they rang the friend i was with who confirmed i was with him. It
turns out that a robbery had taken place and my registration was taken from a witness. Anyway weeks later i was told that a van with my reg had
been stopped and the occupants had been arrested, so end of story. Maybe that may be the case here.

 

[MMUK]

I remember getting a load of NIPs through some years ago from the MET. For a vehicle that had been exported to Japan six years previously! I let the MET take it to court and they got ass reamed! :lol:

 

[RogerS]

.... I let the MET take it to court and they got ass reamed! :lol:

=D>

 

[Baldhead]

Thanks for all the advice guys.

We have just logged on to the website which says we can check the details and see the photographic evidence, well it turns out to be a Mercedes van and guess what when you zoom in on the photo you can see the number plate ends in YCX and not YGX (which is the wife's plate), the mounting bolt is black on a yellow plate so the C looks like a G, now my eye site is not great for close up stuff, I wear glasses for reading but even I can see its a C and not a G. Someone at York City Council is going to get a very snotty phone call tomorrow!! The wife's not best pleased.

ANPR cameras may be great but when you get a stupid blind operator taking down the details..........the rest will just read pineapple pineapple pineapple, I think you get the message.

Baldhead

 

[Jonzjob]

There was an article, Beeb I think, about these clowns and they are given a £££££ target and they also trap people into fines. Loads in London have been regected as illegal.

This takes the biscuit for me though

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-26074514

 

[beech1948]

Baldhead,

Nix the snotty phone call.

Send a polite letter asking for recompense...2x hrs @£50 per hour plus say £500 for your wife's distress. Send it as an invoice attached to a letter. Remind them of the small claims court.

Al

 

[Baldhead]

There was an article, Beeb I think, about these clowns and they are given a £££££ target and they also trap people into fines. Loads in London have been regected as illegal.

This takes the biscuit for me though

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-26074514

That really takes the biscuit, what sort of numptys the council employ, (please don't think that applies to all council employees, I was once one myself)

Baldhead,

Nix the snotty phone call.

Send a polite letter asking for recompense...2x hrs @£50 per hour plus say £500 for your wife's distress. Send it as an invoice attached to a letter. Remind them of the small claims court.

Al

The number they give for 'enquiries' is a recorded message? She emailed them a very sarcastic refusal to pay.

So if you or anyone you know drives a white Mercedes van 58 plate with a company logo on the bonnet, you may possibly be getting a PCN for driving in Lendal Lane bus lane in York.

Baldhead

 

[Jonzjob]

Nay, nay Baldy, they ain't employed by the councils. They are private thugs who are contracted by those councils and intend to make as bigger profit as they can.

 

[Baldhead]

Nay, nay Baldy, they ain't employed by the councils. They are private thugs who are contracted by those councils and intend to make as bigger profit as they can.

If that's the case Jonzjob, council employees please accept my apologies, numpty thugs instead.

Baldhead

 

[paul-c]

i once had a letter from an insurance company saying i was going to be taken to court if i didnt inform my insurance company of the accident i had been involved in.
when i phoned to query what accident and where this incident had taken place.they gave me the address ,where i had never been, and the fact that not only the driver and passenger of the mercedes 320 "i wrote off" but independant witnesses gave my registration and said i then left the scene "in my honda vehicle".
i confirmed that i would attend court as they wished, the lady then paused and asked why i would want to attend court.
i informed her that all her " genuine independant witnesses " were going to look rather silly saying that they saw a honda pan euro motorcycle run into a big merc - hard enough to write it off and then ride off undamaged and unhurt - "what day did you say i was in court ?"
i never did receive an apology , lying barstewards.. :x

 

[rafezetter]

There was an article, Beeb I think, about these clowns and they are given a £££££ target and they also trap people into fines. Loads in London have been regected as illegal.

This takes the biscuit for me though

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-26074514

That really takes the biscuit, what sort of numptys the council employ, (please don't think that applies to all council employees, I was once one myself)

Baldhead,

Nix the snotty phone call.

Send a polite letter asking for recompense...2x hrs @£50 per hour plus say £500 for your wife's distress. Send it as an invoice attached to a letter. Remind them of the small claims court.

Al

The number they give for 'enquiries' is a recorded message? She emailed them a very sarcastic refusal to pay.

So if you or anyone you know drives a white Mercedes van 58 plate with a company logo on the bonnet, you may possibly be getting a PCN for driving in Lendal Lane bus lane in York.

Baldhead

I'd bet that they sent out 2, one to your wife and one to the proper culprit. It's been known for companies who demand money for stuff like this to send out bogus ones in the hope they get a pensioner or other more vulnerable person who will pay it without question for fear of other reprisals.

scum.

I'd consider sending a copy or some such to your local MP with a letter asking why more stringent checks are not done - 2 vans with similar number plates.. ok - but 2 very obviously different vehicles, either they are very bad at their jobs, (and should have all such issued tickets reviewed by an authority) or something fishy is going on.

Either way this is just such an example that needs to be highlighted to someone higher up the chain.

you could even start a facebook page entitled "have you been falsely sent traffic violation tickets?".

I have a FB page devoted to ATOS and what a bunch of ***** they are after my very obviously disabled aunt was deemed fit for work, she had a broken neck and can barely walk a few feet with crutches, yet they said she was "fit and able to work". It regularly gets posts from people and their experiences, once it reaches a good number I'm going to forward the whole thing to someone in parliament.

 

[Baldhead]

Rafezetter

Please tell me more about the FB page.

I know of one person who had been on DLA for a good few years, when interviewed they said he was fit for work, his GP went ballistic as did the other health care professionals he see's, anyhow cut a long story short they gave him Job Seekers Allowance, he is now better off by about £3.00 per week, oh and just for the record, he is 60, never been unemployed since leaving school, and had an accident in his early to mid 50's.

Baldhead

 

[MMUK]

Thanks for all the advice guys.

We have just logged on to the website which says we can check the details and see the photographic evidence, well it turns out to be a Mercedes van and guess what when you zoom in on the photo you can see the number plate ends in YCX and not YGX (which is the wife's plate), the mounting bolt is black on a yellow plate so the C looks like a G, now my eye site is not great for close up stuff, I wear glasses for reading but even I can see its a C and not a G. Someone at York City Council is going to get a very snotty phone call tomorrow!! The wife's not best pleased.

ANPR cameras may be great but when you get a stupid blind operator taking down the details..........the rest will just read pineapple pineapple pineapple, I think you get the message.

Baldhead

To be fair, ANPR cameras aren't brilliant quality so I can see how the mistake has been made. You should also be aware that the 'prosecuting party' doesn't have any legal access to vehicle specifics, they can only ask the DVLA for registered keeper name and address. I do agree however, that more detailed checks should be made of any photographic evidence to eliminate this sort of error.

But, even the job nockies who do this job are only human so a margin of error has to be expected. No point getting all hot and bothered over it, life's too short. As for some of the suggested solutions here, well I won't even comment on those. :roll:

 

[RogerS]

Thanks for all the advice guys.

We have just logged on to the website which says we can check the details and see the photographic evidence, well it turns out to be a Mercedes van and guess what when you zoom in on the photo you can see the number plate ends in YCX and not YGX (which is the wife's plate), the mounting bolt is black on a yellow plate so the C looks like a G, now my eye site is not great for close up stuff, I wear glasses for reading but even I can see its a C and not a G. Someone at York City Council is going to get a very snotty phone call tomorrow!! The wife's not best pleased.

ANPR cameras may be great but when you get a stupid blind operator taking down the details..........the rest will just read pineapple pineapple pineapple, I think you get the message.

Baldhead

The thing is, baldhead, that there probably was no operator involved in issuing the letter. The way that these ANPR, speed cameras etc work is that they are essentially automated. However, the software algorithm will have a threshold set below which the image is passed to a human for verification. It sounds as if in your case that the C and G were sufficiently close enough that this threshold was not crossed ergo the automated letter.

It also goes some way to explain the fallacy in trying to evade the speed cameras by not washing your rear number plate. If it can't be read by the machine then it spits it out for a human to have a go.

Same thing applies with fingerprint matching systems. The machines have a go but then all potential matches are passed to a human for verification and elimination.....NB not to be confused with the way fingerprint access systems work.