crazydave said:
I understand, but it was only just on the lines with my tyres, bit wrong i get 3 points and £60 fine i did not know the penalty was so high,
my cars a punto lol.
Spoke to my dad and he was in the police for 27yrs and he says as it is saying uno on the ticket that makes it factually incorrect and if it does go to court this is a big downer on the police for not taking the details correctly. they never asked me my vehicle details. and as my engine was running it was still stationary not parked and engine off
Years ago I got stung for the same thing, parked up on the are of a pelican crossing. Except there were no zig zag lines, in fact no lines at all. I parked there because there were no lines at the side of the road, and then came out of the Post Office to find PC Plod enquiring about my car.
He said did I know that I was parked illegally. I said 'no', and explained that I parked where I did because there were no lines there. Mr. Plod then pointed out that I was parked within the boundaries of a pelican crossing, to which I very innocently asked 'where are the boundaries?' Mr. Plod then pointed out the black marker studs in the road either side of the crossing.
Yes, black marker studs in a black road...
I got a PU20 conviction, three points on my licence and a £40 fixed penalty fine (this was in 1989).
At the end of the day, my ignorance was no excuse for contravening a road law. I was, however, extremely miffed when two weeks later white zig zag lines WERE painted within the area of pelican crossing, and if that had been the case earlier I would have known not to park there.
However, at the end of the day I commited an offence. As a result, I took responsibilty for my actions and paid the fine, got the points on my licence and learnt from my mistake. Suffice to say, I have never been caught committing a parking offence like that again. That's what's known as learning from experience.
Also, whether your car had the engine running or not is neither here nor there. The offence is STOPPING on the zig zag lines (excluding to let pedestrians cross), not just parking. And bear in mind as well, that it is also illegal for another driver to pass/ overtake any vehicle in the vicinity of a pelican or zebra crossing. So just by you stopping there could have forced another driver to break the law if they wanted to pass you.
At the end of the day it is a safety issue. As Brava007 quite rightly pointed out it's so that both pedestrians and cars can see each other. By stopping on the zig zag lines you could be obstructing the view of other cars and pedestrians trying to cross. Whether any pedestrians were there or not is irrelevant because the traffic law is applicable 24 hours a day regardless of the situation.
To be honest, you've admitted that you did wrong so pay the price and learn from your mistake. Swallow your pride and take the punishment like a man should. It would make a change from too many people these days who think they can weasel out of anything they do and not bear any responsibility for their actions.
Remember, the laws are there for a reason, whether we like it or not.