Family fined £ 60 for spending 12 minutes driving through car park looking for space

by admin on November 30, 2021

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The family were surprised to get a ticket despite never getting out of their car or shutting down the engine – but the parking lot operator insists the fine is deserved

Family fined £ 60 for spending too much time in a car park, even though they never turned off the engine (

Image: Getty Images / Westend61)

A family has been fined £ 60 for driving through a busy car park even though they never parked.

Julie Sutcliffe, 51, was on a family vacation to Cornwall in August.

On August 12, they visited Newquay, which was very busy at the time, and the family struggled to find a parking space.

They had visited three or four parking lots, all full.

Desperate, they drove slowly around a parking lot for a little over 10 minutes hoping someone would leave so they could stop.

No one did, so they drove off, before they managed to find a spot in another parking lot.

But to their surprise, when they returned home from their trip, they got a £ 60 ticket from the operator of the car park they had driven into.

Sutcliffe said: “When we got back from our vacation I opened a letter saying we were fined £ 60 for parking for 13 minutes without paying. That was the time we had spent driving.

“I appealed saying that at no time did we stop, let alone turn off our engine.

“Our appeal was refused. To say I’m disgusted is an understatement.”

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The ticket was handed over to the family’s Ford Fiesta (stock image)
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The family paid the fine because it seemed like the easier option than fighting the ticket.

“I thought I would pay it because I didn’t want to worry about going any further,” Sutcliffe said. “It’s a big company and we are a family.”

The Mirror asked Smart Parking if they would refund the £ 60 because the family had not parked.

But Smart Parking said the fine was deserved and there would be no refund.

A spokesperson for Smart Parking said: “Smart Parking is proud to be a member of the British Parking Association and strictly follows its guidelines.

“At Newquay parking lot, we use a state-of-the-art ANPR parking management system to ensure that real customers can always find a place to park.

“It is important to remember that the parking lot is private land. Therefore, when deciding to park, motorists should always check the conditions of use which are clearly outlined in numerous signs on the site.

“In the case of [Sutcliffe] she stood in the parking lot for over 12 minutes without paying, so she correctly received a charge, which she has now paid for.

Last week, The Mirror reported that a man was fined for the time he spent finding parking and waiting in line to buy a ticket.

Paul Adams, 55, says he paid an £ 8.50 ticket to St. Ives which would have kept him parked all day.

But some time later he was fined £ 60 from Armtrac Security Services Ltd, which operates the car park.

As Adams read the notice he was shocked to find he was charged for the 15 minutes he waited to find a seat and the 10 minutes he waited in a queue to buy a ticket at the machine.

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Limerick leads implementation of new disabled parking app

by admin on November 30, 2021

A new app, which will help disabled drivers locate open spaces, will be launched in Ireland in Limerick.

The SpaceFinder app, which will be available on Apple and Android, can now locate empty accessible spaces and for those with Apple CarPlay, it can provide real-time navigation to the nearest available space.

The SpaceFinder service, developed by the Limerick ParkMagic company, has been supported by the Disabled Drivers Association of Ireland (DDAI).

Limerick City and County Council (LCCC) will be the first local authority in Ireland to start using the app, having completed extensive testing in the pilot phase. The LCCC traffic department has installed small sensors in accessible parking spaces in its downtown business district.

The information from these sensors will provide real-time updates on the SpaceFinder and Limerick eParking applications on the occupancy status of this space.

Limerick City and County Mayor Cllr Daniel Butler said: “Limerick City and County Council is delighted to lead the way again in supporting disabled drivers and visitors to the city with a convenient street parking.

“We are embracing the use of innovative technology to give them real-time information on the location of open spaces. We may also use the information to analyze usage levels so that we can plan for the future. “

In addition to the benefits for disabled drivers, the system will allow local authorities to collect real-time information on the use and turnover of accessible bays. This data could be essential for planning the provision and location of accessible spaces in the future.

Commenting on the launch, Paul Fitzgerald, Managing Director of ParkMagic, said: “We were delighted to lead the development of this service and its launch in the City of Limerick with assistance from the City and County Council of Limerick.

“We believe this demonstrates the real benefits for drivers and the environment of using the latest technologies to shorten the time to search for available spaces, saving time, fuel, traffic and stress. “

The Disabled Drivers Association of Ireland (DDAI) is now asking every local authority to consider using the SpaceFinder service.

Richard Ryder, Head of Communications at DDAI, said: “For many of our members and others in the disabled driver community, finding available and accessible parking can be an incredibly difficult, time consuming and frustrating experience.

Often times this can mean a lot of searching and in some cases a lost trip as the driver is forced to go home and try again later.

“A service like SpaceFinder which gives real-time information on accessible parking spaces in towns and cities across Ireland would be a huge boost, and we call on local authorities to seriously consider this excellent initiative,” a- he added.

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Car hits Lafayette opening hours after series of vandalism

by admin on November 30, 2021

LAFAYETTE, Louisiana (KLFY) – There was a series of vandalism at several Lafayette businesses over the weekend.

A church, body shop, restaurant and furniture store on West Pinhook Road were all damaged.

One of the companies had particularly bad luck, after a car slammed into the side of the building just hours after a vandal smashed their windows, and everything was caught on camera.

Passenger exits car after vehicle rushes through business

For all of the wood furniture makers, the chaos started at 6:30 a.m. Sunday morning when a man started tossing rocking chairs at the windows.

Although the vandal couldn’t break in, he smashed the front door.

Man slamming a rocking chair against the front door of the company

Two hours later at 8:30 a.m., however, a car veered off the road and crashed into the same business.

“There was a vehicle driving over Pinhook at high speed which apparently lost control and passed through the parking lot of three companies and ended up here in our company causing damage to our building, as you can see behind me. “, Daniel Broussard, a salesperson at All Wood Furniture Makers, said.

Surveillance video shows what happened after the accident.

A woman crawls out the passenger seat window, running to the driver’s side of a car, while a dog wearing a sweater also jumps out of the vehicle.

Ten minutes after the accident, police and firefighters arrive, appearing to be helping the driver of the vehicle.

“Fortunately, I don’t think anyone was seriously injured in the crash, but to see it, it was just horrible. I couldn’t imagine what these people were thinking when this accident happened, ”Broussard said.

He says the accident damaged their storage, smashed windows and smashed doors.

On top of that, they now have to fix the front door, where the vandal attempted to break into.

Broussard says he doesn’t know if the car crash and the vandalism are related, but says he is aware of several other businesses that were also vandalized on Sunday.

“Negotiate the furniture on the road, it was also affected. Popeye’s. There is a department that has been affected, and so have we. With all the other things that happened yesterday morning, we didn’t even realize we had been vandalized until we went back and started watching the video, ”he added.

Police say they are investigating, but it is difficult to determine if they are related without evidence.

No arrests were made.

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UNF deploys ‘loud devices’ to deter campus vultures – UNF Spinnaker

by admin on November 29, 2021

The UNF is today launching its partnership with the US Department of Agriculture with its “cooperative service agreement” to entice vultures to leave campus properties, according to the advisory. As part of this initiative, noisy devices will be used to repel birds from 3:00 p.m. on Monday, November 29.

This undated photo provided by Evan R. Buechley in August 2021 shows a hooded vulture in Ethiopia. Analysis of data from the International Union for Conservation of Nature and BirdLife International released on Monday, August 30, 2021 found that 30% of the world’s 557 raptor species are considered near threatened, vulnerable or endangered. . Eighteen species are critically endangered, including the hooded vulture, the researchers found. (Evan R. Buechley via AP)

State and protected by the federal government, “the growing population has caused damage to the northern cell phone tower, sports facilities, parking lots and grounds, while littering the equipment, tank shelters and seats used by the campus community and visitors ”, we read in the Osprey update.

Don’t worry if you hear loud booms on campus, the noises will stop after dark.

All questions should be directed to the UNF Environmental Health and Safety Department at [email protected] or (904) 620-2019.

___

For more information or advice on the news, or if you see an error in this story or have any compliments or concerns, contact [email protected].

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Mexicans hope for recovery of monarch butterflies

by admin on November 28, 2021

MEXICO CITY (AP) – Communal farmers and butterfly guides are hoping for a rebound in the numbers of monarch butterflies – and tourists – in their wintering grounds in central Mexico after a bad year for both last year.

Experts say it’s too early to calculate the number of monarchs, which migrate each year from the United States and Canada to the forests west of the Mexican capital. A formal survey will be carried out in December.

But butterflies have become an important source of income for farmers who own much of the pine and fir forest where monarchs congregate in the trees. Already this year, some of the orange and black monarchs have settled in the trees for the winter.

After a devastating drop in tourism due to the pandemic last year and a 26% drop in butterfly numbers, farmer and tour guide Silvestre de Jesús Cruz, 49, is basing his hopes on a better year for both. This year.

“Last year was a bit more difficult because there were a lot less people. But this year is going to be good, ”said De Jesús Cruz. “A lot of communal farm families depend on this,” said the 21-year-old guiding veteran, “not just us guides, but also the people out there in the parking lot selling food. Many people.”

During the off season – the butterflies arrive in November and leave around March – De Jesús Cruz plants corn and oats on his small agricultural plot.

But these crops don’t make a lot of money. Cash income comes from tourism and, due to the coronavirus pandemic, only an estimated 40,000 people visited the dozen butterfly wintering grounds on isolated mountain peaks last year, up from 80,000 in years. previous ones.

Already, a few tourists are showing up this year.

Martha Echeverría, a yoga resident of Mexico City, found the serenity of the El Rosario reserve to be a main draw. Visitors are encouraged to remain silent so as not to disturb the resting butterflies, making it such a calm scene that you can hear the crackle of fir arches and the sound of the wind.

“I like the silence that this creates in you,” said Echeverría.

De Jesús Cruz explains that guides are taking extra precautions due to the pandemic, such as requiring masks and taking visitors’ temperatures before they are allowed in.

This creates special challenges, as tourists have to climb several hundred meters (yards) of steep trails to get to the ultra-protected areas where butterflies congregate, in an area already high in altitude.

Ricardo Rodríguez, a tourist from Puebla state, managed to reach the top without a problem despite the lack of regular exercise, but said he would like a little more space to take off his mask every now and then .

“The face mask, well, that’s for everyone’s protection, but there are parts of the climb that you run out of air, so the hike could be better planned,” Rodríguez said. “They could space us out a bit more, so you can take it off for a while and get more oxygen.”

Due to a multitude of factors, the number of monarchs fell in the last year. Experts say drought, inclement weather and habitat loss – especially of the milkweed where monarchs lay their eggs – as well as the use of pesticides and herbicides and climate change, all pose threats to migration of the species.

Illegal logging and loss of forest cover due to disease, drought and storms also continue to plague the reserves.

Gloria Tavera, regional director of the National Council of Protected Areas, said it was too early to say whether this year will mark an increase in the number of butterflies or tourists.

“It would be risky to say so. We won’t know until December, once we have inspected all the (butterfly) colonies, ”Tavera said. As for the return of tourists, she said, “hopefully”.

Car parking rate

Car tax: new taxes under consideration that would charge anyone driving in London

by admin on November 28, 2021

London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone was expanded at the end of October to include most of Greater London, charging drivers for non-compatible cars £ 12.50 to drive in the area. In addition to ULEZ, congestion charges remain in place for drivers, charging them £ 15.

But soon, another charge could be imposed on any motorist going to London.

At a Transport for London finance committee meeting last week, it was estimated that there would remain a funding hole of £ 500million per year.

ULEZ is believed to have proven to be effective, with TfL expecting not to receive as much money as hoped due to ‘greater compliance’ with the rules.

This comes despite the fact that TfL and Sadiq Khan have insisted that ULEZ is aimed at reducing London’s pollution rate, not raising revenue.

READ MORE: Parking delay on the pavement is “for a long time” and “not an option”

TfL said it would further contribute to a “green recovery for London” by reducing the number of vehicles entering the capital, raising around £ 500million each year.

Border charges would apply on top of existing charges such as congestion charges and ULEZ charges of £ 12.50 which would further exacerbate the headaches for non-Londoners when entering the capital.

This could save Londoners from facing much higher bus and tube fares to fill the funding gap.

But it could also affect businesses outside London that are currently attracting visitors from outside the capital.

Conservative MP Andrew Rosindell said a boundary charge would be “devastating” for his borough of Havering in east London.

He told MyLondon: “Imposing a boundary tax would add insult to injury for the people of Romford and Havering who are just fed up with this mayor of zones 1-3.”

Romford in Havering is a popular town center for many travelers from Essex, with Mr Rosindell fearing that residents will look to Southend to avoid the fee.

Sadiq Khan confirmed on Thursday that a limit charge was “one of the options we are considering”.

“I’m not running to this. [But] £ 500million is a big demand for us, “he said at Mayor’s Question Time.

Mr Khan told the London Assembly: “London’s recovery depends on getting the money it needs to provide world-class transport service.”

Opposing the plans, Neil Garrett, member of the Croydon and Sutton Assembly, said the money raised from the £ 3.50 fee would be very small, with most of the real money coming from fines.

ULEZ was expanded on October 25 to a size 18 times larger than the original area that was put in place in 2018.

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Birmingham car park driver fury fines for passing three inch ‘pillar blocked bay’

by admin on November 27, 2021

A driver recounted how he was fined £ 100 after parking just three inches above a bay he said was blocked by a huge pillar.

Damian Maj says he was stunned after receiving the sanction after leaving his Mazda at the Allison Street parking lot in the city center, owned by Hockley-based Premier Parking Logistics.

The maintenance engineer said he paid £ 2.20 for a ticket after visiting Birmingham for a day with his wife Agata and 18-month-old son Victor on August 1.

READ MORE: Man arrested as young girl dies ‘after being hit by car on zebra crossing’ in Tyseley

He admitted to parking lightly over a bay that he didn’t think could be used by another vehicle due to a huge pillar in the front – yet Premier Parking Logistics insists the bay IS used by drivers.

Damian Maj says he was upset after being fined after parking in the car park at 16/29 Allison Street 1/4 Coventry Street in Birmingham

Mr Shift, from Crick, near Rugby, told BirminghamLive: “I got back to my car and just couldn’t believe it so I took some pictures.

“The space (next to Mazda) was blocked off by a post that supports the roof. Obviously, no one can safely park in that space while maneuvering around that post.

“Since I’m a new dad, I was looking for spaces around the parking lot where I could fully open the car door to get my little one out of the car safely.

“So I moved my car a bit to the open space and covered a yellow line.

“When we got back I got a ticket for ‘Not Parked Wholly Within Bay’.

“I could absolutely agree with a ticket if I blocked another space or an access but then clearly another car cannot park there.”

Damian Maj, his wife Agata and his son Victor
(Image: Damian Maj)

Mr. Maj appealed to the company to cancel the ticket, but lost.

A spokesperson for Premier Parking Logistics said the bay WAS used by motorists and added that Mr. Maj had “admitted that they voluntarily parked over the bay for their own convenience, so acknowledged its responsibility.

“The terms and conditions which form the contract that the driver has agreed to abide by have been broken by the driver.

“The driver parked next to the sign with the terms and conditions. There is also a 24 hour phone number on the signs.

“We checked the back office and that day there were only 7 cars in the parking lot all day.

“There are 30 spaces in the car park which are all above the regulatory size recommended by local authorities.

Damian Maj received a £ 100 parking ticket after parking lightly over a bay in the car park on Allison Street and Coventry Street
(Image: Damian Maj)

“Today we took time stamped photos of the bay you claim to be obstructed with 2 cars on each side and the bay empty. We then took a time stamped photo of a vehicle parked in the bay and then comfortably exiting the bay. “

The company invited our reporter to the parking lot to see a vehicle parked in the bay, but we refused.

*Before you go, please check out our Christmas Brumwish call here

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Two injured after slipping patrol car and crashing into tree

by admin on November 26, 2021

PALO ALTO – Two people were seriously injured on Friday morning after a driver fleeing an illegal spectacle slipped a police car and crashed into a tree, authorities said.

Palo Alto Police said an officer saw at least four cars involved in a side show around 1:06 a.m. Friday near the Palo Alto Baylands Nature Reserve. After other police arrived at the scene, drivers began to flee Westbound on Embarcadero Road “at high speed,” according to a press release.

A person driving a red 2013 Chevrolet Camaro slipped the left front tire of a patrol car, “almost avoiding a head-on collision of a few inches,” police said. The driver continued west as others continued to flee the scene before hitting a tree on the north side of the 1900 block of Embarcadero Road, authorities said. Police said they did not pursue any of the cars.

Rescuers provided medical attention to two people inside the Chevrolet Camaro, who were not wearing seat belts and were seriously injured. The two people – a man and a woman, both in their 20s – were in intensive care at a hospital, police said.

A small dog also inside the car was taken to an emergency veterinary hospital but had to be euthanized due to serious injuries, officials said.

The driver may have been under the influence of alcohol, authorities said. Police said they did not place the driver under arrest while he recovered from his injuries, although they intend to press charges.

Like other towns in the Bay Area, Palo Alto struggles with side shows, which can involve hundreds of people and spectators, as well as speeding tickets, donuts, and other types of dangerous driving. .

Sideshow’s activity has also seen an increase during the pandemic after the lockdown and stay-at-home orders resulted in more empty streets and parking lots.

In June, San José was the first city in the United States to criminalize the promotion or encouragement of side shows on social media. Violators could face up to six months in jail, fines of up to $ 1,000, or be charged with a misdemeanor.

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Tabletop dog park and disc golf course for the former Keene campsite | Local News

by admin on November 26, 2021

After two groups set their sights on space in the old Wheelock Park campground – one looking to build a dog park and the other looking to create a new disc golf course – Keene crosses a new step towards a solution that could integrate the two ideas.

The city council’s municipal services, facilities and infrastructure committee voted on Tuesday to use the city’s capital improvement program funds to develop a plan that includes both proposals. Parks, Recreation and Facilities Manager Andy Bohannon, who worked with the two groups to determine if the campground is a good fit for their plans, asked the committee to recommend that City Manager Elizabeth Dragon be allowed to spend those funds, which he said were free to be reallocated.

“I imagine we’ll have a public input process; both groups are going to be heavily involved in this design, ”Bohannon said of the plan. “And that’s really the best way to move forward with these two groups, and the city is going to have a win-win.”

Bohannon said in a note to the committee, included in the agenda for Tuesday’s meeting, that the money could be used to hire a landscaping consultant. He said this would help better understand the combined needs of the city and groups wishing to use the campground space, and give stakeholders an idea of the cost of the projects.

The push for a dog park in Keene is not new, and the initiative has been going on for years, led by different people at different times. Last month, Rebecca Lancaster, a member of Keene’s board of directors who currently runs the dog park project, told the MSFI committee that a petition supporting the project has garnered more than 600 signatures.

The Park Avenue location is ideal for a dog park, she said, as it is close to Wheelock Park amenities such as restrooms and parking, but far enough from the nearest house to avoid any problems for property owners in proximity, which has been a concern in previous conversations about a dog park in other locations.

“The advantages of having a dog park are that there really aren’t any others locally in nearby or adjacent towns,” Lancaster told the committee. “In fact, I was surprised, when I moved here, that there isn’t an established dog park in a town of this size. It is therefore a safe space for community members to exercise and socialize their dogs. It’s a great convenience … something else Keene could offer to attract families and young professionals and others to the area.

Meanwhile, Robert Johnson of the Keene Disc Golf Club said last month that the goal of their project was to build a course that would be a bit more accessible than the more advanced course the club operates at Otter Brook. He said a disc golf course would be a great fit for other park activities and that the group would take care of any ongoing maintenance required at the facility, as it does at Otter Brook State Park.

Otter Brook’s course has performed well, Johnson said, attracting players from all over New England. But he said it’s not always suitable for young players or those just learning the game.

“As successful as Otter Brook has been, one thing that is not suitable for beginners,” Johnson said. “The lack of off-season access, elevation changes and sometimes rugged topography can be overwhelming for new players, and that’s where Wheelock comes in.”

In addition to helping establish the feasibility of both the dog park and the disc golf course, Bohannon said the concept plan would also give the city a roadmap for using the space for generations. future.

Councilor Bobby Williams suggested that if the dog park was not functioning in the old campground, a fenced area near the Robin Hood Park Amphitheater might also be a suitable location. He said it wouldn’t take a lot of work to create a small dog park there.

At last month’s meeting, Lancaster told councilors she would be willing to come up with a plan to share space with space with the disc golf course. On Tuesday, councilor Randy Filiault asked Bohannon if this would be possible.

“There’s a good chance that will happen,” Bohannon told the committee. “There’s also another chance it won’t. But we’ll find out.”

The committee’s recommendation will then go to the full board for further consideration.

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Grants for village-wide improvements in Minoa – Eagle News Online

by admin on November 26, 2021

Two weeks to the day after learning that more than half a million dollars in public and private investments would go towards revitalizing Minoa, Mayor Bill Brazill was briefed by the Onondaga County Community Development Office that, come to think of it, the grand total would end up being closer to a full million.

Not wanting other fundraising candidates to feel left out, County Manager Ryan McMahon and his company calculated the numbers and pulled an additional $ 359,460 out of the US bailout to award five more business ventures in the village.

As announced at the late morning press conference at the Trappers II Pizza Pub on October 26, more than $ 600,000 has already been spent on revitalizing the village’s main street and a handful of businesses bordering the trade corridor.

“I’m not the type to lose words, but the joy and happiness I feel today is overwhelming,” Brazill said on the podium that day, adding that he has been smiling non-stop since he had heard the news over the phone the previous Friday. “This village has a bullet in its arm now.”

In 2019, as part of the first phase of Onondaga County’s Main Street initiative, the villages of Fayetteville and Manlius received $ 275,000 and $ 298,000, respectively, to complete various described improvements. Meanwhile, Minoa was at a different starting point, having received $ 30,000 to develop a set of technical specifications.

“I told Mayor Brazill that if you come up with a plan and get the job done, we’ll come back, and he did,” McMahon said. “Overall, this village is going to be profoundly different.”

Involving the use of over $ 22,000, a component of the overall effort is on the municipal side, which includes the introduction of a village clock and ornamental lampposts in the main street of Minoa, the conversion of the sign for village announcements from manual to digital; and addition of pavilions, lighting and barbecue stations in Lewis Park.

The second part of the initiative concerns the improvement of certain businesses with the use of funds provided by the American bailout plan.

Over $ 200,000 will be invested in brand new windows, doors, patios, landscaping and front fencing for Trappers II, the restaurant located at 101 N. Main St.

With $ 132,000 in total, Trappers II owner Jen Wood and her business partner Greg Rinaldi will be focusing on the future construction of the yet to be named tavern where The 19th Hole is currently located. , thus transforming a “horror” into an “asset,” as McMahon put it.

In addition, the recently opened Spill the Tea Café and Infusion Yoga will have approximately $ 207,000 invested in its property at 208 N. Main Street to account for new masonry, a stamped concrete patio, new windows and replacement. of the roof.

Across the tracks, Charlie’s Tavern, Minoa’s oldest active business, will undergo a roughly $ 88,000 renovation that will include renovating a sign, repairing walls, building a patio. , new windows and other facade renovations.

“Coming back from COVID, it’s been slow to dig the hole we’ve all been in, so that means a lot,” Charlie’s owner Nicole Stoffel said. “I couldn’t have afforded all of this work without this grant. “

The extra grant money added in early November will go to Pave the Way Daycare, Scotty’s Automotive, Tim McIntosh’s property at 112 Willard St., instead of CNY President David Muraco around the corner. Hulbert and Costello Parkway, and Muraco’s other property on Main Street next to Minoa Elementary.

The Muraco-owned plaza across from Lewis Park contains Happy Wok Chinese Restaurant, Sunshine Minoa Food Mart, Parkway Liquors, and Kindred Souls Vintage Lovelies.

McIntosh’s property, which was once a library, would be redeveloped and turned into space for different offices, while Muraco’s property on Main Street would likely be turned into an esplanade with four stores. Its current place and the other selected businesses will see their facades refreshed alongside other structural work.

Three-quarters of the total of $ 916,272 will be borne by the county, with the remainder paid by the village of Minoa and the assisted business owners.

Although he does not hesitate to call the current Minoa the “shining light” in the northern part of the town of Manlius, Brazill said the projects would add “dynamism” to the village while helping to build the county of Manlius. low up along the way.

Complementing the 5km races, car shows and park concerts that have taken place in the village over the years, Brazill said this initiative is also the next step that will make Minoa a more important destination for people. residents of Onondaga County.

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November 2021