I had a parking ticket issued today because I was parked in a space with only a 2 hour limit on, and I was 3 minutes late as I had to ask the teacher about a question, and when I got back, BAM, I was greeted with a yellow envelope on my windscreen. I was just wondering, is there a time limit margin that you should be allowed before a ticket is issued? I wonder if I can appeal for this ticket?
Why would there be a grace period on issuing a ticket when your car has been there passed the posted limit? It's posted right there, and going a second over means you're technically violating the posted rules. You can probably appeal, although the issuing agency could easily say you exceeded your time limit and deserve the ticket, which you do - no matter the circumstances. If it's a ticket from a campus, then the price is what, $40 or so?
You might be able to appeal it, but ultimately, they're going to know you were late. It's not like a speeding ticket where you can say you weren't actually speeding, etc. They're pretty accurate with knowing your time ran out. If it's your first offense, they may let you go, so it could be worth fighting it.
I have appealed tickets like that before. Usually they won't take it away completely but I've had the fine cut in half. It's worth trying. Your watch could've been a few minutes off of the timer or something. If it was only a few minutes you might have some luck.
If it was on a campus, good luck! I have successfully appealed a city parking ticket, but never a campus ticket. At my school, parking passes were $80 a semester for the cheap spots. Then, there were never any spots in the designated areas. So, I had to park in a metered spot and leave during break from my three-hour classes to feed the meter. I was a few minutes late once, and got a $70 fine. Nobody wanted to hear about my problems. They just told me I should have purchased a premium pass for how much I spent on the meter and the parking ticket.
I agree with Amanda, I've had good luck appealing parking tickets with the city, they'll often take away parking tickets for almost no reasons, or like others have said, combine multiple or offer a discount. With campus though, I've found that there's no grey area. Those campus cops are like vultures, they seem to know every car in the lot and when the meter is going to expire, and they ticket almost instantly. The only chance I've had with them is if you catch them in the act of writing it, but even then it's too late a lot of times. I would still try to appeal, no cost to you. Good luck though!
In the UK there is a 10 minute grace period. I'm not sure about where you are though. This also means that you can often be parked in an area for less than 10 minutes for free
Yes, I am in the UK, and I did just manage to appeal for it, as I mentioned how the clock in the classroom is a bit slow, and this was my first time offence. I found it quite unfair still, as that officer must have been camped outside my car for literally 2 hours, as this was just a bay next to a road with no cameras, and to get my exact time leaving and returning, they must have been pretty keen.
