yourhavingalarf:
I’m not a solicitor but, if you destroy only the padlock and free the vehicle that way, as long as you replace the padlock with an equivalent or better and ensure safe return of the entire clamp with a new lock and keys then technically, no harm or loss has been incurred by the clamping firm and accordingly they have no case against you.
If the clamp has been applied by Kent County Council or one of its subcontractors (as seems to be the case here) then it is a criminal offence to remove or attempt to remove it even if this is done by a non-destructive method such as lock picking.
Are we to assume that absolutely no foreign reg truck ever gets caught out in this parking scam or are the council applying the rules selectively.
It’s an ‘industrial’ estate ? trucks are ‘industrial’ vehicles.
It’s logical to assume that trucks could/should be parked on ‘industrial’ estates so long as the positioning is not a danger to anyone.
Now am home been online …as ticket said go on website you can.appeal against it… it’s just a rip off at £185.
Basically. Enter details comes.up we have photographic evidence…click her so did there’s 2 pictures 1 of front of.truck with the ticket on window…1 of the wheel clamp
And there’s saying that’s the photographic evidence that I was parked illegally.
In the comments box.i.wrote basically.
I had a delivery to someware half hour away which I did have hence being there.
And I drove from Manchester got as close as I could to.site.
I drove into the estate saw some.parked.cars parked up behind them
There was no markings on the road. I walked the road checking lamposts and fenicng.flr.amy restriction signs saw nothing so I stopped.for the.night
I woke up to find I was.clamped yet cars which had been there all night wernt
Got an automated reply thank.you we we look into.it and.expdct a reply within 28 days
Back in the day my regular run from West Yorkshire was a multi - dropper ( 30 + ) round South London and Kent.
I did this run for ten years so got to know the area quite well, spending one night Shoreditch (up the ramp) and
another night or two in Kent. Canterbury was a particular favourite on the Longport car / coach park, other
times Folkestone on the sea front, maybe Herne Bay during the summer.
From what I’ve heard about parking down there now this run would today be almost impossible.
Defence would be that you were forced by your hours to park there?
But then, proof of that might be requested and if you had another hour or two left, then that’s that excuse busted.
Alternatively, you weren’t feeling well and ditched it there?
With respect, sir…
Yeah, always said before summat dis-respectful…
Saying you were “forced” to do something in order to do a job? Or make a delivery on time?
No. Your hours don`t “force you” to do anything.
Just like:
“I was speeding to make a booking”
Feeling ill? If he hadnt already said hed gone for a walk to check for signs? Guess, that might be have been a goer.
Wasn`t there a footballer “got off” a speeding charge because he had a gippy tummy?
I think it’s out of order to clamp a uk registered vehicle, the penalty for parking in a restricted area in Kent is £35, the other £150 is for the clamp removal, which does seem excessive compared to the DVLA,s excessive £100 removal fee if you pay what’s owed within 24 hours.
time the haulage companies that deliver into kent to apply a kent delivery surcharge to every drop they do, truck with 4 drops £50 each drop, 1 drop £200, companies would soon be complaining too kent county council that there policy is costing them money and could cost the county jobs
chester1:
You are less than 2 miles from Maidstone services as the crow flies.
And pray tell, how many HGV parking places are there at Maidstone services?
Apparently 28 spots.
Ye op has no leg to stand on with the Kent wide lorry parking ban. If your not parked in a MSA your getting a ticket.
What annoys me more is some places like Esso on the A2 only allow you to stay for 45 minutes exactly. Stay for 46 minutes you will get a ticket.
Now every single layby is like 45 mins max then better be on alert or watch out.
Not so much fun if you have to wait around a few hours.
scotstrucker:
time the haulage companies that deliver into kent to apply a kent delivery surcharge to every drop they do, truck with 4 drops £50 each drop, 1 drop £200, companies would soon be complaining too kent county council that there policy is costing them money and could cost the county jobs
I’ve always hated going to Kent ,I’ll stick to turning left out the drive
This whole situation is just another side-effect of our past eu membership and the surrender of the UK continental transport industry to eastern Europe. Unfortunately Brexit is unlikely to change this as the genie is out of the bottle now. When international transport to and from the UK was carried out by UK hauliers this issue didn’t arise as vehicles rarely needed to park in Kent.
scotstrucker:
time the haulage companies that deliver into kent to apply a kent delivery surcharge to every drop they do, truck with 4 drops £50 each drop, 1 drop £200, companies would soon be complaining too kent county council that there policy is costing them money and could cost the county jobs
The ‘surcharge’ needs to cover the total cost of a parking nick.Or the customer has to provide parking for up to 11 hours depending if the drop can’t be done without a daily rest period taken in Kent attached to it.
Harry Monk:
This whole situation is just another side-effect of our past eu membership and the surrender of the UK continental transport industry to eastern Europe. Unfortunately Brexit is unlikely to change this as the genie is out of the bottle now. When international transport to and from the UK was carried out by UK hauliers this issue didn’t arise as vehicles rarely needed to park in Kent.
If the problem was the result of foreign operators using Kent as a transit camp then surely the Kent ban would have made their operations unviable.
Unless the ‘ban’ is being deliberately selectively applied to allow them to go on with business as usual.
The surcharge seems the best option.
Which leaves the question is it the driver who is responsible for paying it in which case no incentive for the operator to make the customer pay for Kent’s parking scam.
Just like road fuel taxation ultimately comes out of the driver’s wages.
Harry Monk:
This whole situation is just another side-effect of our past eu membership and the surrender of the UK continental transport industry to eastern Europe. Unfortunately Brexit is unlikely to change this as the genie is out of the bottle now. When international transport to and from the UK was carried out by UK hauliers this issue didn’t arise as vehicles rarely needed to park in Kent.
When was most Euro haulage carried out by UK hauliers?
In 1990 there were about one million trucks using Dover, in 2018 there were about two and a half million, plus another one a half million through the tunnel (2020).
So, 1 million to 4 million trucks…what increase in parking in that time?
Even if it was the counter factual world where there were no EE hauliers, wouldn`t we realistically need 4 times the parking we had 30 years ago? That certainly is not there.
With or without Brexit or EU membership, we DO have a huge number of trucks using Kent roads, and there are NOT enough parking places etc for them.
This not about genies and bottles, it is a very simple case of under investment by successive UK Governments, probably helped by a fair dose of nimbyism regards any road and truck infrastructure improvements.
Harry Monk:
the surrender of the UK continental transport industry
This has been in effect for some time. It covers the whole county, exceptions being any laybys on the a249 and the a299 (not to be confused with the a229).
I live in Kent and have seen this being enforced aggressively. Only a few weeks ago I was trying my best to help a Romanian chap pay his fine to have the clamp removed in Sevington. So contrary to popular belief, trucks are being clamped regardless of their country of origin.
I also recently saw that other county councils are now considering a similar scheme after “seeing the success” the Kent one is having. I dare say we will start to see this in Essex and any other county that “suffers” from high volumes of road freight.
I do hear that there is a retired driver challenging this daily, firing constant emails back and forth, attempting to highlight how terrible this ludicrous scheme is. I believe you can follow his progress on the Kent Hauliers page on Facebook. Any help or support he can get will go a long way towards helping this situation.
I dare say that the solution to this would entail hauliers getting together. Not in the way you’d imagine though. Instead of trying to cut each others throats and take “backloads” out of each others front gardens for suicidal rates, perhaps they should start offering up yard space during the week for fellow hauliers to utilise while their own trucks are out working?
There must be atleast a dozen kent hauliers with large yards that are mostly empty space during the week. Helping each other out and offering some safe parking with the understanding that the favour can be reciprocated would actually alleviate much of this problem.
There are plenty of large arable farms in Kent that could apply for retrospective planning permission to allow lorry parking on hard standing concrete areas on some bigger farms, win win for all , income for the farmers if they set up a SNAP account, it gets lorries off the road.
Drivers don’t ask for much , only access to hot water, showers , a rest room ; A Portakabin would suffice to cook a meal in and toilets.
But the issue is Nimbies who will make a fuss and prevent it with the same old sound bites of menacing thundering juggernauts dangerously driving over pavements and nearly killing the local swan, duck , badger or toad who crossed the road to copulate, or the toddlers on the way to school as they get out the new Range Rover .
Most farms are separate from the farm house or farmers residence and some have a few farms spread all over the place so won’t be disturbed by lorry traffic and early morning engine running.
One consequence of this travesty is obvious in Cobham Services…
Had to stop there Monday night, it was so rammed, almost the entire main car park was full, not just the overflow at the far side.
I checked yesterday from the A 274. There are no signs visible at the entrance to Park Wood industrial estate . Bircholt rd/Sutton rd junction is very significantly obstructed by ongoing roadworks with three-way working controlled by traffic lights.
