Comments on: Moral maze 2 What would you do?

By: yoon

yoon — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 12:14:24 +0000

here in belgium, I don't know about the laws of tickettransfer.
but, i think it's just another crappy law, for the state to rearn more money.
I mean you pay rent for using a parkingspace for a limited time.
and if you pull out earlier, the time is still paid for. why not give it to someone else, it makes them not spend unnecessary money, and you didn't just threw ur money away.
that law just makes their profits go up.

some laws need to be reconsiderd i guess.

think about it:p
transfering tickets may make the world a better place:p
lol

By: Robert Lobell

Robert Lobell — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 14:45:11 +0000

Dear John,
I only found your website by accident (would you believe I was looking up references to Lambert Simnel and the origin of simnel cakes!) however I found it a good site and welcome the fact that you engage with the public through your blogs. Concerning the parking charges debate, I agree with at least one of correspondents who notes that many of the ticket machines do not dispense change so that one is obliged to buy time that one cannot necessarily totally consume. My economic logic leads me to the conclusion that if I have bought a product (parking time) and I do not consume all of that product personally then I have the right to pass on the unused portion to whom I choose. This logic may or may not conform to the parking byelaws but then I would question their legality under English Common law. All this sounds a bit pompous I daresay but from such little beginnings are great tyrannies often built. I wish you well with your ventures.
Robert Lobell, Lancashire

Reply: yes, I agree.

By: Bazman

Bazman — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 22:47:26 +0000

I wrote that where I live parking charges where a reasonable 25/30 pence per hour in the market town where I live. However the council would like to increase the charge. For the better? I don't know, but this is what you are dealing with.
The local cabinet minister for transport said after increasing the charges.
"Some of the smaller charges were 80 pence (His 80. He raised them from 30/50, to 60/1.00 and doubled them at the edge of town.) and we felt that people would find the coinage inconvenient. So we charged them a pound to help them. (Laugh!) Many people where already paying 50/1.00 as they did not have the correct change and the machines do not dispense change. If people are overpaying that suggests one thing, and that is coinage.
Spoken like a true politician!

By: Simon_C

Simon_C — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 16:50:37 +0000

i) I'd have taken the ticket and said thanks. (if there's more than a few mins left on my tickets I'm always on the lookout for someone to give it to)
ii) I don't think an MP or a council official could do the same. Irrespective of the moral right or wrongness of it, (which is a small deal however you look at it if the person breaking the rules isn't involved in making them) the cost/benefit doesn't pay off. You'd save 30p, but risk spending hours having to defend youreself if it "got out".

iii) Personally, I would think the MP had displayed bad judgement not for any moral reason, but for the bad cost/benefit analysis. If they can't get that right, what hope do they have when figuring out where our money should be spent.

By: Stuart Fairney

Stuart Fairney — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 20:19:23 +0000

Wow, as of 6.18pm, 31 responses on a parking ticket and 2 on the credit crunch! All politics really is local.

Reply: yes

By: Bill Melotti

Bill Melotti — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 14:51:34 +0000

John

The rule of non-transferability probably comes from the Council. As a local Councillor, I've discussed it with colleagues and believe it could be changed. I don't mind if people transfer their tickets, whoever they are.

Our Lib Dem Council even spent money on machines to force people to print their number plates onto the ticket !

As for MPs to change the rules, change this one please….

I understand under current Government rules, the car parks accounts all have to set up to balance, in that fees should be planned such that the income from fee, fines etc, would equal the rent that could be drawn from the land if it were not a car park.

So a well performing Council cannot legally give its citizens free parking even if it wanted and could afford it, on car parks it owns. There are Councils that give free parking, but usually because the land has been bequeathed to them for that purpose only.

If true, another example of petty centralisation that should be dumped.

By: TC

TC — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 14:30:59 +0000

I didn't know that it was against the rules to transfer tickets and I am always delighted to be able to give over my ticket or take someone elses when the same situation arises. I can't believe acts of kindness like this are effectively outlawed!

Moral maze 3 – if you had been in a car park outside of your constituency what would you have done if you had an hour left on your ticket? Would you have given it to the chap?

Reply: NO – FOR THE SAME REASONS AS I OUTLINED IN THE BLOG. I WOULD RATHER GET COUNCILLORS TO CHANGE THE RULES – OR MAKE THE CAR PARKS FREE MORE OFTEN AS WE HAVE ALREADY PAID FOR THEM.

By: GeoffH

GeoffH — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 13:33:45 +0000

It's not only the rule on transferability of tickets for parking that is deliberately swinish but the careful adjustment of the rates on the ticket machines coupled with the selection of coins that they will accept.

Someone, somewhere has constructed an algorithm that means you never quite have the right combination of coins for the time you wish to pay for. The result is that you have to overpay, buying two hours when one is all you need, or overpay by 10 or 20p while the machine does not give change.

By: John

John — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 09:57:00 +0000

John
You state 'it is clearly against the rules of the car park to transfer tickets' but having looked on Wokingham Council Car Park website there appears to be no such rule.

By: rob

rob — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 07:07:52 +0000

I think you did the right thing. It's true that most people would have taken the ticket, but as an MP – even one in opposition – and even when it is a local government matter not a central government one! you had to really obey the rules.

You might disagree with it but you're a part of the system, with some measure of authority over it, and as such you really have to obey the rules of the system. You are more responsible for it, or perhaps more accurately will be seen more responsible for it, than the average citizen will be, and so breaking the rules would show you up in a worse light.