oh my obelisk - Events - Runner's World

dartmoor runner

13/01/2013 at 19:21

Just done the OMO today - and came back to the car to find a parking ticket on my car in the pay and display car park along the road from the leisure centre .

The parking at the leisure centre was full so we didn't have much choice- although the sign did say it was free on Sundays

Be warned if you do this event next year - be careful where you park as you may end up with a ticket - an expensive day out

We were not the only ones - many other cars were also ticketed

Won't be returning next year

seren nos

pirate

13/01/2013 at 19:24

if the sign says free on sundays and you were parking in the space correctly.....why didn't you take a photo of both and send that off with the parking ticket..

cougie

pirate

13/01/2013 at 20:43

Exactly. Contest the ticket. Sounds like they haven't a leg to stand on.
Why wouldn't you enter the race - it wasn't their fault ?

Millsy1977

13/01/2013 at 20:55

Take a picture of the sign that says its free on Sundays. Send that in when you contest your ticket. If you are correct that it's free on Sundays then you have nothing to worry about.

Max's Mum

14/01/2013 at 09:34

Also is it a council owned car park or a private one? they cant enforce parking tickets on private ones

Wilkie

14/01/2013 at 11:01

I certainly wouldn't just pay up if it's supposed to be free on Sundays! Contest it!

bandit runner

14/01/2013 at 11:15

Dartmoor runner hope this helps the sign in the car park reads from top to bottom

Teignbridge district council southdevon .public information. Parking on sundays is free of charge in this car park until 31st march 2013.

seren nos

pirate

14/01/2013 at 11:19

So providing you were in a designated parking space.no problem...........

loads of people got parking tickets at snowdonia marathon as they arrived too late and instead of using the carparks parked on the roadside.................the whole row of about 50 cars got one........

JeremyG

14/01/2013 at 11:48

Me too and will be appealing. I guess like me you may have used the coach space? A large no of spaces were unavailable being fenced off or occupied by recycling bins. I initially thought if it is free why is anyone checking? Then I recalled that when I parked a council van was parked by the loos. Did they warn anyone? Did they hell, just waited - race start 10:30, ticket issued 10:40.
Please appeal to the address on the ticket emphasising you won't return.it was obvious an event was on and a little common sense should be used. Dawlish Coasters say they have never had a problem before. So appeal! One of the points I am making in my letter is that things like this cause bad publicity and discourage people coming to the area. A cynical and small minded attempt to gouge people for cash.

Maxpower North West

14/01/2013 at 12:36

You parked in a restricted area and you subsequently got fined. Take your medicine.

Edited: 14/01/2013 at 12:37

Dave The Ex- Spartan pirate

pirate

14/01/2013 at 12:40

He might have been driving a coach ?

Maxpower North West

14/01/2013 at 12:45

Fair point. If you parked a coach in the coach space then appeal otherwise just make a confession on Ophra and you will feel better.

seren nos

pirate

14/01/2013 at 13:19

if you didn't park in the correct place then tough.........get there earlier next time.........

Torquayrunner

14/01/2013 at 14:48

It does make you wonder why the parking patrol was there at all if parking is free on Sundays - it was at nearby Dawlish Warren car parks too - so sounds as if whole area is free - so why the patrol?

Sounds as if they were ambushing runners as they knew event was on.....

Edited: 14/01/2013 at 14:48

seren nos

pirate

14/01/2013 at 15:10

maybe as residents had complained about people parking where they shouldn't and so the council responded by sending out a team to monitor the situation

JeremyG

14/01/2013 at 15:17

There are no houses near the car park.....

Dave The Ex- Spartan pirate

pirate

14/01/2013 at 15:20

But if people were parking in the coach spaces, which one assumes the coaches have to pay for, and also that the coaches aren't allowed to park in car spaces, you were breaking the T's & C's of the car park...

MTFU

Torquayrunner

14/01/2013 at 17:53

As Jeremy says - no housing nearby - also the likelihood of any coaches appearing at 10.30 on a cold January morning in Dawlish...........!!

It is the injustice of them doing this purposefully - bet they won't be there next Sunday...

Dave The Ex- Spartan pirate

pirate

14/01/2013 at 17:54

And that negates all T's & C's ?

kittenkat

pirate

14/01/2013 at 18:18

Hey guys,

please don't blame the race for this (unless they specified in their race information that the car park was free). And by blaming the race, I don't mean blaming them directly, I mean by not doing this event again.

I think Bandit Runner has pointed to what's happened. And I'm not surprised that people ticketed are pissed off, I would be too. Often the small print IS small print or at the very end when you've been bored of reading at the second line.

I've taken interest in this because it's local, it's not my running club (I'm SWRR) but I'm organising an aquathlon on a Sunday soon starting at the Leisure centre and am glad to be aware of this, I might put something in our race notes.

Also the Dawlish Coasters are good people, do return to their race. I'll shoot a few council employees in the meantime for you