Aww, does that mean all those people off the tv documentary have been made redundant too? :frown: oh well I'll get over it in time...I'm over it:wink:
I'm not suggesting anyone should ARGUE here, but I can vouch for the fact that the authorities DO try to force penalties on you when it is illegal to do so....here is my case..its not speeding but just the same...its worth reading. Last year we were racing at Castle Combe. On the way back to Suffolk I had to call in at JerryXT's place, in Kingston on Thames......I was obviously in my van, a 2001 Fiat Ducato 2.8JTD lwb 3.25t unladen weight. Three days later a letter from the tosspots at Transport for London dropped onto the doormat, telling me I had won the right to pay them a £500 fine, as my van wasn't eligible to enter what they called the "Low Emissions Zone".......Living in Suffolk I hadnt even heard of it, so was gobsmacked by the news......I went onto their own website to see what it was all about, and there, clearly printed, was their own rule saying that my van WAS eligible, until Jan 3rd this year, to enter London freely......I cut, pasted and printed this advice, sent them their form back, and told them to insert the demand for £500 somewhere moist and dark, and to learn their own fuggin' rules....... Three days later, a FURTHER demand came through, again, telling me they had reviewed the fine, and had decided to uphold it, demanding I pay the fine within 7 days. Not on their Nelly was I going to pay it. I wrote back and asked them by what criteria and quirk of fate had they decided that my van was ineligible, when their own website clearly told me it was still entitled to enter the LEZ......they said that as my van was over the 3.5 ton limit, I had to pay the fine. I sent them a copy of my log book, asking them WHY, having already checked my details with the DVLA in order to send me the initial demand, they thought my van was 3.5tons+, when CLEARLY, the log book stated it was 3.25 tons unladen weight. They said they take no notice of the V5 as some people register goods vehicles incorrectly. I wrote back to them and suggested that they PROVE ( based on the premise that one is innocent until proven guilty in this fair land of ours ....not) that my van weighed in excess of 3.5 tons.....the reply came back that they dont HAVE to prove it, its enough to BELIEVE it to be.....and so I wrote back, sent a photo of the VIN plate on the chassis, told them that whilst I have a hole in my arse I would NOT be paying their fine and that I'd see them in court......and finally, after 2 weeks, I received a curt reply saying that after my "Appeal" against the fine, they had decided "on this occasion" to drop the fine.....nothing about them trying to illegally penalise a law abiding motorist, nor an apology for their attempt to fraudulently extort money from me by their misfeasance of public authority, nor even acknowledging their blatent error. Wankers.
yes, the low emissions zone was a Ken idea to clean up the city for the Olympics. Thing is, it took no account of the 'recreational' van user - a van is a van, if it's too old, it's not coming in. That hit a lot of track day riders, like me and Nog and didn't consider mileage within the zone. On the other hand, we have thousands of unlicensed mini-cabs going around, doing more miles and polluting more than work vans that take tools and stuff to a site and home again. Blinding logic. Nothing to do with the voter base, clearly...
the last time i got fined was about 20 years ago and that was for doing 40 in a 30 zone and because i over took an unmarked police car had to takr the slap on the wrist since then i have been very carefull , that way i can do 100mph down country lanes without being caught woo hoo
She has been offered the course, so will not get points...Ironically, she had been training to be a police officer until the cut backs!!
there is in n.ireland....I live beside a station that is traffic branch only....the main police station is a couple of miles away.
Or its been their policy for many months if not years...................but lets not let that get in the way of a rant.......
Then as you are well over 45 Jerry, it doesnt matter WHAT speed you were doing, you were a marked man that day !
