Penalty charge- near miss

[od13218]

Just got home to find a penalty charge notice- for driving in a bus lane en route to a punt a couple of weeks ago. Luckily the Mrs is away, because in this case I had no business being there and had specifically told her I was somewhere else!
I never spotted the bus lane.
Lesson learned: if you can't account for being in your car somewhere, be trebly careful about anything you might be fined for!
Now to pay the fine and dispose of the letter...
Doug

[threechilliman]

Good post. A reminder about this sort of thing never goes amiss, particularly for anyone new to punting. It often takes you to places you shouldn't be and that you don't know to well. I'm always careful with parking to, in order to ensure I don't get any unwanted tickets.

tcm

[Gordon Bennett]

Surely it's a punting basic to have some sort of consistency between your punting travels and cover stories? I mean, if I'm punting in Wigan the world will be told I'm off to play golf in Wigan. If I get pinched, break down, crash, become ill etc etc there'll be no difficult questions to answer about why was I in Wigan or where ever.

[od13218]

Well that's true- I guess I was a little complacent: I didn't have any business to be in that particular part of London, but I didn't need to be anywhere else, so I figured it was "my" time. I'm a pretty careful driver and that's my first ever fine, so it wasn't really on my radar as a potential problem: it is now!
Doug

[licky]

I often skive off work early on a Friday as its a 5 hour drive in the Friday traffic to punt in Manchester.
Once the sat nav took me along the black country new road, a lovely straight dual carriageway, but a stupid 40mph limit. There I was doing about 60ish wen I spotted a camera van. How I never got a ticket I will never know, I think I was behind another car.
Last week I was diverted off the M6 and round country lanes, went through a little village, and there were some residents, ponced up with hi vis jackets, playing policemen with a speed gun. Now you don't get a ticket, but the cops write to the registered owner as a warning. I was at the back of a queue of cars so ok.
Both occasions I had no business being where I was at that time of day, mid to late afternoon.

I must stop letting little willy do the driving in his rush to get laid, and set the speed limiter more often.

[Taggart]

Hope you've checked the photo to confirm it's your car.
Had one 6-7 years back, the nobs had mistaken a D for a B due to the screw fixing. You'd think they'd check the car type and colour matched......err, no.

[SUMO61]

Surely it's a punting basic to have some sort of consistency between your punting travels and cover stories? I mean, if I'm punting in Wigan the world will be told I'm off to play golf in Wigan. If I get pinched, break down, crash, become ill etc etc there'll be no difficult questions to answer about why was I in Wigan or where ever.

+1  always have a reason to be there. Any amount of shit could go on that can come back to bite you...

[SirFrank]

Ah fuck I misunderstood the title - I thought a WG had 'imposed' a penalty charge on you because you didn't show. I was thinking what a fucking cheek and how's she going to impose that. To be honest I was a little deflated when I read the actual thread, even though it is far more logical

[od13218]

Ah fuck I misunderstood the title - I thought a WG had 'imposed' a penalty charge on you because you didn't show. I was thinking what a fucking cheek and how's she going to impose that. To be honest I was a little deflated when I read the actual thread, even though it is far more logical

Ha ha, yes sorry it's rather dull I'm afraid. Salutary tale really- I certainly will take more care next time- or use public transport!

[Badvicar]

Surely it's a punting basic to have some sort of consistency between your punting travels and cover stories? I mean, if I'm punting in Wigan the world will be told I'm off to play golf in Wigan. If I get pinched, break down, crash, become ill etc etc there'll be no difficult questions to answer about why was I in Wigan or where ever.

How was your punt in Wigan?

[lostandfound]

Ha ha, yes sorry it's rather dull I'm afraid. Salutary tale really- I certainly will take more care next time- or use public transport!

Public transport is a good idea IMO. I would never drive in a bus lane for example unless I was perhaps in a hurry on my way to a punt with my mind on fornication when I should be concentrating on the road.

There's an art to being a punter and protecting yourself from the stupid mistakes you will make when under the influence of a punt. Reminds me of spy novels - what did Le Carre call it? "Tradecraft" I think.

[RedKettle]

tradecraft is a good term for it - personally I always ensure my cover story is ready for why I was in a particular area.

the one that worries me is if the car was stolen, you would need to be very precise about the details and my cover story would not survive that!!  However you can worry too much.

[dkn]

Yup, got a PCN in a motorway service station car park a recently visiting a hotel.  Took a little explaining...

[G.Raff]

Public transport is a good idea IMO.

Be aware that an Oyster Card carries all your travel history. Alarmingly, anyone who gets hold of it can scan it at an Oyster Card point and see the last few days use (I think a week).

My tip: Use 2 cards and keep the "clean" one as a decoy in case it gets checked by a suspicious OH. 

[DigitalFingers]

Yup, got a PCN in a motorway service station car park a recently visiting a hotel.  Took a little explaining...

I had exactly this... Now...  You 'can' dispute it because you were a hotel guest. However it would appear even though I know I entered my reg correctly in the the shitty terminal that they've put me to ransom.
Paid it to make it go away. 

[lostandfound]

Be aware that an Oyster Card carries all your travel history. Alarmingly, anyone who gets hold of it can scan it at an Oyster Card point and see the last few days use (I think a week).

My tip: Use 2 cards and keep the "clean" one as a decoy in case it gets checked by a suspicious OH. 

I've been using a contact less bank card. It just appears as a single daily charge on statement.

[G.Raff]

External Link/Members Only

[jimbm55]

Years ago I was in a sex only relationship with a married woman (her husband was an airline pilot and away a lot). She came overnight to a hotel I was staying in and won a speeding ticket on the way home at 6.00 in the morning. Her husband was the registered keeper of the car so HE got the NIP 

[od13218]

I've been using a contact less bank card. It just appears as a single daily charge on statement.

Good idea- hadn't thought of that.

[Thepacifist]

I got hit with the bus lane fine. Was driving back through Kingston and went through a 24 hour one by accident. This was after 11pm. Nothing to do with punting but it could've been. Be careful out there 

[Two tone]

Be aware that an Oyster Card carries all your travel history. Alarmingly, anyone who gets hold of it can scan it at an Oyster Card point and see the last few days use (I think a week).

My tip: Use 2 cards and keep the "clean" one as a decoy in case it gets checked by a suspicious OH. 

Thanks for this, as I use public transport all the time for my punts & didn't know it kept a record.

Thankfully I'm single but it's good to have good tradecraft, as others call it.

[Belgarion]

I always use public transport when punting and buy a ticket for the journey and dispose of it upon completion. Everything is paid for by cash.

[TeaAndCrumpets]

As it's public transport for me, I buy a paper ticket in cash to avoid anything appearing anywhere it shouldn't... as Mrs Crumpet likes to go through all of the bank statements every few months!

[_Bender_]

Once I messed up big time. On my way home from a punt I noticed a fixed speed camera flashing in my rear view, thought "shit, I'm going to get a fine" and indeed the letter did come, but to the wife! (doh... our first car is in her name but I'm registered as the main driver). For the next two weeks I had to intercept the mail from the DVLA before she saw it, forge her signature to say I was driving, intercept the returning mail,  secretly pay the fine and take the points, luckily she's non the wiser.

Learnt a valuable lesson to always be aware and carefull when driving, especially in places I have no reason being there.

[TeaAndCrumpets]

Once I messed up big time. On my way home from a punt I noticed a fixed speed camera flashing in my rear view, thought "shit, I'm going to get a fine" and indeed the letter did come, but to the wife! (doh... our first car is in her name but I'm registered as the main driver). For the next two weeks I had to intercept the mail from the DVLA before she saw it, forge her signature to say I was driving, intercept the returning mail,  secretly pay the fine and take the points, luckily she's non the wiser.

Learnt a valuable lesson to always be aware and carefull when driving, especially in places I have no reason being there.

Close one. Dread to think what would have happened if you hadn't spotted the camera. At least the paper part of the license is gone so you don't have paperwork clearly showing the unexplained points lying around if that happens again!

[superchamp]

I'm beginning to feel that my punting career has an essential ingredient missing - all of the subterfuge that some of you have to go through to enjoy a punt. I am single by the way.

[downwiththesickness]

I'm beginning to feel that my punting career has an essential ingredient missing - all of the subterfuge that some of you have to go through to enjoy a punt. I am single by the way.

Yeah, I find that. When I punt in Cardiff I just hop on the train, have my fun and then meet up with friends afterwards.

[kayak]

Once I messed up big time. On my way home from a punt I noticed a fixed speed camera flashing in my rear view, thought "shit, I'm going to get a fine" and indeed the letter did come, but to the wife! (doh... our first car is in her name but I'm registered as the main driver). For the next two weeks I had to intercept the mail from the DVLA before she saw it, forge her signature to say I was driving, intercept the returning mail,  secretly pay the fine and take the points, luckily she's non the wiser.

Learnt a valuable lesson to always be aware and carefull when driving, especially in places I have no reason being there.

Cripes! I'm stressed just reading this. Well done you.

It occurs to me that recently I took a huge risk when trying to see Hottyholly, I was driving and answering her texts, because she wouldn't answer her mobile. What would I say if I was caught doing that? I think I heard or read somewhere that if you're in an accident, the plod will confiscate your mobile, presumably to determine if you were busy texting or looking at the internet or whatever. Quite a scary thought. Imagine having it taken from you with your browser open on Adultwork. I have to confess I've done this quite a bit, driving to a punt with her Adultwork page open on my smartphone. I need to be more careful.

One other point that I would suggest is to always remember to delete evidence of your secret destinations from your car's satnav, if possible. Unfortunately my Tomtom won't let me selectively remove previous destinations, but thankfully the other half hasn't ever decided to browse my Tomtom's history anyway.

[smiths]

Cripes! I'm stressed just reading this. Well done you.

It occurs to me that recently I took a huge risk when trying to see Hottyholly, I was driving and answering her texts, because she wouldn't answer her mobile. What would I say if I was caught doing that? I think I heard or read somewhere that if you're in an accident, the plod will confiscate your mobile, presumably to determine if you were busy texting or looking at the internet or whatever. Quite a scary thought. Imagine having it taken from you with your browser open on Adultwork. I have to confess I've done this quite a bit, driving to a punt with her Adultwork page open on my smartphone. I need to be more careful.

One other point that I would suggest is to always remember to delete evidence of your secret destinations from your car's satnav, if possible. Unfortunately my Tomtom won't let me selectively remove previous destinations, but thankfully the other half hasn't ever decided to browse my Tomtom's history anyway.

What a blast from the past you are, no posts for nearly 5 years then a flourish in the last couple of days, your nick is the same as a punter on another forum that posted some good stuff a few years back, are you one and the same?

[smiths]

Just got home to find a penalty charge notice- for driving in a bus lane en route to a punt a couple of weeks ago. Luckily the Mrs is away, because in this case I had no business being there and had specifically told her I was somewhere else!
I never spotted the bus lane.
Lesson learned: if you can't account for being in your car somewhere, be trebly careful about anything you might be fined for!
Now to pay the fine and dispose of the letter...
Doug

My licence is registered at another address so anything goes their, I did get a parking ticket a few years ago, and when I was flashed by a camera in the Met area if I had got done the penalty notice would of got sent to that address, fortunately I got away with it. My partner doesn't even know about this address.

[kayak]

What a blast from the past you are, no posts for nearly 5 years then a flourish in the last couple of days, your nick is the same as a punter on another forum that posted some good stuff a few years back, are you one and the same?

Hello Smiths! Yes, I am he! I've not posted on that forum for years, but I've written one or two more field reports. Big life changes, including moving to a different part of the country distracted me from reading or posting on forums for a few years, but I've recently had some time on my hands, and the devil makes work for idle hands!
Great to see you still posting too.

[smiths]

Hello Smiths! Yes, I am he! I've not posted on that forum for years, but I've written one or two more field reports. Big life changes, including moving to a different part of the country distracted me from reading or posting on forums for a few years, but I've recently had some time on my hands, and the devil makes work for idle hands!
Great to see you still posting too.

Good to see posting on here.

[normal_guy]

Yup, got a PCN in a motorway service station car park a recently visiting a hotel.  Took a little explaining...

Possibly a tip here is to tell the OH you have been given more responsibility at work, and need to travel to meetings more....?  Should also help with varying your finish time.

[Silver Birch]

Possibly a tip here is to tell the OH you have been given more responsibility at work, and need to travel to meetings more....?  Should also help with varying your finish time.

Surely she will expect more house-keeping, not less 

[Huawei]

A few years ago I had 2 near misses in close succession - certainly taught me to be more careful...

Once I was out of my usual area, in Harrow, and having difficulty locating the WG that I had booked. There was nowhere easy to pull over, and I ended up around the back of the bus station. Definitely not possible to park, but I pulled up for a few minutes to use the phone and sort out directions - didn't even get out of the car. Bastard council had cameras that nicked you for even stopping  Ticket came through in the post - luckily my car is registered to work, so it turned up there - not great, but a lot easier to explain than if it had arrived at home! To make matters worse it was a scam punt 

Secondly, again a bit out of my patch, I parked up in Slough early evening - it was just getting dark. I street parked, checked the signs carefully and decided that I was OK. Was I buggery! The restrictions changed at 7pm, but the sign was not clear and in the dark. The bad part was that the arseholes stuck a parking ticket on my windscreen - on the passenger side. When I returned to the car, I crossed from the opposite side, and got into the drivers side without seeing it. I drove home (about an hour) and parked up - next morning I looked out of the window and thought - what the fuck is that on my windscreen! Luckily Mrs H was away, so I was able to retrieve it and deal with it. If I'd used my windscreen wipers on the way home it would probably have disappeared. I complained to the council about the position of the ticket - they said that the wardens are not allowed to go out into the road to stick them on the drivers side for health and safety reasons - FFS! How do these cunts cross the road to ticket the drivers on the other side!

Both cases I paid up to avoid any further risk of exposure, but lessons learned. I hate public car parks, but nearly always use them for punting now, and pay well over time to avoid any risk of a ticket!

[G.Raff]

An option to consider (although there are some caveats)

Join a Car Club (for example Zipcar in London) External Link/Members Only
Locate a convenient car location where you can park your own car nearby and don't have to explain too much in case it's spotted there (but this can also be a good alibi!)
Book the car for however many hours you need (BTW excellent if driving into Central London as no CC to pay)
Drive off and come back to the same location
Jump back into your own car.
Job done. 

The caveats:
When registering you'll need to provide your Driver's License and proof of address (I think this can be changed later)
You are still liable for parking/traffic fines if applicable and they will be sent to your home address (unless changed as above)
It will add about £6-£7/hour cost to your punting budget (very reasonable IMO as it includes petro and reasonable mileage)

 

[munchingmatthew]

Had two very near misses.

First was around 10 years ago. Was travelling south, supposedly to see a client on M1 whilst actually on A1 to see a regular. Stopped to refuel and managed to put unleaded into diesel motor, first and only time I have ever done it, must have been pre punt nerves. Cost company around £800 for repair but stupidly, in retrospect, I had submitted fuel bill as part of expenses claim. A few days later my secretary was checking expense claim and asked me why I had refuelled at a garage in Lincolnshire on A1 when I was supposed to be in Bedfordshire on M1. I muttered some story about hearing a traffic announcement on the radio that M1 was blocked and so drove down A1. She was clearly not convinced but I got away with it.

Second time was early last year in my home town. Envelope drops through letterbox with fixed penalty for driving in bus lane. Problem was the picture clearly showed a male and female figure in the car. I had given her a lift after the meet. Luckily, my OH was out shopping so never saw the photo. I was furious about the penalty but in the circumstances paid up quietly and quickly!