On friday I parked outside Leasowe train station (normally use the car park but the barriers were coming down and I didn't want to be late for a meeting in Liverpool. When I got back I found a fixed penalty ticket for unnecessary obstruction (view restricted) on my windscreen. I was on the road (no signs or road marking telling you not to park there) and I really can't see what view I was obstructing. It's the part of Reeds Lane immediately by the Liverpool bound train platform and there were about three cars ahead of me before the barrier who also got tickets.
Can anyone shed any light on what I did wrong? I'm tempted to go to court and appeal the fine as I've just been medically retired from work and can't afford to waste £30 but don't want to get a bigger fine in court if I'm in the wrong?
Any advice appreciated.

Is there a continuous white line in the centre of the road where you parked, perhaps 2 or one with one line broken, if yes, I think that's how they have got you. Pay your fine or it could increase. Work out cheaper in the end, if you are in the wrong. Good luck.

Just checked the white lines on Street View and there are lines either side of the level crossing. Depends where you were parked in relation to them. It must have been tried before by the wardens. So you mightn't have a leg to stand on. I have, in the past, especially if I was going to be home very late in the winter months, left my car on Reeds Lane, a good three hundred yards up from the Merseyrail car park. But only because there was a spate of thefts from cars etc in the car park at the time.

If there are double white lines in the centre of the road,broken or otherwise,parking is not permitted.Sorry.

I have just come through the Leasowe level crossing and as I understand it you approached from Leasowe Castle end.If you then parked between the bus stop and the crossing there is a solid white line on your side of the road.That means anybody passing you has to cross the solid white line which means they are being forced to break the law.That must be what they did you for and I can't see any hope of you winning an appeal, sorry.

Firstly, it is permitted in the highway code to cross the solid white lines to pass a slow or stationary vehicle, so really , you weren't obstructing anybody, and if you weren't parked on yellow lines, I would email an appeal off including photos etc. You then don't have to pay until they respond and if it's rejected, you then get another 14 days to pay the reduced fine.

All this is assuming its a council ticket. If it's a police ticket, then just pay it as they wouldn't have put it there if its not correct. Council wardens just issue tickets in the hope they get away with it, they have tried to mug me off loads of times but ive won many appeals.

it costs nothing to appeal, always worth a shot

If you read the rules on where you can park there are at least 2 reasons why they could claim you were parked incorrectly in this case. At or near a bus stop: on the approach to a level crossing.

go to the police station and ask them also might be worth taking pics as to where you were actually parked up

Solid Center lines mean "No Crossing the line" nothing about parking. Normally these line co inside with Solid white lines along the side of the road. Which mean no Stopping or parking on the carriage way.

I was looking if there was a reference to parking distance from the crossing like a zebra crossing. But i'm not seeing one.

If you were parked where these 3 cars were i can not see the problem, as the line in the center of the road is broken on there side which means as a motorist you can cross (no problem) how ever if you were on the other side then it "could" be a problem as the line is solid in the center of the road and if there was not enough space then cars may have to cross that line. But i don't see that being your problem as they should have "No Parking" Solid white lines down the side next to the pavement, as long as that center line is. But food for thought is that if there were white lines at the sides that would mean no stopping or parking on the carriageway.

Ref : Level Crossings http://www.ukmotorists.com/highway%20code.asp?s=Railway%20level%20crossings

Ref : White Lines http://www.ukmotorists.com/highway%20code.asp?s=Lines%20and%20lane%20markings%20in%20the%20road#900

108. Double white lines where the line nearest you is solid. This means you MUST NOT cross or straddle it unless it is safe and you need to enter adjoining premises or a side road. You may cross the line if necessary to pass a stationary vehicle, or overtake a pedal cycle, horse or road maintenance vehicle, if they are travelling at 10mph or less.

I think the wardens are getting you on a unknown ?
No signs or warnings.

Personally i think you have good grounds for an appeal if your parked where the cars are in the picture, as i can not find any reference to distance from the crossing (But may exist).


Another Source of info : http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelA...rl_mon&CRE=highwaycode_levelcrossing

But no Reference to Distance from the crossing.
I think your going to have to look at the lamp posts for any local no parking laws that may apply.

There are no "Keep carriage way clear markings (Solid white line near the kerbs) so you dont need to worry.

Hope that helps.

Hi Uffda,before you consider appealing,why not pop into your local police station and see if they advise you on your predicament?

Thanks for all your advice guys.

Off topic slightly , so i apologise , but i went to Monks Ferry yesterday to watch the swimmers doing the Mersey Tri and i was disgusted that 2 wardens there ticketing away...

I suspect the Highway Code section that applies may be this one:

http://www.ukmotorists.com/highway%20code.asp?s=Waiting and parking#900
Which says:

217. DO NOT park your vehicle or trailer on the road where it would endanger, inconvenience or obstruct pedestrians or other road users. For example, do not stop

• near a school entrance
• anywhere you would prevent access for Emergency Services
• at or near a bus stop or taxi rank
• on the approach to a level crossing
• opposite or within 10 metres (32 feet) of a junction, except in an authorised parking space
• near the brow of a hill or hump bridge
• opposite a traffic island or (if this would cause an obstruction) another parked vehicle
• where you would force other traffic to enter a tram lane
• where the kerb has been lowered to help wheelchair users
• in front of an entrance to a property
• on a bend.

Good Catch.

How ever my view would bring into question that the kerb on the right side actually is increased. Meaning that there is no obstruction after about 5-10ft from the crossing.

Cars are not obstructed nor are they hindered. Because of the increase on the right side of the road and with a car parked its no narrower than the left side of the road.

Normally in these situations there are white carriage way lines along the kerb / road meaning keep clear. And looking at the picture again, it cant be obstruction as the white line is broken on the side of the parked cars.

I smell Jobs Worth.

It would NOT endanger, inconvenience or obstruct pedestrians or other road users. In my opinion from what i can see.

The word approach is used but this parking is AFTER the crossing

We can be picky too

These wardens tend to be people of low intelligence & are one step up the ladder from street sweepers - or is it one step down the ladder ?
While it is pretty obvious to normal people that the cars parked after the crossing are not causing any obstruction, these cretins, who probably don't drive a car,aren't capable of thinking for themselves & try to apply the law as their small brains see it.
Get an appeal in right away.

Bob.

From what Uffda says it seems to me that he was coming from Leasowe castle end of Reeds Lane.He says it was immediatly by the Liverpool bound platform and the barriers were coming down.This means he was on the approach to the crossing unless the description is incorrect.

Humm

The Liverpool bound platform is on the Right Side looking at the picture.



There is parking (park and Ride over the crossing on the left), which i'm reading into being the worry for the barriers being down.



Humm i missed this bit the bit that say's what the ticket is for.
I found a fixed penalty ticket for unnecessary obstruction (view restricted)

How can a car be an obstruction parked on the right in the layby (cut in) there is as much road on either side with cars on the right. I guess a job's worth trying it on.

Ive had a ticket in the past not there but it makes my blood boil when the distress of an appeal and costs that can be incurred just because of lack of training with a warden.

Imo its not justified and i would go for the appeal and if i won put a big sign up telling any other motorists to appeal as you can win.

Good luck with this one.

After Thought : unnecessary obstruction (view restricted)
Ive walked that crossing, drove over that crossing and cycled over that crossing. And Ive never had my view restricted of the road ahead by any of the cars parked on that side of the road.

All this hot air i'm blowing and were going to find out the car was parked on the left side lol

That is what I am saying, the car was parked on the left as you look at that picture.There is a bus stop in the "layby" and I am assuming the car was parked between this and the level crossing.There is a solid white line on that side of the road so cars overtaking the parked cars have to cross over the solid line.The ticketer has made out there is insufficient view for overtaking drivers and/or those coming from the crossing.No doubt a very harsh ticket but I can't see an appeal being allowed.

In the pictures, all the cars are parked illegally.
In the latest re-print (2011) of the Highway Code, rule 240 states "You MUST NOT stop or park on...
A road marked with double white lines, even when a broken white line is on your side of the road, except to pick up or set down passengers, or to load or unload goods"

Mark: a solid white line along the side of the road is not a parking prohibition; it simply marks the edge of the carriageway. It's not used where there is a kerb but is usually seen on country roads. It indicates that any area beyond it may not be properly maintained.
Parking restrictions use yellow lines.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelA...;PLA=url_mon&CRE=highwaycode_parking

How can i be treating by the police that if i do not move my car from outside my front door they will do me for obscrution.
When my car is park close to the kerb,there no lines and ive got a driveway being built.I told them they should knock on the door oppsite my house cause it there car that was causing the problem,there guest car was half on pavement half on road.They where not intrested.. am getting fed up with having to move my car when traffic can not get pass....

Please do tell which side you were on because if you were on left hand side coming from Moreton (contary to where Salmon assumes) you would have good grounds for appeal on fairness.Cars have always parked there and there is no possible obstruction.
Off subject I attend Evening Charity concerts at Heswall Hall. The only people using the car park at the time are people supporting the particular charity normally a cancer charity.
The council have a man on a little motor scooter patrolling the car park obviously on overtime rates and if a car is a centimetre over a line they get a ticket. This includes events that the mayor is present.

Thanks for all your advice guys, sorry to the late reply but I didn't think anyone was still paying attention to this thread. I was parked pretty much where the silver car is on Mark's photo. I thought that it was a safe place to park as the road widens at this point. I cycle down here regularly and have never found cars parked here as dangerous or an obstruction.
I'm still undecided whether to appeal or not. I also thought that as the white line is not solid on the side of the road that I was parked then any passing car could overtake if necessary, although as it's so wide this isn't really relevant.
Vicky

Well if you did park there then, as Rossie says you could have cause to appeal as there are always cars parked there, always have been.I am still confused as to which direction you were coming from. You say you live in Leasowe and the barriers were coming down so I can only think that you parked facing traffic,i.e. you came from Castle end,saw the barriers were coming down so pulled accross the road and parked facing the wrong direction. I know that is an offence at night that is rarely enforced but it is not an offence during daytime.Sounds like the ticketer had a target to meet.

I know I'm late to the party, but it's possible that the ticket was issued for an obstruction of the view to people pulling out of Rossall Court. Google maps shows this view (just imagine sitting lower). As it's an unnecessary obstruction ticket it could have been issued by the police or council.

Depending on how close you were to the junction would depend on how bad the view to the right would be for a driver pulling out from this road.

[img]http://goo.gl/maps/1q2Sz[/img]

Good point,but if that's the case I would draw attention to the same situation on the corner of Danger lane and Hoylake road (you need to be half way out to see past the cars parked on the right hand side) and also the cars parked in front of the garage opposite Orchard road. which have I believe been the cause of a few accidents (I believe these cars are parked there deliberately to slow cars down when leaving the garage, to enable photos to be taken in case they drive off without paying)
I think you'll find quite a few situations now where parking too close to a junction are overlooked until it suits them.

As far as the cars at the garage, before the election I remember a councilor stating that this had been sorted out and yellow lines would be installed,(how long does it take to apply for and have yellow lines installed????)I did notice however, on the day of the election not one car was parked there.