Family left stranded and £140 out of pocket as their car is towed away

“I also suspect the Savoy will survive.
I imagine most cinema goers don't drive there, and for those that do you just need to think outside the box and park in the side streets nearby.”

“How could they be stranded? I don't get that.

There are bus stops right outside Savoy going in and out of town.”

“Thanks everyone for your support. The photograph in the paper was one I took at the time of the incident to show the lack of adequate signage and also the lack of road markings where the cars have been parked.
It's also very mis-leading to have signs that say 'No Loading' anyway - why not just say 'No Parking'? I also don't carry around a copy of the Highway code and I wasn't taking a 'risk' I was at the cinema as it is cheaper then the big multiplexes and also I love it, I would not take a chance on getting a fine and I certainly would not risk getting my car removed when I am with my children. The signs are very unclear - just by the sheer volume of people who have been ticketed shows that (my friend who is a police officer actually had to check!). The Cinema were not consulted with over the change in parking and didn't even know - they have now placed their own signs up to warn motorists that they are in danger of being towed and they are also letting their customers know.
Also, fair enough if we didn't understand the poor signage properly - but why take the cars? Why not just a ticket? A £70 fine would have still been a bitter pill to swallow but certainly an improvement on the £140 we had to fork out to get the car back as well as the inconvenience of getting to the pound with small children in tow. There was no obstruction, we were not causing a problem - the council were responsible for leaving several families with small children (including one family with a disabled child) in the middle of Lenton with no way of getting home and indeed no way of even knowing where our cars were.
When we asked why the cars had been towed we were told 'They were at risk of damage from the nearby demolition site' what on a Saturday afternoon when they are not working?
There was absolutely no need to take such a heavy handed approach, there is also no need to have a 24 hour 'no loading' restriction when the demolition site don't work 24 hours. If they really have to impose these restrictions why not make it just Mon - Fri daytime hours and lift them at the weekend and evenings when people are most likely to be going to the cinema.
Anyway rant over - myself and the other people affected on Saturday are pursuing this, I also feel very sorry for the cinema as this is going to have a very negative effect on people visiting them especially from out of town.”

“"but there's no common sense applied."

Surely, the worst thing would be for traffic wardens to apply "common sense." For one thing, no-one would agree what common sense meant in this case. Are you OK 5 minutes before the restriction expires? 10 minutes? 15? half an hour? If you make a rule about how much leeway to give, then you are back where you started, except it relies on everyone knowing what the unwritten rule is rather than a rule that is explicitly stated.

And suppose your view of "common sense" disagreed with the traffic warden's? Then there would be an argument that could easily escalate into something worse.

And traffic wardens are in no position to know all the reasons behind any particular set of restrictions, so how can they possibly apply "common sense" when they are not even slightly qualified to make such judgements.

Finally, giving traffic wardens such discretion would be an invitation to corruption: slip them a tenner, and they'll put it all down to "common sense," and not issue the ticket.”

“I`m not saying there isnt a need for these people but they really dont help themselves a few weeks ago some colleagues at work parked in the Meadows around 5AM at 10.50 AM they came and put a parking restrictoin sign up the wardens then turned up and ticketed the cars all were quashed on appeal i presume if common sense had been used ie leavig a sticker on the car telling them not to park here in future a lot of needless paperwork would have been saved but i presume the above cars would all go towards there daily quota also the restricion end at 8 PM at night i have seen the wardens coming around at 7.55 PM yes legally the restrictions are still valid at this time but it does seem a bit like theives in the night tactics”

“Parking enforcement officers are genetically related to members of the Gestapo. They would have thrived in nazi germany. I've had a ticket for being 10 mins over in a bay on WolfPack lane, on a Monday evening at 7.55, 5 mins before the restriction ends and there were no other cars around. I paid the fine without complaint as legally it is correct but there's no common sense applied, it was purely to raise money. The smarmy warden smiled and said nothing as I walked back to my car.

I've also got a case going through where a warden has fabricated evidence to apply a ticket which I am taking to court as I want that officer sacked. This is because some months earlier he just avoided giving me a ticket as I got my car with two mins to spare, so I stuck two fingers up at him. I've heard this officer on Mapperley top is like a mini hitler. If we are looking for cutbacks to save money, he should be first out on his ear.

I struggle to think of more hated 'jobs' in the world than traffic wardens and SS officers from nazi germany. I hope their friends and families are proud of them. If they have any.”

“the council are just out to make money off the motorist or anyone else for that matter , but hackney makes a valid point , it's illegal to park on the sidewalk.”

“"The message to motorists and families is clear... stay away from Nottingham, we don't want your business..."

And yet, strangely, the rest of us manage to drive into Nottingham on a regular basis, park legally, and shop quite happily. Perhaps the message is only there if you have already decided what it is.”

“If the council have printed notices and just taped them up then they don't comply with the legislation, there has been a lot in the media about signage in London boroughs recently about signage which is not compliant, and over 350,000 notices have been unlawfully issued.

If the victims have pictures taken at the time of the incident then they will be reimbursed and compensated as the council haven't a leg to stand on, and will compensate rather than face a potentially lengthy court hearing which will be much more expensive.

The moral of the story is simple, if you are clamped then take as many pictures as possible, if it turns out it is unlawful then you have the evidence to pursue it further.”

“The message to motorists and families is clear... stay away from Nottingham, we don't want your business...

Thank god for Meadowhall, Mcarthy Glen Outlet, Showcase Cinema and Amazon!”