Frequently Asked Questions
If I don’t live in the zones but work in Scarborough
where can I park my car? You can use a disc clock to
park in the zones for a limited period of time (as indicated by the
time plate at the bay). Alternatively you can park your vehicle in
an off street pay and display car park.
Where can I get a time
clock? Time clocks are available from shops, hotels
and businesses throughout the town, the Tourist Information Centre
and the Town Hall.
Can I park
in the Town Centre with a time clock? No, time clocks
are not valid in the town centre. You must pay and display at the
meter.
Can I
park in a Residents Only area with a time clock? No.
Resident’s only areas are for vehicles displaying a
valid Residents Parking Permit or Residents Scratch Cards
Only.
I
live in a disc zone area and have visitors coming to stay. How do
they park? You can apply for resident’s visitor one
day scratch cards which your visitors can then display within their
vehicle.
I have
visitors coming to stay for four days, can they display more than
one scratch card in their car at a time, so they don’t have to go
to the car every day? Yes. Sufficient scratch
cards can be displayed to cover the length of their stay. The
scratch cards must be completed correctly, with all sections filled
in. The scratch cards must be clearly visible and not obscuring one
another. There must be one scratch card per day visible.
How much
is an annual Residents Parking Permit? £17.00 for the
first permit, £27.00 for the second permit and £44.00 for the third
and any subsequent permits.
Am I
allowed to apply for a permit for all the cars I own?
Yes. Please note that the price of the permit does vary depending
on how many cars at the household already have a permit.
My address
in Scarborough is my holiday home.Can I still apply for a Residents
Parking Permit? Yes. The Council require proof that
your vehicle is registered in your name (e.g. DVLA V5 Document) and
proof that your Scarborough address is your second home (e.g.
Council Tax Bill showing the second home deduction).
Can I
call in to collect my Residents Parking Permit? Yes.
Residents Parking Permits are issued by Customer First and can be
issued while you wait, providing all the correct proofs are
provided.
I have bought a new car and
need an amendment making to my residents permit, what do I need to
do? The permit would need to be returned to the
Council with proof of your new vehicle. The proof would need to
show that the new vehicle is held at your address (e.g. Insurance
Document). If you do not have your permit to return to the Council
you may incur an additional cost. While the amendment is being made
scratch cards need to be used within the vehicle to ensure it is
parked legally and prevent any Penalty Charge Notices from being
issued.
How many free
scratch cards am I allowed? None. There are no free
scratch cards available. Residents scratch cards cost 10p each and
a maximum of 50 can be issued per household per year.
I run a business
within a disc zone area, am I allowed scratch cards to
park? No. Scratch cards are only available for
residents. Businesses can apply for a business permit to park.
I run a business within a disc zone area, can I
apply for business permits for my staff? No. The
business permit aims to make parking easier for rate-paying
business owners who require a vehicle for operational reasons. It
is not meant to provide inexpensive parking for employees
I have a
contractor coming to carry out work. How do they
park? A Tradesman can apply for an annual Tradesman’s
permit to allow them to park in the two and three hour disc zones.
Alternatively they can purchase a Daily Tradesman’s Permit prior to
carrying out the work. If they do not have a Tradesman’s Permit
they would be able to park with a resident’s visitor scratch card,
which you would be able to provide as a resident at that
address.
Where can I park
with a Tradesman’s Permit? In any of the 2 or 3 hour
disc zones only, for the purpose of carrying out work. A
Tradesman’s Permit is not valid in any of the one hour disc zones
or Town Centre areas.
Where can I
park with a Special Carers Permit? In any of the 2 or
3 hour disc zones only, for the purposes of visiting clients for
work. A Special Carers Permit is not valid in any of the one hour
disc zones or Town Centre areas.
Can
I apply for a Residents Permit if the vehicle is registered at a
different address? Yes. If you are a resident in a
disc zone in Scarborough, but your vehicle is registered at another
address (e.g. a Student living away from home, but the car is still
registered there). You would have to provide adequate proof that
although the vehicle is registered at one address it is being kept
over night at the residence within the disc zone, which you are
living in and require the permit for. This can be in the form of an
insurance certificate, which shows that the vehicle is held over
night at a different address to the one it is registered to. You
would also need to provide proof that you are a resident within the
Scarborough address.
I no longer
need my Residents Parking Permit, can it be
surrendered? Yes. Once a permit is no longer
required, whether the vehicle has been sold or scrapped, the permit
must be returned to the Council. If an amendment needs to be made,
if a new vehicle has been bought, the Council require the old
permit back to make the amendment. Should you not return your
permit, you could incur a charge. Should the permit need to be
cancelled, e.g. due to a change of address, the permit should be
returned and then a refund of any full remaining months can be
authorised.
Do
I need a Residents Parking Permit if I ride a
Motorcycle? No. Motorcyclists are entitled to free
and unlimited parking in all shared permit/ pay and display bays.
Motorcyclists are not able to park in loading bays, disabled bays,
on double yellow lines, taxi ranks, bus stops or resident’s only
streets.
I have received
a Penalty Charge Notice, what do I do? You can either
pay the PCN or alternatively appeal against it. If you wish to
appeal, this must be done in writing in the form of a letter or an
email. A written response to your appeal will be given when a
decision has been made.
Can I sort my Penalty
Charge Notice out over the phone? No. You must write
to the Council if you wish to appeal against a ticket. This is for
audit purposes. You can ring Parking Services to discuss the
Penalty Charge Notice, however any appeal must be made in
writing.
If I appeal
against my Penalty Charge Notice will the price increase if it goes
over the 14 days before I receive a reply? No. Once
correspondence is received in the Parking Services Office the case
is placed on hold while it is being assessed.
How do I pay my
Penalty Charge Notice? This can be done via the 24
hour automated telephone service by ringing 08000 830 493, online
at www.scarborough.gov.uk/pcn,
in person at our Customer First Centre, or via post using a cheque
or postal order (please no not send cash in the post).
I have received a
Notice to Owner, but didn’t receive the original ticket, what do I
do? You can either contact the parking services
office by phone to discuss the case, where further advice on how to
proceed will be given or alternatively appeal on page four of the
Notice to Owner making a note that you did not receive the original
ticket. The regulations require that the ticket is attached to the
vehicle or handed to the driver. The Civil Enforcement Officer will
make a note of how the PCN was served. However the Council can not
be held responsible for a parking ticket after it has been
correctly served on a vehicle and the Civil Enforcement Officer has
left the area.
I have
appealed against my Penalty Charge Notice and I’m not happy with
the decision which has been made. What can I do next?
If the appeal is an informal appeal (before a Notice to Owner is
issued), then you can contact the Council again and another Officer
will look into your appeal against the decision made. Alternatively
you can wait for your Notice to Owner to be issued to make a formal
appeal. If a Notice to Owner has been issued and you remain unhappy
with the Council’s decision to your formal appeal, you can appeal
the matter further to the Independent Parking Adjudicator.
I have received a Notice to
Owner, however I had sold the car before the Penalty Charge Notice
was issued.What do I do? If you have sold the vehicle
appeal on page four of the Notice to Owner providing the name and
address of who you sold the vehicle to and the date the vehicle was
sold. Also provide any paperwork you can regarding the sale of the
vehicle. When the Council receive this information they will
respond and let you know whether your representations have been
accepted.
My car has broken down and
I’ve had to park it illegally, what should I do? If
your vehicle has broken down and is consequently parked illegally,
you must contact the Council. The Council will take the details of
the vehicle and give 24 hours discretion to allow the vehicle to be
towed away. Simply putting a note on the vehicle is not adequate,
as many motorists park illegally and try to avoid a PCN this way,
therefore direct contact must be made with Parking Services.
I had a note inside my car
to tell the Civil Enforcement Officer that I was applying for a
permit and I still received a Penalty Charge Notice. Did
he/she not see it? It is not adequate to just put a
note on the vehicle stating that a permit has been applied for.
There are a number of motorists who deliberately park illegally and
leave notes on their cars, hoping to avoid a Penalty Charge Notice.
If Civil Enforcement Officers were not to issue tickets whenever a
note if left on a vehicle, there would be widespread abuse and the
regulations would soon fall into disrepute. While you are awaiting
a residents parking permit being issued, scratch cards should be
displayed within the vehicle.
I have received a Penalty Charge Notice while my
vehicle was parked on double yellow lines, however the lines are
broken. Doesn’t this make them unenforceable? Not
necessarily. As part of their duties Civil Enforcement Officers are
expected to report any faulty lines, so they are able to be
repaired. The issue of broken yellow lines has come before the
Adjudicators in the past. I would refer you specifically to 2 cases
reported in the Adjudicators Annual Report 2004. Under the heading
Condition of Signage and Road Markings the adjudicators have given
their rulings. I would refer you to case BO355. In this case the
adjudicator refers to diagram 1018.1 of the Traffic Signs
Regulations and General Directions and states “in my opinion, it is
not the law that these lines must be in a perfect condition all of
the time. It is a question of fact and degree and Councils cannot
be expected to repaint them at regular intervals or on every
occasion when repairs to the road surface may have created minor
diversions. What is important in my opinion is whether or not the
state and quality of the lines at any one time make it clear to
motorists that there are in fact double yellow lines there.” The
adjudicator goes on to say that lines are still enforceable if it
is clear to the motorists that “…they are and remain double yellow
lines. In addition in case OX828 the adjudicator found that
although double yellow lines in this case were worn, they were
nonetheless adequate to inform the motorist of the restriction. If
you feel that there is an issue with the double yellow lines on
which you were issued a Penalty Charge Notice, if you appeal
against the ticket the Council can investigate the matter
further.
I have a blue disabled
badge, where can I park in Scarborough, Filey or
Whitby? Disabled badge holders are able to park
without time limit in any on street pay and display areas, and disc
zone areas. When parking within a disabled bay please take note of
the time limit in place, as specified on the sign, and set your
clock accordingly. Disabled badge holders can also park on double
yellow lines for a maximum of three hours, with their disabled
badge and clock on display, as specified by the Blue Badge
Handbook. For further details please see your copy of the Blue
Badge Handbook which will have been issued to you at the time of
receiving your badge. Disabled badge holders are not exempt from
parking charges on any of the Council’s off street car parks.
Can I pay by
instalments? No. We cannot accept payment of a single
Penalty Charge Notice by instalments. However if you are having
problems paying your Penalty Charge Notice please contact the
Parking Services office to see what provisions can be put in place
to make payment more manageable.