Accuracy of Parking Ticket Machine Clocks

Mr. Figg made this Freedom of Information request to Isle of Wight Council

The request was partially successful.

From: Mr. Figg

17 August 2010

Dear Isle of Wight Council,

I wish to request the following information under the Freedom Of
Information Act:

The number of parking fines that have been issued due to vehicles
displaying expired parking tickets which were purchased from the
machines in the pay and display parking areas of: the Esplanade,
North walk and Canoe Lake Road/Bird Cage Walk area of Ryde, since
the recent installation of new ticket machines here. Together with
a statement of the date that the new machines came into operation.

Also the number of those fines that have been contested/appealed,
or whatever term you use for such circumstances of dissatisfaction
resulting from the issuing of fines, also the number of complaints
received regarding these fines. Along with an indication of, the
grounds of and the outcome of, those appeals and complaints.

I would also like all details and records of any problems the
council are aware of concerning the accuracy of the time given by
the clocks of these ticket machines, in relation to the actual
official time, including, but not limited to, the displayed current
time and the accuracy of the time printed on the tickets when
printed/purchased.

Yours faithfully,

Mr. Figg

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From: Jolliff, Gill
Isle of Wight Council

17 August 2010

Thank you for your information request dated 17 August 2010 which is
currently being considered.

As required by law, the Council will respond to you as soon as possible
and no later than 20 working days after the receipt of your request.

Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, the council is able to charge a
fee where the cost for responding is above the Appropriate Fee Limit as
set out in the Freedom of Information and Data Protection (Appropriate
Limit and Fees) Regulation 2004.  The fee limit is set down by the Lord
Chancellor and is £450 which equates to a maximum of 18 hours of search
and retrieval time. 

Should your request fall into this category, we will notify you as soon as
possible, to discuss any options available to you.

The Council may also charge you the cost of disbursements, such as
photocopying and postage.  Should such costs be incurred in providing you
with the information you have requested, you will be notified of any
charges as soon as is reasonably practicable.

If you have any complaints in respect of your information request, please
write to the Corporate Information Unit at the above address, or complete
the on-line appeals form that can be found at
www.iwight.com/information.  If your complaint is not resolved to your
complete satisfaction, you have the ultimate right, once you have
exhausted the internal appeals process, to appeal to the Information
Commissioner.

Regards

Mrs Gill Jolliff | Business Support Manager| Highways and Transport
|Enterprise House | Monks Brook |  Newport |

Isle of Wight |  PO30 5WB

Tel: (01983) 823777 | Internal: 5723

Email: [1][email address] | Web: [2]www.iwight.com

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Mr. Figg left an annotation (17 August 2010)

The wightdogs,com website is linking to this request http://www.wightdogs.com/apps/forums/top... as we have been contacted by a family who brought their dog to the Island with them whilst on holiday.

They contacted us in order to express the impression of the Island that they had been left with in that they didn't feel welcome bringing a dog here. However they also happened to mention that they had purchased a parking ticket from a machine alongside the canoe lake in Ryde, and the time printed on it was significantly different from the actual time.

The wightdogs,com website welcomes all dog owners as members whether Island residents or visitors.

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From: Jolliff, Gill
Isle of Wight Council

6 September 2010

Thank you for your information request dated 17 August 2010.

Please find below the information you have requested.

The machines at Ryde Esplanade, Canoe Lake and North Walk were installed
on 16/17 June 2010 with all being fully operational from 18 June.

Since the 18 June to 5 September:-

o 44 Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) have been issued at these locations
for contravention 05 - parked after the expiry of paid for time.
o We have received 6 challenges/representations in relation to these
PCNs.
o We have not received any official complaints regarding these PCNs.
o 4 PCN's remain under review.
o 2 PCN's have been rejected.
o The grounds for these two were that a valid ticket was sent in and
rejected as it was not on display within the vehicle.

We were aware of one issue regarding the accuracy of ticket machines
island wide which was caused by an error on the server time and was
corrected during the day. No PCNs were issued until this matter had been
rectified.

Our Civil Enforcement Officers check machines whilst on their routes.
Also, members of the public can use the helpline number on our tariff
boards should they wish to report any issues concerning our machines.

Please contact me again if you require any further assistance on this
matter and I will do my best to provide relevant help and advice.

Most of the information that we provide in response to Freedom of
Information Act 2000 requests will be subject to copyright protection. In
most cases the copyright will be owned by the Isle of Wight Council. The
copyright in other information may be owned by another person or
organisation, as indicated on the information itself.

You are free to use any information supplied for your own non-commercial,
research, or private study purposes. The information may also be used for
any other purpose allowed by a limitation, or exception, in copyright law,
such as news reporting. However, any other type of re-use, for example by
publishing the information in analogue or digital form, including on the
internet, will require the permission of the copyright owner.

For information where the copyright is owned by the Council, details of
the conditions on re-use can be found on our website at
[1]www.iwight.com/foi.

For information where the copyright is owned by another person or
organisation you must apply to the copyright owner to obtain their
permission.

If you have any complaints in respect of your information request, please
write to the Corporate Information Unit at the above address, or complete
the on-line appeals form that can be found at www.iwight.com/information.
If your complaint is not resolved to your complete satisfaction, you have
the ultimate right, once you have exhausted the internal appeals process,
to appeal to the Information Commissioner.

Mrs Gill Jolliff | Business Support Manager| Highways and Transport
|Enterprise House | Monks Brook | Newport |

Isle of Wight | PO30 5WB

Tel: (01983) 823777 | Internal: 5723

Email: [2][email address] | Web: [3]www.iwight.com

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From: Mr. Figg

7 September 2010

Dear Jolliff, Gill,

In your reply you have stated:

"We were aware of one issue regarding the accuracy of ticket
machines island wide which was caused by an error on the server
time and was corrected during the day. No PCNs were issued until
this matter had been
rectified."

However my request included:

"I would also like all details and records of any problems the
council are aware of concerning the accuracy of the time given by
the clocks of these ticket machines, in relation to the actual
official time, including, but not limited to, the displayed current
time and the accuracy of the time printed on the tickets when
printed/purchased."

You have not complied with this request as your reply is vague and
ambiguous, therefore would you please supply all the details and
records of the single issue you refer to.
ie the number of machines affected; the location of the machines;
the dates and duration of the problem; how often it recurred; the
date it was rectified etc. etc.

Yours sincerely,

Mr. Figg

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From: Jolliff, Gill
Isle of Wight Council

8 September 2010

Mr Figg

Thank you for your e-mail and I have re-opened your Freedom of Information request. I will be revisiting this point with Parking Services and will respond to you by the 18 September.

Regards

Mrs Gill Jolliff | Business Support Manager| Highways and Transport |Enterprise House | Monks Brook | Newport |
Isle of Wight | PO30 5WB
Tel: (01983) 823777 | Internal: 5723
Email: [email address] | Web: www.iwight.com

show quoted sections

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From: Birks, Sarah
Isle of Wight Council

17 September 2010

Dear Mr Figg

Thank you for your e-mail addressed to Gill Jolliff, regarding your
Freedom of Information request.

I have spoken to the relevant department and can now provide the following
information.

Date of Issue: Saturday 3^rd July 2010

Problem: The server time was wrong by
one hour, so incorrectly updated the machines

No. of machines affected: Every machine operated/managed by the
Council, except for Mornington Road, Cowes.

Location: See above

Duration: The Council were aware prior
to 9am, all machines times were rectified by noon.

How often: This was the first and only
occasion of this problem

Date rectified: See above

If you have any complaints in respect of your information request, please
write to the Corporate Information Unit at County Hall, High Street,
Newport, Isle of Wight or complete the on-line appeals form that can be
found at [1]www.iwight.com/information. If your complaint is not resolved
to your complete satisfaction, you have the ultimate right, once you have
exhausted the internal appeals process, to appeal to the Information
Commission.

Yours sincerely

Sarah Birks | Operational Support Secretary

Highways & Transport| Enterprise House | St Cross Business Park | Monks
Brook | Newport

Isle of Wight | PO30 5WB

Tel. (01983) 823777 | Internal Extension: 5750 | Facsimile: (01983) 823545

E-mail: [2][email address]

As part of our commitment to Eco Island please don't print unless
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References

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http://www.iwight.com/information
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Mr. Figg left an annotation ( 8 November 2010)

Every machine operated/managed by the Council, except for Mornington Road Cowes, were displaying the incorrect time
The advice of the wightdogs.com website to resident and visiting dog owners is always be vigilant in closely examining the time displayed by the ticket machines and on the purchased ticket as the council are fully aware of this fault, and so are we now.

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Things to do with this request

Anyone:
Isle of Wight Council only: