| Comment | You're allowed a few minutes to go to the machine and get a ticket, but you're not allowed to wander off to a shop to get change or anything like that. The moment you've disappeared off and left your car unattended, you're fair game for a ticket as far as the law is concerned.
General rule of thumb when they see a car parked without payment is they'll have a look around, see if there's anyone standing at the machines or walking down the street. If there is, they'll wait a minute. If not, they'll issue a ticket.
Grace periods only apply if your car is legally parked to begin with - e.g. you've got a pay and display ticket but your time has run out, or you're parked on a single yellow line outside the restricted time, then the restriction kicks in. You're allowed a couple of minutes grace period there. It doesn't apply if the car wasn't legally parked to begin with.
Your chances of a successful appeal are fairly slim on this one. Glasgow don't back down unless you get them over a barrel, which I've managed to do in the past but it's not easy. This might be one where it's worth paying the £30 before it goes up to £60. |
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