Parking Fine query - for the brains trust

[brad]

They don't give a fig about your circumstances.

One of the first jobs I ever did was reinforcing the loading bay floors on one of the old wool stores in Haymarket / Ultimo. There was nowhere for the boss to park the truck. He just parked illegally in the No Standing zone out front every day and copped a fine that was added into the cost of the job.

You probably couldn't do that now

[The_Hawk]

What's your time worth? Loosing a day screwing about in court is a PITA but for avoiding $500 in fines it might not be worth it, a sad sad place to be

You could contest them all, take along the evidence (photos) of the other sign posts in the immediate area showing that you could park that close to the corner and argue that you simply didn't notice it was any different (Bonus points if there is any indication that there was a sign that's been taken down/knocked down on that particular corner. While ignorance is not a defence, given it's the truth it's worth a shot at throwing yourself on the mercy of the court (you are essentially saying you are guilty of the offence but with mitigating circumstances).

If nothing else I would contest the subsequent fines for exactly the reasons you've given. Had you of known you would have changed your behaviour and since you have been informed you have taken corrective action. I recall a while back reading about some guy who challenged a series of fines for driving through a bus lane. He copped a whole bunch for driving from one end to the other (in one trip) but the court accepted that he should only be fined once. Your situation is a little different, but the same general principle applies.

Be polite to the judge (since they usually have the option to increase the fine or apply the maximum penalty) and hope for the best.

Let us know how it goes if you choose to fight it.

[gordy]

I've been in this same situation. It's a waste of time, you're better off just paying it and be done with it. If its any consolation your fine was less than mine.