Code 07 - Parked with additional payment made to extend the stay beyond expiry of the time initially purchased (meter feeding)

I have started a campaign over at iCan (BBC) to have the absurd offence of Meter Reading removed from the by-laws of London.

Did you know that in London’s parking bays

You must pay for the full time you expect to stay as you are not allowed to return to your vehicle and buy further time in the same parking place. This offence (contravention) is known as `meter-feeding’.

Most people only find out about this money-for-jam law when they are fined £50 for something that appears to be completely illogical and unfair.

The aims of the camping are simple: To have the offence of “Meter Feeding” scrapped. From the campaign site:

Meter Feeding is essentially the offence of topping up your parking meter.

Say you park in an area that only allows you to park for 2 hours. You put 40p in the meter and it allows you to stay for 40 minutes. You realise your appointment will take slightly longer than you expected, so you go out after 30 minutes and put in an extra 20p to take you 1 hour.

This is “Meter Feeding” and it is an offence punishable by a £50 fine (varies). We want this absurd and unfair by-law scrapped

…Essentially you are punished for misjudging how much time you need to park at a given spot.

This law has only one purpose:

Make citizens overpay and overestimate how long a stop will take so that the council make extra money on the difference

Give us your support. Fax you MP and ask them to have a word with those loopy councilors (make sure the offence actually exists in your area) and contact your local Council representatives.

Upmystreet.co.uk has all relevant names and contact details.

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