After a long search you have finally found a parking space in the city, but the parking meter just won’t work? We will tell you what you can and must do in the event of a defective parking ticket machine.
Defective parking machine: How to get away without a ticket
If you want to park despite a defective parking machine or parking meter, it is worth taking a look at the road traffic regulations. In § 13 are the Facilities for monitoring parking time regulated. This also includes parking meters and parking ticket machines and their maximum parking time as well as devices for pocket parking meters and mobile phones. The first paragraph clearly states:
(1) At parking meters, only while the clock is running, at parking ticket machines only with a parking ticket, which must be clearly legible on or in the vehicle from the outside, for the permitted parking time being held.
If a parking meter or a parking ticket machine is not working, only up to the specified maximum parking time be parked. In this case, the parking disc must be used.
It means that a handwritten notewhich draws attention to the defective machine, is unfortunately not enough to avoid a fine.
First solution: the parking disc
This means that you are not actually allowed to park without a parking ticket, unless a maximum parking time with a parking disc is specified. In this case you can park your car, as far as you a correctly adjusted parking disc clearly visible in the window.
To do this, spin the parking disc up to the time you parked. You can attend round up to the next half hour. For example, if you brought your car to the parking lot around 2:05 p.m., the correct setting is 2:30 p.m. Assuming the maximum parking time is 2 hours, you have to vacate the parking lot at 4:30 p.m.
If you don’t have an electronic variant or the conventional paper version in the car and still park without permission, a ticket is usually the mildest consequence. Have you exceeded the permitted parking time by far? the municipality can even have your vehicle towed away. Incidentally, this also applies to private parking spaces, such as the one above supermarkets and Co. Incidentally, you as the vehicle owner bear the costs for this.
Second solution: Find another parking ticket machine
Even the parking disc is not always a solution. Especially if no maximum parking time with parking disc is mentioned. In this case, unfortunately, it says: look for functioning vending machines. You must first have exhausted all possible options before you simply park without a parking ticket.
This means that you have to walk through the entire parking lot if there is a chance that another machine is available. But that’s still better than the alternative. If you are caught parking without a parking ticket and disc, you pay 5 to 25 euros for the offense depending on how long you parked.
Third solution: parking apps
If it is not possible to issue a physical parking ticket due to a defective parking ticket machine, you should find out whether the city works with a digital parking app. The parking machines themselves usually have QR codes that take you directly to the app store, or at least instructions. If that’s not the case, you should check the internet. In Munich, for example, that would be the “HandyParken Munich” app.
This solution is partial also available abroad, it is best to find out about parking options before you start your journey. Municipalities offer this option, especially in popular holiday and tourism destinations, such as in Pisa.
Parking ticket machine defective, pulled out all the stops … and now?
If you have literally set heaven and earth in motion and nothing worked, you should at least do it prepare evidence. With this you can at least prove that the parking meter was really defective.
Take a picture of the broken device. If you actually get a ticket sent home afterwards, you can at least lodge a reasoned objection. Also testimonies are helpful for this.
If that is not the case, it could also be that the machine just won’t accept your coins has. Incidentally, in this case it is not enough to be satisfied with just one coin that you toss into the machine over and over again. Try all the ones you have so that you really have exhausted all the possibilities.
However, all the hassle is often less worth it than it is looking for another parking space would have done. Don’t park wrong and don’t get into trouble.
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