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#Post#: 120136--------------------------------------------------
ROYAL BOROUGH OF KINGSTON - 11, Parked without payment, Tolworth
Broadway
DIR By: Hamish
Date: May 30, 2026, 12:33 pm
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Hi all,
I received a PCN from the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames
(RBK) on Tolworth Broadway on 23/05/2026.
The PCN says the vehicle was observed from 12:37 to 12:43
without payment of the parking charge. I later purchased parking
through RingGo at 12:47.
My account of what happened is as follows:
I arrived at around 12:40, parked, and attempted to pay using
RingGo. It was during the unusually hot weather/heatwave on 23
May 2026. News reports from that day state that the UK recorded
its hottest day of the year so far and the first May temperature
above 30°C since 2012. The same reports also mention amber
heat-health alerts across parts of England, including London and
the South East.
My phone was overheating / not operating properly, which delayed
me from immediately completing the RingGo payment. There are no
parking meters on that street anymore as far as I could see, so
I had to use the phone/app payment method. I managed to complete
the RingGo payment at 12:47.
I have checked the Kingston PCN evidence page and, unless I am
missing something, I cannot see evidence showing my vehicle was
continuously observed from 12:37 to 12:43. I can see that the
PCN alleges those observation times, but I cannot see proof that
the car was there from 12:37. My position is that I arrived
around 12:40 and paid shortly afterwards. The first photo on the
RBK website shows the first photo at 12:42
I have not yet submitted an appeal. I wanted to ask whether
there is any realistic appeal point here, or whether this is
likely to be treated simply as “payment was made after the
PCN was issued”.
Points I am considering mentioning in an informal challenge:
1. I arrived at approximately 12:40, not 12:37.
2. I paid through RingGo at 12:47, shortly after arrival.
3. The short delay was due to difficulty using my phone/app
during unusually hot weather, when my phone was overheating /
not operating properly.
4. There were no street parking meters available as an
alternative payment method.
5. The council evidence page does not appear to show proof of
continuous observation from 12:37 to 12:43.
6. If they do not cancel, I would ask for the CEO’s notes,
all photos, and evidence relied upon to show the vehicle was
present throughout the observation period.
Please see below for both sides of the PCN. I also have
screenshots showing I have valid parking via RingGo that I can
upload here if required.
HTML https://imgpile.com/p/2WFY9rD
Google Streetview is here:
HTML https://maps.app.goo.gl/pDzq4vFZfjzEEpqd8
Would you advise submitting an informal challenge on these
facts, and if so, is there any particular wording or legal point
I should use/avoid?
Thank you all!
#Post#: 120147--------------------------------------------------
Re: ROYAL BOROUGH OF KINGSTON - 11, Parked without payment,
Tolworth Broadway
DIR By: Hippocrates
Date: May 30, 2026, 3:44 pm
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I will look at the portal later. There is a tiny issue with the
wording - which they do not understand - and currently there is
an issue with their Noticed of Rejections - the formal one.
#Post#: 120149--------------------------------------------------
Re: ROYAL BOROUGH OF KINGSTON - 11, Parked without payment,
Tolworth Broadway
DIR By: stamfordman
Date: May 30, 2026, 4:11 pm
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So where were you when you paid?
Why did you park there?
Leaving the car unattended is a common reason we see for PCNs,
and adjudicators are alert to people starting a session when
they see a PCN was issued.
#Post#: 120186--------------------------------------------------
Re: ROYAL BOROUGH OF KINGSTON - 11, Parked without payment,
Tolworth Broadway
DIR By: Hamish
Date: May 31, 2026, 8:48 am
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I was at Tolworth Library which is on the opposite side of the
road. My original reason for the trip was to print something at
the library, however I also went in there to cool down my phone,
as I needed my phone to access the library services.
As soon as my phone returned to normal operating mode, I used it
to pay for parking via the RingoApp at at 12:47
#Post#: 120237--------------------------------------------------
Re: ROYAL BOROUGH OF KINGSTON - 11, Parked without payment,
Tolworth Broadway
DIR By: stamfordman
Date: June 1, 2026, 4:20 am
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Are you saying the phone stopped working owing to heat? What
model is it?
#Post#: 120241--------------------------------------------------
Re: ROYAL BOROUGH OF KINGSTON - 11, Parked without payment,
Tolworth Broadway
DIR By: Hamish
Date: June 1, 2026, 4:44 am
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Yes, it overheated in the car. I have it connected in my car to
charge and for music, however on that day, I got a message on
the iPhone stating it had overheated and it needed time to cool
down before it can be used again.
It is an iPhone 13. I've had it since new for about 4 years, so
not extremely old.
#Post#: 120246--------------------------------------------------
Re: ROYAL BOROUGH OF KINGSTON - 11, Parked without payment,
Tolworth Broadway
DIR By: tincombe
Date: June 1, 2026, 5:00 am
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Any argument regarding your phone goes to mitigation. Yes, you
can advance this to the council and hope they exercise
discretion, but I suggest you be realistic about your chances.
An adjudicator cannot consider mitigating circumstances.
As with any other situation, the council's reply is likely to be
that if you don't have the wherewithal to comply(in this case
pay) then you should park elsewhere where legal.
#Post#: 120345--------------------------------------------------
Re: ROYAL BOROUGH OF KINGSTON - 11, Parked without payment,
Tolworth Broadway
DIR By: Hamish
Date: June 1, 2026, 3:29 pm
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Thank you. I will try and argue on the grounds that it was one
of the hottest days of the year, if not the hottest, and
therefore, could a little bit more discretion leniency be
applied in how long it could take to get a ticket?
Furthermore, I was under the impression that we had 10 minutes
in which to pay for parking, not 5 minutes?
#Post#: 120349--------------------------------------------------
Re: ROYAL BOROUGH OF KINGSTON - 11, Parked without payment,
Tolworth Broadway
DIR By: stamfordman
Date: June 1, 2026, 4:55 pm
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There is no time allowed to pay. CEOs will often observe to
check if someone is in the process of paying but if you're not
by the car or a ticket machine you are fair game as all they can
see is a vehicle in contravention.
#Post#: 120352--------------------------------------------------
Re: ROYAL BOROUGH OF KINGSTON - 11, Parked without payment,
Tolworth Broadway
DIR By: fraser.mitchell
Date: June 1, 2026, 5:40 pm
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I think I have to disagree that no time is allowed to make
payment. Clearly there is nothing in statute or regulations
about this, but custom and practice, and adjudication decisions.
If no time was ever allowed, nobody could ever park legally.
There surely has to be time allowed between parking a car, and
then making payment as this takes a finite time. Indeed there
have been cases where a parking space demanded a person buy and
display a disc. Some years ago this came up for Carlisle where
the appellant argued that he arrived and parked, read the sign
which told him a disc was needed and to buy one from local
shops, which he did, only to find a PCN on the car when he
returned. The council lost the case. The adjudicator said that
if the council provided no quicker means of paying than buying a
disc from a local shop, then it had to accept there would be
longer delays between a car parking and a disc being displayed.
I think the basis of time to pay is that it has to be reasonable
in the circumstances. Of course, councils with their venal and
rapacious practices, refuse reps where some minutes may have
elapsed from parking to payment even when the reason is
obviously genuine. Most people know little about parking law and
are hence fearful of adjudication, thinking it will just
railroad through a council refusal, and cost them an arm and a
leg. So councils get their money albeit at the discounted rate,
but with London councils getting well over £600 million per year
in PCN penalties, the system is ripe for reform.
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