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Ostend parking fine

Question

About a month ago I went to Ostend on a Sunday and parked in a quiet street. Signs in Flemish only but other cars parked so thought it was OK. Put my clock up just to be sure but came back to small illegibly written pink slip from Police under my windscreen wiper.
Thought it was a warning notice but now received a fine of 100€ from Police and 250€ from commune!
350€ for parking seems hugely excessive to me.
Has anyone else received something like this? Why is the commune asking for 250€?
I don't speak / understand Flemish and the paperwork is only in Flemish.
I've never heard of such a large fine for parking before...what do they fine you if you commit an actual crime??

B

It does sound excessive yes, but according to this article(in Dutch) a new iniative allows communes to write fines up to 350 eur, even for trivial offences such as illegal parking. It is very unfair

http://www.knack.be/nieuws/belgie/ambtenaar-kan-u-voortaan-350-euro-boet...

Apr 19, 2014 11:49
Anonymous

Welcome to Belgium! At the carnival in Aalst there was no parking available and my friend got a parking ticket for €100. He won't be going to Aalst carnival anymore. This is outrageous; send an email complaint to your MEP. Only comforting fact is that you are not the only one.
Taking legal action and going to court will cost you a lot more, so you might just have to pay the parking fine.
The police are not out to catch criminals; instead they are told to charge people for parking which brings in more money, just like the speed cameras.

Apr 19, 2014 13:52
kasseistamper

Based on what happens in my commune I'm fairly confident that your problem was in assuming that the pink slip was a warning notice rather than finding out what it really was.
You got a parking fine and had 14 days to pay €50 or €100 if you didn't pay within 14 days. The €250 is an extra for not paying at all.

And Anonymous
If you think that this is 'Welcome to Belgium', you won't want to go to UK where many places use fixed cameras to catch parking offenders. No need for Meter Maids, they work 24/7.

Apr 19, 2014 14:02
Passive energy

Art. 6 3.a of the European Convention on Human rights:
"Everyone charged with a criminal offence has the following minimum rights: ...... to be informed promptly, in a language which he understands and in detail, of the nature and cause of the accusation against him"

In other words: You should ask them to submit the files in a language you master, and to re-start the procedure once the first document is submitted to you in this language.

May 15, 2014 15:04
kingDREW

Parking fines and tickets are never welcome so follow the best guides on how to appeal, contest and dispute your car parking ticket or fine. Motorists have used excuses like incorrect registration details, illness, officer error, faulty meters, and no offense and stolen number plates to beat parking tickets. Even when drivers admit fault, the fines in some cases are withdrawn based on exceptional circumstances, which include mechanical breakdown and medical emergency. More information at: http://www.cardealexpert.com/auto-news/extreme-tickets-us-uk/

Jul 29, 2014 11:39