When is FREE, ALL DAY parking not Free OR all day?!
When it's in Bideford!!! Having parked in Bridge Street car park late on Friday evening,after the chargeable time, I left my car in the car park after seeing the posters proudly stating FREE ALL DAY PARKING ON SATURDAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS. Assuming that my vehicle would be OK there,as the posters CLEARLY state that the parking would be FREE and ALL DAY, i was amazed to find upon my return, a PARKING TICKET! How can I recieve a ticket if parking is FREE and ALL DAY?! NONE of the posters specify ANY time restrictions! I wonder how much money the TDC scrooges raised in the same way?! I WILL be contesting the ticket! MERRY CHRISTMAS TDC !!!

By Muffin234 at 16:57 on 11/12/11

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The ticketing situation in the whole of the area seems to have gone too far recently there seems to be no scope for common sense from the parking officers. As I am writing this I fear I too may get a ticket this weekend, I am currently parked in a Bideford carpark where all the machines are out of order and I do not have a means of paying over the phone, I have left a note in my windscreen explaining the situation and sent the parking office an email with my cars details, but I worry I will still return in the morning to a black and yellow sticky bag placed lovingly on my window.
We can only hope common sense takes over :-)

By metallikaz at 18:49 on 11/12/11
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How ludicrous....offering free parking is a GOOD THING and makes a huge difference to attracting shoppers... and goodness knows, Bideford really needs it at the moment. So let's hope you win your ticketing battle with the local authority. In fact, they should offer free parking EVERY Saturday and not just high days and holidays...at least until we get out of this recession!

By Bideford_ppl at 21:27 on 11/12/11
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I have just been into Bideford town and did notice that the posters in the shops do say FREE PARKING ALL DAY there is no mention of time restrictions only the car parks it applies to and the dates.
To me or anyone else it does seem as if they are offering free parking all day.
Muffin I do hope they listen to reason and your appeal is a successful one.

By metallikaz at 16:05 on 12/12/11
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In the Journal today it says that TDC will waive the tickets given out prior to 10am on the free parking days as a gesture of goodwill.
However, it was decided to offer free parking from 10 am because from previous experience, providing free parking before then, the traders who campaigned for free parking "shoot themselves in the foot" by using the parking spaces themselves thus defeating the object of the whole exercise.

By policyguru at 16:13 on 15/12/11
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Well if it isn't ALL DAY then it shouldn't state ALL DAY !! THAT was our main point of contention!! If 10am - 6pm is 'seen as all day' then it should be stated as such! And by saying that traders take up more parking spaces than shoppers, is surely an enditement on the number of shoppers that use, or more to the point, DON'T use Bideford town centre !! Whilst applauding TDC,CoC, and the Bideford Post on the free parking initiative, the execution and promotion leaves a lot to be desired!!

By Muffin234 at 18:52 on 15/12/11
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