Hard-up motorists challenge tickets

By WAYNE THOMPSON

Manukau parking officers suspect that a jump in the number of motorists disputing minor traffic tickets is more related to attempts to delay paying than to protesting innocence.

In October the city council faced 143 court bids for a rehearing of infringement fines issued by its officers for parking, warrant of fitness and registration offences.

It received five in the previous month and none in the same period last year.

Compliance manager Kevin Jackson said more people seemed to be denying getting a ticket from the council when they received a notice from the district court to pay up.

The court accepted only 35 of the 143 excuses and directed the council to reissue the infringement notices.

But a rehearing bid stretched the deadline to pay up by at least three months, said Mr Jackson.

Some motorists faced $200 infringement fines for either no warrants or registration or both, though delaying payment risked the court imposing $130 filing and collection costs on top of that.

A Salvation Army budget co-ordinator in Manukau, Marion Carroll, said many people could not afford to pay a fine by the due date and instead let it go through court.

"It doesn't take long for fines to mount up, especially if you get a ticket in three different places in one day."

She said some people owned several thousand dollars in fines which they were paying off at $10 a week.