Turin Airport Scam?

[Skewif]

Be warned. Just got a 175 Euro fine through the post from using the wrong lane at departures Turin Airport in August. On arriving at the drop off point the road splits into 3 singles lanes. One is a no stopping bypass, another has a 1.95m height restriction and the last a sign indicating coaches / buses, disabled and the image of a car with a red box on the roof. We went round the block twice trying to find the correct place to stop and all came to the same conclusion there was only one choice with the Cali. Dropped off passenger as did another over 1.95m camper. To make matters worse you get a 30% discount if paid within 5 days but it took nearly 10 to get to me! The ticket is in english but if you want to object it has to be in Italian by post. Seems like I'm not the only one who finds the Italian fines system unreasonable. Found many others some who have received 3x 200 euro fines a year after returning home from similar no win scenarios. On ignoring it you will get chased by a debt collection agency in your own country along with hundreds extra in fees. Will stick to spending money on the French side in future as have a bad taste now about Italy.

 

[Amarillo]

Be warned. Just got a 175 Euro fine through the post from using the wrong lane at departures Turin Airport in August. On arriving at the drop off point the road splits into 3 singles lanes. One is a no stopping bypass, another has a 1.95m height restriction and the last a sign indicating coaches / buses, disabled and the image of a car with a red box on the roof. We went round the block twice trying to find the correct place to stop and all came to the same conclusion there was only one choice with the Cali. Dropped off passenger as did another over 1.95m camper. To make matters worse you get a 30% discount if paid within 5 days but it took nearly 10 to get to me! The ticket is in english but if you want to object it has to be in Italian by post. Seems like I'm not the only one who finds the Italian fines system unreasonable. Found many others some who have received 3x 200 euro fines a year after returning home from similar no win scenarios. On ignoring it you will get chased by a debt collection agency in your own country along with hundreds extra in fees. Will stick to spending money on the French side in future as have a bad taste now about Italy.

We picked up two penalty charges during our year away:
1. Speeding (at 40 mph) on a German autobahn.
2. Penalty payment for not buying a Hungarian vignette (we tried to buy one at a counter and over the internet, but failed in our attempts).


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[Bstop]

Beware Italy.
This year I got 2 fines within 4 minutes in Bologna. 1 for a bus lane and 1 for driving into the central bus station using the wrong lane. It was on a Sunday monning. The roads were empty and I did not notice the signs. These were both by cameras so there is no local discretion for a genuine mistake. I was in a hire car and the car hire company have charged me 48 euro for each offence as a handling charge. I am down 96 euro and have yet to get the fines sent to me by the Italian police.
Last year I parked in a restricted area in Lucca by mistake and again was caught by a camera. I was charged a handling fee by the car hire company of 40 euro. Almost a year later I got a registered letter from Lucca police with a fine for 125 euro. I had to pay PayPal fees on this payment to Lucca police of approximately 3 euro. The total cost of a simple parking mistake came to 168 euro.
Judging by the Lucca fine last year I estimate that my 4 minutes in Bologna will end up costing me approximately 350 euro.

I will never drive in Italy again.

 

[Skewif]

I feel for you. In searching for others who have been done this way I came across many who said they will never drive or go to Italy again. For a country struggling with a stagnant economy this kind of reputation is hardly going to help tourism.

 

[Amarillo]

I feel for you. In searching for others who have been done this way I came across many who said they will never drive or go to Italy again. For a country struggling with a stagnant economy this kind of reputation is hardly going to help tourism.

On our return to the UK, Clare picked up two tickets within a month: parking in a red route parking bay outside the hours of operation; and stopping in a Red Route box junction.

Guess who the tickets were addressed to and had to pay?


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[Bstop]

Italy seems to have installed an extensive network of these cameras. I have driven in Spain, France, Slovenia, Austria, and Germany in the last 2 years and have had no unexpected fines posted to me. I hope this policy of instant camera traps is only an Italian trick and is not widely adopted in other European countries. If other countries install with the same zeal as Italy the days of leisurely driving on the continent could be numbered.

 

[Velma's Dad]

Revenge should be sweet. When Italians come to Britain, we should force feed them Heinz spaghetti hoops.

Seriously though, I tend to agree with Skewif - if you penalise drivers for honest mistakes it's not going to do your tourist economy much good. (But a half day driving in Naples was enough to put me off Italian driving anyway, with or without cameras.)

 

[Skewif]

Only I don’t see it as an innocent mistake, I see it as a cash cow. The flight back to UK only cost 80 euro. One lane you can’t stop. The next you can’t fit under the barrier. The third is the only option and it will cost you 175 euro. Cha ching!

 

[Amarillo]

Only I don’t see it as an innocent mistake, I see it as a cash cow. The flight back to UK only cost 80 euro. One lane you can’t stop. The next you can’t fit under the barrier. The third is the only option and it will cost you 175 euro. Cha ching!

It is not only Italy - TfL are at it as well - painting parking bays on the road and fining people for parking in them if they haven’t deciphered the sign.

It may be simple enough for you or I to work out that the only times parking is not permitted is between 7am and 10am, and between 4pm and 7pm Monday to Saturday, but a foreigner with limited English!?


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[Skewif]

But at least TfL have left the option of not parking / stopping. Unlike a drop off point at an airport in a 2m+ camper forced by having no other option into a 175 euro per stop lane. I have no doubt that I’m at fault and missed another way. But having “walked” the route on street view even the video enforcement sign was at a point beyond ( once read ) a lane change was possible. Have never seen this level of unfairness in the UK (yet!) Just saying.

 

[Amarillo]

But at least TfL have left the option of not parking / stopping. Unlike a drop off point at an airport in a 2m+ camper forced by having no other option into a 175 euro per stop lane. I have no doubt that I’m at fault and missed another way. But having “walked” the route on street view even the video enforcement sign was at a point beyond ( once read ) a lane change was possible. Have never seen this level of unfairness in the UK (yet!) Just saying.

Are you sure the penalty has been correctly applied. I've looked at the sign on streetview and think that authorised vehicles include overheight vehicles.
https://goo.gl/maps/3WFYEvjzKvt

 

[Skewif]

Are you sure the penalty has been correctly applied. I've looked at the sign on streetview and think that authorised vehicles include overheight vehicles.
https://goo.gl/maps/3WFYEvjzKvt

I sure hope it has been incorrectly applied. Not found a street view pic or any info that shows the very small wording in the red box on the graphic of the car. Will be up early to start my objections... will post what I find. I

 

[Pete M]

I was at Turin 2 weeks ago and only selected the correct lane by a guess. I didn't see any signs until after I was in the lane and no option to change if I had needed to.

 

[sidepod]

Ask yourself, would an Italian pay up?
Exactly. Chuck it in the bin.

 

[Amarillo]

Ask yourself, would an Italian pay up?

Perhaps better to ask yourself how you’d feel if an Italian refused to pay a British penalty charge.

My own feeling on that depends on whether the penalty has been correctly applied.



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[john mar]

Sorry to hear about the fines.

I love the Hienz spaghetti

 

[Amarillo]

So be careful in Italy.Further south you go the worst things get...

You also encounter great generosity.

We were given oranges by the crate:


And Ben had an impromptu free horse riding session while we were walking Meg in the Olive groves.


But... at car parks groups of young men would demand a "parking fees" while they lounged around the free car parks. And men in cleaners' overalls holding spray cleaning fluid would expect a Euro per euronation at public toilets.

 

[WelshGas]

Perhaps better to ask yourself how you’d feel if an Italian refused to pay a British penalty charge.

My own feeling on that depends on whether the penalty has been correctly applied.



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Do you really think UK authorities would bother/be able to track down an Italian driver?

 

[Amarillo]

Do you really think UK authorities would bother/be able to track down an Italian driver?

From May 2017 the British, Irish and Danish two year exemption from a requirement to collect fines from other EU nationals expired. French, German and Polish drivers have to be treated no more (or less) favourably than British motorists. The exemption was because in Britain, Ireland and Denmark the driver, not the owner, is responsible for the fine. Tracking an owner is trivial; tracking a driver can be much harder so in practice it may well be more difficult for British, Irish and Danish authorities to collect fines from other EU nationals.

 

[Bstop]

There is a euro zone fines system if you do not pay you are persued by the courts in your own country. UK might escape the fines after Brexit.

 

[Skewif]

I was at Turin 2 weeks ago and only selected the correct lane by a guess. I didn't see any signs until after I was in the lane and no option to change if I had needed to.

Correct lane at departures in a Cali? Which one did you use?

 

[Skewif]

After doing a bit of digging it's seems impossible to drop someone off at Turin departures drop off point in a 1.95m+ vehicle without breaking the rules in one way or another. There must be another place to drop off but it was not at all clear even after doing 3 laps. To object to the fine you have to jump through many hoops and if they don't agree with the objection the fine gets doubled automatically so not worth the risk. Scam or not it sure does feel like it.

 

[mccp]

Are you sure the penalty has been correctly applied. I've looked at the sign on streetview and think that authorised vehicles include overheight vehicles.
https://goo.gl/maps/3WFYEvjzKvt

If you street view from the other lane, that orange box on top of the car is a Taxi sign:

 

[mccp]

After doing a bit of digging it's seems impossible to drop someone off at Turin departures drop off point in a 1.95m+ vehicle without breaking the rules in one way or another. There must be another place to drop off but it was not at all clear even after doing 3 laps. To object to the fine you have to jump through many hoops and if they don't agree with the objection the fine gets doubled automatically so not worth the risk. Scam or not it sure does feel like it.

Could you go in the direction of arrivals and park in the 2m car park instead?

 

[Skewif]

Thank you. I did eventually find that same street view image and saw the taxi. While in the wrong for sure we followed signs for departures at a foreign airport and did several laps looking for somewhere to stop. Have picked up and dropped off at many airports before without coming across such an unhelpful setup hence the warning.
Helpful would be the airport giving clear warning that departures drop off can only be used by smaller than 1.95m before committing to the ramp and signage directing 1.95m+ vehicles to an appropriate place to stop.
But then again why would they when it must nett them thousands a day in fines that double if you try to question its fairness...