Local authorities have to raise money one way or another as you have acknowledged I would rather they Mugged Small minded, petty, mean shallow, inconsiderate idiot drivers, then increase council tax for the rest of the population that don't attract speeding and parking fines.
park wherever I like, I will drive as fast as I consider safe, I have such a powerful job and make so much money I can look down upon traffic wardens and council workers,
Apparently when payment into bank accounts was first introduced, and the great unwashed were introduced to the banking system, it was not unknown for the bank manager to be given a cheque drawn on the account in settlement of an overdraft.
I used to cash up after Jumble Sales and counting a large number of mixed coins isn't much of a problem, if you are organised and have a coin counting tray. You simply dump the lot on a hard, smooth table top and use the fingers of one hand to sweep two or three coins of the same denomination at a time off the edge of the table into your cupped hand. When you have a handful, you stack them and drop the stack into the appropriate column in the counting tray. When you fill enough cavities in any one column to have the right amount to fill a bank coin bag, you dump them in that. When you run out of coins, you count the value of the bank coin bags, count the number of full cavities in the tray (10 coins per cavity) and then count any odd coins left over.
Mind you, if they do accept payment this way, which they don't have to, they will probably have an automatic coin counter, which would take between 30 and 60 seconds to check the lot.
There is a very easy way not to get caught by a speed camera, don't break the speed limit. There are signs and the type, location and lighting should tell you what the speed limit is without signs. If the limit differs from what it should be for the type, location and lighting then there must be small repeator boards telling you the speed limit.
As I said, 'designed'. There have been cases (I know it's not legal) where the boards are missing or obscured, and that is where the cameras do well. A lot of the cases that are overturned are where that has occurred. Unfortunately, for every one that is overturned, many more, caught in the same trap (I use the word advisedly) have just paid up.
Incidentally, I have no axe to grind. I have never been caught speeding! Nor do I condone it, but I do object to cases where cameras are clearly treated as a cash cow.
A coinstar? - I've used them a few times at Asda, they take about 10% for profit and then offer you the opportunity to donate it all to charity, or get a printout which you can exchange for goods or cash at the services desk.
I'm not convinced they are accurate though, I tested it one day with a bag of change, 2p, 1p, 5's and 10's, and counted it twice, then re-checked again just to make sure there was *exactly* £4...the machine took it's cut and offered me about 30p less than it should have been, about £3.30 IIRC....I still use it though, CBA with all that bagging up and taking to the bank, occasionally shops will take it if they know you, but it's easier to tip it into a machine even if you are getting ripped off...£91 last time I went :-p
After a mistake in the office earlier (someone printed an A5 letter on an A0 plotter) I had an idea...
I wonder if you can provide all the details a cheque legally requires, but printed in such a small font that they need a magnifying glass to read it - sadly this would affect your ability to sign it unless you made it roughly normal-size, but with the necessary other text in a tiny tiny font :-)
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.