OT. Parking

[Mike]

Just what I felt like saying but back then I was a little young to sound credible with it and she would probably have taken it as a (poor) chat up line instead.

[al]

> "A driver today called a traffic warden " despicable" for ticketing

> It takes a special sort of person to do this job ...

Exactly my original point. They're just not normal!

a

[Dave Plowman (News)]

As one who travels around London a fair bit, the Congestion Charge has done exactly what it says on the tin. Now all that's needed is a real clamp down on illegal parking - especially of the 'I'm just nipping into the shop for 5 minutes' type on red routes, etc, in rush hour. There are plenty of places with off street parking for this sort of thing, but these selfish drivers are just plain selfish and regard their time as more important than the thousands of others they delay.

[The Natural Philosopher]

That's because of the targets they are set. Every offence that is registered and gets a conviction is a plus, every offence that they haven't a cats chance in hell of getting a conviction for they don't even want on their books as aan 'unsolved crime'

Hence the disparity between the governments claims that crime is falling and everyines awareness that in general its getting worse.

I suspect that there's more than one

Its downj to the management regime they are placed under.

The efficacy of a traffic warden is measured by the number of tickets issues, not e.g. by the inverse of the number of cars obstructing traffic flow.

Its a great temptaion with incompetent managers to set and achieve irrelevant but easily computable targets to demonstrate that they are 'doing their jobs'

Its like being constantly hauled up for being 5 minutes late fo work whilst your colleagues who come in early spend the whole morning jawing round the coffee machine..

[glenn]

Yes ther is a sarcastic font. You can find it right here:

the movement! Spread the word!

[Tony Bryer]

When I get to be in charge no parking ticket will be issued unless the warden can honestly tick one of two boxes:

[ ] this vehicle was parked so as to materially affect the safety of other road users [ ] this vehicle was parked so as to materially inconvenience other road users.

Round here it seems that the people who do one or other of these are the least likely to get tickets. Park on the approach to Strawberry Hill level crossing opposite the solid line and you'll be OK (never seen anyone ticketed there). Park in the SH 8.30-10.30 residents zone at 10.20 in a half empty road and you're 90% likely to be ticketed.

[:::Jerry::::]

If it's on a double yellow's then it does, in fact all (highway) parked car materially affect the safety of other road users regardless as to were they are parked (and in some cases even driven) as they obstruct visibility, can you see that four year old that is about to come out from in front of the van you are about to pass ?...

That is less certain, but any vehicle that is obstructing free passage or causing pore visibility to other road users will be materially inconveniencing them to some degree or other.

Simple answer to the problem, don't park were you're not allowed too...

Why are so many selfish drivers such whinging wankers when they get booked for doing something that they know is 'illegal' but still choose to do ?...

[Tony Bryer]

If you follow that argument no one would park anywhere, and the speed limit would be 4mph, man with red flag in front of you. I will agree that most double yellow lines are in safety related places. More than a few single yellow lines could have less restrictive hours.

My cynicism dates back nearly 30 years when I worked for a local council which solicited tenders for managing a newly-built multi storey car park. The details are now hazy but at least one firm offered £x, or £y (a higher sum) if yellow lines could be painted on certain roads in the vicinity to reduce the on-street parking. I've no idea what was decided but I am quite sure that parking policy is as much determined by money as safety.

[Capitol]

Used the 50 correctly displayed ticket technique some years ago. Worked a treat. Drove them all mad and received lots of requests to remove dead tickets, which of course I ignored.

Regards Capitol

[Mike]

They've probably since added a line to their terms and conditions (printed in Swahili using 3 point and the Dingbats font) pointing out that if two or more tickets are displayed then it is only the oldest one that counts.

[:::Jerry::::]

,

regardless

speed

Possibly, but that is a road safety / planning issue and not an enforcement issue. It's always going to be a judgement call as to the risks in allowing parking (or even just stopping) or not, my 'gripe' is that many a 'Bus Stop' is placed for the convenience of the passengers with little or no regard to the inconvenience of all road users or road safety.

[:::Jerry::::]

Now they would just inform 'PC Plod' who would book you for having obstructed vision (or some such offence), just as they could do with the tossers who hang tings from their rear view mirror or place other such items on the windscreen etc.

[Owain]

The tickets don't have to be affixed to the windscreen. They could be stuck on those sucker-attached sun-blinds, and removed and rolled up when the car was in use.

That would make it easier to shift them around occasionally too, so the recent ones weren't always in the same place.

Owain

[Doctor Evil]

About parking and money. In council owned parks where they have gravel roads and pay and display, are the tickets enforceable? No bays marked out, no signs over the bays as you have on the proper roads.

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[Dave Plowman (News)]

Is this a two combis sort of question? Why should it matter in a carpark if there are marked out bays or not? If you go to a race meeting or autojumble etc you may have to pay to park in a field...