OT: Parking permits.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Wandsworth have announced they're doing away with paper resident's parking permits. They introduced paperless visitor's permits some time ago - the parking warden just checks the reg number of the car against a data base, if it's not displaying a permit.

But if no cars are displaying permits, would they have to check each and every one? At the moment a 'spotter' drives round on a scooter looking for cars without permits and sends foot wardens around to do the paperwork.

Number plate recognition cameras mostly couldn't work on the move - with densely parked cars.

Any clues?

[Periproct]

Had a browse here

as I visit my mother in Wandsworth. Shame it's only the resident that can sign up for the paperless permits as it would save the 90 year old having to organise the paper version.

I can't see how going totally paperless would work. Even with a number plate recognition gizmo, as you say, every car would need to be checked.

[tony sayer]

In article , Dave Plowman (News) scribeth thus

Yes.. Wordsworth haven't any;!...

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I take it she is a Wandsworth resident? If so she can register with the parking scheme - all that's needed is proof of residency in the form of a scan of a community tax bill etc. If you do all that for her, you could then use the online visitor's permit system.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

The present scheme seems to work as well as any. Although I'd love to know the 'policing' costs versus fine income on an area by area basis.

[Periproct]

I wonder if that would then exclude her from paper permits (I'll have a read about that). If it does it might cause problems for other visitors.

[tim......]

how does this differ to paying for parking by SMS?

(In terms of the difficulty of checking)

tim

[Dave Plowman (News)]

IIRC. you are allowed so many per year made up of either. It's quite a lot

- something like 150.

[Periproct]

Hmm "Non-resident permit holders will be required to resubmit proof of residence every 12 months."

My thoughts were, easy method of paying for parking and it would be paid for by me, not my Mum. I think a trip to speak to a human next time I'm down there.

[polygonum]

My thought was "What proof of residence can possibly be required of, or provided by, non-residents?"

[djc]

If it's like around here (Camden) the local spotter has probably been doing the same round for long enough to recognise most resident cars, so the number of strangers in residents' bays and needing checking is probably quite small. The same would apply with the permits in any case, mine is just a plastic card with a bar-code on it, I would think it easier to read a number plate automatically than to check the permit up close enough to be sure it wasn't a fake.

[Adrian]

Proof of residence elsewhere...?

[Brian Gaff]

Agreed. If that happened down at our studio for the talking newspaper, with over 40 volunteers and four passes how could the know all the possible numebers. It would have to stay card based.

Maybe there needs to be a permit that is like an Oyster card that you leave by the window and the warden scans it, and you pay for it every so often. If the date is not updated by the payment the car gets a warning and next time a ticket. Brian