Dealing with a Council which is allowing dangerous parking?
Discussion
Hi,
I'm actually an existing poster here but am posting from this account as I would rather keep things separate from my other stuff.
Does anyone out there know whether there is any legal mechanism, or body to complain to, in relation to the failure of a council to enforce parking and other road use regulations?
Near where I live on a busy A-Road leading into a city centre, the local car sales and repair establishments park cars which they are fixing or have for sale on double yellow lines completely blocking a cycle path and most of the footway. Even worse they are often completely blocking the only available crossing point and even when they aren't they have a tow truck, or sometimes a horse box lorry, obscuring the view from it towards the oncoming traffic.
This is a daily occurrence and the same vehicles remain in the same positions all day, every day. Often these vehicles are parked facing the wrong way down a one-way street so that oncoming traffic can see the prices displayed in the windscreens!
One of the garages takes up the only two official parking bays, which are limited to 20 minutes, all day, six days a week, and even parks an additional two vehicles next to them on the foot path blocking it, and the cycle-way, completely!
In addition to all of that they even take up a small public car park opposite with their sales/repair stock whenever they feel like it so that no one else can use it.
This has been reported by me, and at least three other people, many, many, many times over two years or more. Phone calls, emails, even ones with photos just get ignored. The council claim they will deal with it but never do. In fact, the parking control department is now "non-customer facing" which is council speak for "go away - we don't speak to the little people".
There are also on-line complaints I have found relating to this exact area. Still nothing done!
On the very rare occasions that anything is done (two or three times a year, at most) the wardens either let them move the vehicles, which are always back in under 10 minutes – and they know they are - or just totally ignore them. I have even seen wardens cross the road to avoid having to deal with them. Now, to my mind, this means that the wardens either can't be arsed, are crap at their jobs or.......
The council have been told this yet still do f
k all.
My concern is that there is going to be an accident sooner or later. This particular area is used a lot by kids from a local school.
I am also gravely concerned that it makes the place in which I live look like total st, quite honestly, as vehicles are seemingly abandoned at random round here.
Complaining at length has not worked as clearly the council don't give a toss. So – is there any legal manner that anyone knows that can be used to make them enforce the law? I'm pretty sure there isn't but any suggestions welcomed.
As an experiment I have sent a link to this thread to everyone at the council I have an email address for. I wonder whether the problem might resolve its self before I have to name the Council concerned and post the vast number of photos I have? And, hopefully, before someone is seriously injured or killed.
I'm actually an existing poster here but am posting from this account as I would rather keep things separate from my other stuff.
Does anyone out there know whether there is any legal mechanism, or body to complain to, in relation to the failure of a council to enforce parking and other road use regulations?
Near where I live on a busy A-Road leading into a city centre, the local car sales and repair establishments park cars which they are fixing or have for sale on double yellow lines completely blocking a cycle path and most of the footway. Even worse they are often completely blocking the only available crossing point and even when they aren't they have a tow truck, or sometimes a horse box lorry, obscuring the view from it towards the oncoming traffic.
This is a daily occurrence and the same vehicles remain in the same positions all day, every day. Often these vehicles are parked facing the wrong way down a one-way street so that oncoming traffic can see the prices displayed in the windscreens!
One of the garages takes up the only two official parking bays, which are limited to 20 minutes, all day, six days a week, and even parks an additional two vehicles next to them on the foot path blocking it, and the cycle-way, completely!
In addition to all of that they even take up a small public car park opposite with their sales/repair stock whenever they feel like it so that no one else can use it.
This has been reported by me, and at least three other people, many, many, many times over two years or more. Phone calls, emails, even ones with photos just get ignored. The council claim they will deal with it but never do. In fact, the parking control department is now "non-customer facing" which is council speak for "go away - we don't speak to the little people".
There are also on-line complaints I have found relating to this exact area. Still nothing done!
On the very rare occasions that anything is done (two or three times a year, at most) the wardens either let them move the vehicles, which are always back in under 10 minutes – and they know they are - or just totally ignore them. I have even seen wardens cross the road to avoid having to deal with them. Now, to my mind, this means that the wardens either can't be arsed, are crap at their jobs or.......
The council have been told this yet still do f
k all.My concern is that there is going to be an accident sooner or later. This particular area is used a lot by kids from a local school.
I am also gravely concerned that it makes the place in which I live look like total s
t, quite honestly, as vehicles are seemingly abandoned at random round here.Complaining at length has not worked as clearly the council don't give a toss. So – is there any legal manner that anyone knows that can be used to make them enforce the law? I'm pretty sure there isn't but any suggestions welcomed.
As an experiment I have sent a link to this thread to everyone at the council I have an email address for. I wonder whether the problem might resolve its self before I have to name the Council concerned and post the vast number of photos I have? And, hopefully, before someone is seriously injured or killed.
Drumroll said:
Who is the chief executive of the council? who is your ward Councillor? Local police commissioner? find out who they are and bombard them with details. Leave it a week and and then if nothing happens ask them to explain why not. repeat as needed.
Done, many, many times. Nothing happens.P.
sidekickdmr said:
You signed up 5 months ago to sit on this fake account to keep your internet persona safe?
But honestly the best of luck, mainly for the place looking messy, wouldn’t want this on my doorstep!
Oh and hello council people
Wasn't my intention to leave it 5 months, to be honest. Other stuff kept getting in the way - work away a lot. But honestly the best of luck, mainly for the place looking messy, wouldn’t want this on my doorstep!
Oh and hello council people
Also, been giving the council the best run to do something but nothing ever changes.
P.
Hello council civil servants.
Read that first line again. Now know your place in this.
OP make sure you have made your complaint in writing and that you have proof of delivery. Head the letter with the word complaint. Include evidence of the problem and not just one instance thereof. Keep your comments measured and avoid ranting. You can make it clear that it concerns you and make quite clear your steps so far and the deliberate avoidance by certain officials. That on its own sounds suspicious.
If you don't get any response and wish to chase it, call them ask to speak to someone not below Principal Technical Officer. Ask for names of everyone you speak to including the first person who answers the phone. Copy all this to your local councillors.
When/if your complaint is rejected, and remember there are two elements to this, the complaint and the way the council has dealt with the complaint, you can also complain about the complaint procedures.
Take it to the ombudsman who can advise you further. Put it all in writing, lots of it. Do not waste your time with verbals. Councils hate stuff on the record or some do.
Nail them. Useless gits if that is indeed what they are. Some are fine and tbh are simply disastrously under resourced. Some on the other hand are bent.
Sends another wavey to the council. Do your jobs, civil servants.
Read that first line again. Now know your place in this.
OP make sure you have made your complaint in writing and that you have proof of delivery. Head the letter with the word complaint. Include evidence of the problem and not just one instance thereof. Keep your comments measured and avoid ranting. You can make it clear that it concerns you and make quite clear your steps so far and the deliberate avoidance by certain officials. That on its own sounds suspicious.
If you don't get any response and wish to chase it, call them ask to speak to someone not below Principal Technical Officer. Ask for names of everyone you speak to including the first person who answers the phone. Copy all this to your local councillors.
When/if your complaint is rejected, and remember there are two elements to this, the complaint and the way the council has dealt with the complaint, you can also complain about the complaint procedures.
Take it to the ombudsman who can advise you further. Put it all in writing, lots of it. Do not waste your time with verbals. Councils hate stuff on the record or some do.
Nail them. Useless gits if that is indeed what they are. Some are fine and tbh are simply disastrously under resourced. Some on the other hand are bent.
Sends another wavey to the council. Do your jobs, civil servants.
FiF said:
Hello council civil servants.
Read that first line again. Now know your place in this.
OP make sure you have made your complaint in writing and that you have proof of delivery. Head the letter with the word complaint. Include evidence of the problem and not just one instance thereof. Keep your comments measured and avoid ranting. You can make it clear that it concerns you and make quite clear your steps so far and the deliberate avoidance by certain officials. That on its own sounds suspicious.
If you don't get any response and wish to chase it, call them ask to speak to someone not below Principal Technical Officer. Ask for names of everyone you speak to including the first person who answers the phone. Copy all this to your local councillors.
When/if your complaint is rejected, and remember there are two elements to this, the complaint and the way the council has dealt with the complaint, you can also complain about the complaint procedures.
Take it to the ombudsman who can advise you further. Put it all in writing, lots of it. Do not waste your time with verbals. Councils hate stuff on the record or some do.
Nail them. Useless gits if that is indeed what they are. Some are fine and tbh are simply disastrously under resourced. Some on the other hand are bent.
Sends another wavey to the council. Do your jobs, civil servants.
Done all of that many, many times. Emails galore from my self and others including photos. I have emailed parking control, Highways, general council email and individual councilors. All to no avail.Read that first line again. Now know your place in this.
OP make sure you have made your complaint in writing and that you have proof of delivery. Head the letter with the word complaint. Include evidence of the problem and not just one instance thereof. Keep your comments measured and avoid ranting. You can make it clear that it concerns you and make quite clear your steps so far and the deliberate avoidance by certain officials. That on its own sounds suspicious.
If you don't get any response and wish to chase it, call them ask to speak to someone not below Principal Technical Officer. Ask for names of everyone you speak to including the first person who answers the phone. Copy all this to your local councillors.
When/if your complaint is rejected, and remember there are two elements to this, the complaint and the way the council has dealt with the complaint, you can also complain about the complaint procedures.
Take it to the ombudsman who can advise you further. Put it all in writing, lots of it. Do not waste your time with verbals. Councils hate stuff on the record or some do.
Nail them. Useless gits if that is indeed what they are. Some are fine and tbh are simply disastrously under resourced. Some on the other hand are bent.
Sends another wavey to the council. Do your jobs, civil servants.
I was offered a 'site meeting' once with a PA to a councilor to 'view the problem'. The thing is that as I live close to all this I don't want to be identified to the people doing this as one of those who is complaining. If you saw the state of some of these s
t-hole establishments you would see what I mean. The offer was just a bit of a ruse, I think, as there is no need for anyone to show them the site and point out the problems because they already know about them. The problems are persistent, 12 hour a day ones, 6 days a week. I mean, why they need to be physically shown some vehicles which have been illegally driven through a 'no entry' sign down a one-way street and parked on double yellows obscuring a crossing and blocking a cycle track is completely beyond me. It is plainly obvious almost every day of the week!
It's actually a very easy problem to solve. Hand out some tickets - that simple. Their argument once was that 'Well, we have to give them a few minutes to move them in case they are legitimately loading'. That is an easy thing to counter as you cannot load on a cycle track. Also, when it's happening 6 days a week, 12 hours a day, that clearly isn't loading either.
The council simply can't be bothered, don't want to enforce it, are scared or.......?
P
2. If you aren't happy with the response there will be a formal complaints procedure - follow it.
1. Find out the name of the cabinet member responsible and ask for their comments.
3. Contact the local paper and ask them to investigate. Councils are usually sensitive about bad press.
Sorry about the order. Can't cut and paste on a jiggly train.
1. Find out the name of the cabinet member responsible and ask for their comments.
3. Contact the local paper and ask them to investigate. Councils are usually sensitive about bad press.
Sorry about the order. Can't cut and paste on a jiggly train.
1. Take lots of pictures
2. Write to MP
3. Follow council complaints procedure (you will be fobbed off but you need this for next step)
4. Write to LGO (you may be fobbed off at first but threaten to write to the relevant government minister)
5. LGO will take you serious and then write to Chief Executive of your council.
6. Council will realise you mean business
7. Watch enforcement miraculously start to happen.
2. Write to MP
3. Follow council complaints procedure (you will be fobbed off but you need this for next step)
4. Write to LGO (you may be fobbed off at first but threaten to write to the relevant government minister)
5. LGO will take you serious and then write to Chief Executive of your council.
6. Council will realise you mean business
7. Watch enforcement miraculously start to happen.
sherbertdip said:
FiF said:
Hello council civil servants.
Sends another wavey to the council. Do your jobs, civil servants.
Basic facts:Sends another wavey to the council. Do your jobs, civil servants.
Council = Public Servants
On your bike otherwise.
ParkingRanter said:
Hi,
I'm actually an existing poster here but am posting from this account as I would rather keep things separate from my other stuff.
I'm actually an existing poster here but am posting from this account as I would rather keep things separate from my other stuff.
PH Terms and Conditions said:
Registration
By registering, you certify that all information you provide in the registration is accurate. Users may only maintain one active registration. In other words, it's one registration per person. By accepting this agreement, you certify that you have no other registration with PistonHeads.com.
People get banned for having dual accounts. Not sure why you need to go all cloak and dagger for what amounts to an extension to the bad parking thread.By registering, you certify that all information you provide in the registration is accurate. Users may only maintain one active registration. In other words, it's one registration per person. By accepting this agreement, you certify that you have no other registration with PistonHeads.com.
Hows about some photos or Google street view links so we can have a look at the problem?
I've found with local council affairs, emails and letters just achieve nothing. See your councillor personal face to face, they aren't hard to find. Do this over and over again until they get so fed up they take some action just to get rid of you. Its the only way.
They may be public servants but they are still human and letters and emails are dead easy to fob off.
Do you know if any of the councillors have any business links to the places on this road? It may be a reason for them to be tardy when it comes to your complaints.
In short you need to make a nuisance of yourself to get anything done.
ParkingRanter said:
This particular area is used a lot by kids from a local school.
...hopefully, before someone is seriously injured or killed.
Have you tried contacting the school?...hopefully, before someone is seriously injured or killed.
A strongly worded letter from the Head Teacher, on school headed paper, will carry more weight than one from a normal person on the street. They are also more likely to know people who can get things done. (Local media, council, etc.)
Where has the bad parking thread gone? this could make good few additions
As a lazy, useless, intransigent Council employee I am loath to offer any advice but it would be helpful to know whether Civil Parking Enforcement (CPE) powers have been taken on by the relevant Authority?
If not, then parked vehicles that contravene any road markings such as yellow lines, are enforced by the BiB.
If not, then parked vehicles that contravene any road markings such as yellow lines, are enforced by the BiB.
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