BBC on CCTV ban: 'Gridlock in scores of cities & towns'
Discussion
Wow. I must admit, I didn't call this. I'm sure many of us got caught up in the congestion and will be sharing their tales of woe.
BBC said:
'Gridlock in scores of cities & towns' as council parking enforcement relaxed
Ministers who championed a ban on most CCTV parking enforcement, and a 10-minute grace period for motorists at parking meters, were frantically backpedalling on Tuesday as the new approach resulted in 'unprecedented' gridlock in cities and towns across England and Wales.
London, Manchester and Leeds were particularly badly hit, with journeys of a few miles sometimes taking over 6 hours. The situation, described as 'dire' by Edmund King, President of the AA, resulted in emergency vehicles being physically unable to reach their destinations. A 74-year-old woman, who had suffered from an asthma attack, was pronounced dead upon arrival at Fairfield General Hospital in Bury after her ambulance was delayed for 2 hours and 45 minutes.
Baroness Jones, representing the Green Party in the London Assembly, branded the CCTV ban 'insanely dangerous'. "Motorists, now unencumbered by CCTV enforcement, are simply dumping their cars in the middle of the road whenever they see a shop they wish to visit. A driver will always behave selfishly given the opportunity, so this absurd policy change can only end badly. Camera enforcement is on the right side of history, and should be increasing rather than decreasing.
'Progressive solution'
"The 10-minute grace period should also be reversed, though it does have a silver lining in that fewer drivers will be able to find a space if existing vehicles are allowed to stay longer. But however long individual cars are allowed to park for, metered spaces are still available for the same total time each day, so the only truly progressive solution is to remove the metered spaces altogether and replace them with double yellow lines and, where appropriate, bus lanes."
Drivers across the UK tweeted their frustration at being unable to move for hours at a time. One motorist said: "The gridlock is so bad that not only am I unable to drive anywhere, there is not even enough space to get out and walk. I might as well be in prison." Another posted: "I thought it was unnecessary to send people tickets through the post for stopping briefly on quiet streets to read maps etc. I thought that a CEO hiding and then giving out a £120 ticket for overstaying at a meter by 30 seconds was unreasonable. I thought it was all a big scam. How wrong was I? Look at this! I have no idea when I'll see my family again!"
'Educate'
Meanwhile, Westminster cyclists expressed disappointment with the new 10-minute grace period granted to drivers returning to their cars at parking meters. "It was an enjoyable pastime, noting when cars had parked and then informing CEOs the second they overstayed," one said. "And I felt I was really contributing something positive to society. I did it not out of spite, but to educate people about sustainable, responsible transport. Many thanked me once they saw the light. But now, drivers tend to get back before they get a ticket, meaning that they are not punished for their deviant four-wheeled behaviour, and it therefore goes uncorrected.
"I will just have to concentrate on spreading my message of cycling promotion on online motoring forums instead. I find that pretending to be a driver, and then coming up with excuses as to why strict enforcement is good for 'us', fools some people quite well!"
Repeal vote
Although the Deregulation Bill, which bans CCTV enforcement in most cases, has received Royal Assent and become law, there is a 28-day cooling off period which has not yet expired. Green MP Caroline Lucas and Lib Dem MP Norman Baker were among those calling for a repeal vote. "As a result of the widespread and unprecedented congestion experienced on Tuesday, we probably have enough votes between Labour and Lib Dem MPs to kill the bill, or at least the CCTV enforcement provisions," a source said. Debate is likely to take place on Wednesday evening.
Cllr Peter Box, Chair of the Local Government Association's Economy and Transport Board, said: "Today has shown that Councils conduct parking enforcement not to raise revenue but to keep trafic moving for their constituents and visitors. Their expertise in this matter should be respected by central governemnt, rather than interfered with. We hope and expect that common sense will now prevail and the changes will be reversed."
Ministers who championed a ban on most CCTV parking enforcement, and a 10-minute grace period for motorists at parking meters, were frantically backpedalling on Tuesday as the new approach resulted in 'unprecedented' gridlock in cities and towns across England and Wales.
London, Manchester and Leeds were particularly badly hit, with journeys of a few miles sometimes taking over 6 hours. The situation, described as 'dire' by Edmund King, President of the AA, resulted in emergency vehicles being physically unable to reach their destinations. A 74-year-old woman, who had suffered from an asthma attack, was pronounced dead upon arrival at Fairfield General Hospital in Bury after her ambulance was delayed for 2 hours and 45 minutes.
Baroness Jones, representing the Green Party in the London Assembly, branded the CCTV ban 'insanely dangerous'. "Motorists, now unencumbered by CCTV enforcement, are simply dumping their cars in the middle of the road whenever they see a shop they wish to visit. A driver will always behave selfishly given the opportunity, so this absurd policy change can only end badly. Camera enforcement is on the right side of history, and should be increasing rather than decreasing.
'Progressive solution'
"The 10-minute grace period should also be reversed, though it does have a silver lining in that fewer drivers will be able to find a space if existing vehicles are allowed to stay longer. But however long individual cars are allowed to park for, metered spaces are still available for the same total time each day, so the only truly progressive solution is to remove the metered spaces altogether and replace them with double yellow lines and, where appropriate, bus lanes."
Drivers across the UK tweeted their frustration at being unable to move for hours at a time. One motorist said: "The gridlock is so bad that not only am I unable to drive anywhere, there is not even enough space to get out and walk. I might as well be in prison." Another posted: "I thought it was unnecessary to send people tickets through the post for stopping briefly on quiet streets to read maps etc. I thought that a CEO hiding and then giving out a £120 ticket for overstaying at a meter by 30 seconds was unreasonable. I thought it was all a big scam. How wrong was I? Look at this! I have no idea when I'll see my family again!"
'Educate'
Meanwhile, Westminster cyclists expressed disappointment with the new 10-minute grace period granted to drivers returning to their cars at parking meters. "It was an enjoyable pastime, noting when cars had parked and then informing CEOs the second they overstayed," one said. "And I felt I was really contributing something positive to society. I did it not out of spite, but to educate people about sustainable, responsible transport. Many thanked me once they saw the light. But now, drivers tend to get back before they get a ticket, meaning that they are not punished for their deviant four-wheeled behaviour, and it therefore goes uncorrected.
"I will just have to concentrate on spreading my message of cycling promotion on online motoring forums instead. I find that pretending to be a driver, and then coming up with excuses as to why strict enforcement is good for 'us', fools some people quite well!"
Repeal vote
Although the Deregulation Bill, which bans CCTV enforcement in most cases, has received Royal Assent and become law, there is a 28-day cooling off period which has not yet expired. Green MP Caroline Lucas and Lib Dem MP Norman Baker were among those calling for a repeal vote. "As a result of the widespread and unprecedented congestion experienced on Tuesday, we probably have enough votes between Labour and Lib Dem MPs to kill the bill, or at least the CCTV enforcement provisions," a source said. Debate is likely to take place on Wednesday evening.
Cllr Peter Box, Chair of the Local Government Association's Economy and Transport Board, said: "Today has shown that Councils conduct parking enforcement not to raise revenue but to keep trafic moving for their constituents and visitors. Their expertise in this matter should be respected by central governemnt, rather than interfered with. We hope and expect that common sense will now prevail and the changes will be reversed."
ks from someone with an agenda.Monkeylegend said:
That's a photo from ages ago, not related to removal of CCTV parking cameras a few days ago.
I think.
The picture is of the traffic chaos brought about by the use of the new bus station at Northampton last year. It brought deadlock to the town centre. Incidentally, the old Greyfriars Bus Station, recently demolished, is the building on the right of the pic.I think.
Cliftonite said:
Monkeylegend said:
That's a photo from ages ago, not related to removal of CCTV parking cameras a few days ago.
I think.
The picture is of the traffic chaos brought about by the use of the new bus station at Northampton last year. It brought deadlock to the town centre. Incidentally, the old Greyfriars Bus Station, recently demolished, is the building on the right of the pic.I think.
GPSHead said:
Wow. I must admit, I didn't call this. I'm sure many of us got caught up in the congestion and will be sharing their tales of woe.
BBC said:
'Gridlock in scores of cities & towns' as council parking enforcement relaxed
Ministers who championed a ban on most CCTV parking enforcement, and a 10-minute grace period for motorists at parking meters, were frantically backpedalling on Tuesday as the new approach resulted in 'unprecedented' gridlock in cities and towns across England and Wales.
London, Manchester and Leeds were particularly badly hit, with journeys of a few miles sometimes taking over 6 hours. The situation, described as 'dire' by Edmund King, President of the AA, resulted in emergency vehicles being physically unable to reach their destinations. A 74-year-old woman, who had suffered from an asthma attack, was pronounced dead upon arrival at Fairfield General Hospital in Bury after her ambulance was delayed for 2 hours and 45 minutes.
Baroness Jones, representing the Green Party in the London Assembly, branded the CCTV ban 'insanely dangerous'. "Motorists, now unencumbered by CCTV enforcement, are simply dumping their cars in the middle of the road whenever they see a shop they wish to visit. A driver will always behave selfishly given the opportunity, so this absurd policy change can only end badly. Camera enforcement is on the right side of history, and should be increasing rather than decreasing.
'Progressive solution'
"The 10-minute grace period should also be reversed, though it does have a silver lining in that fewer drivers will be able to find a space if existing vehicles are allowed to stay longer. But however long individual cars are allowed to park for, metered spaces are still available for the same total time each day, so the only truly progressive solution is to remove the metered spaces altogether and replace them with double yellow lines and, where appropriate, bus lanes."
Drivers across the UK tweeted their frustration at being unable to move for hours at a time. One motorist said: "The gridlock is so bad that not only am I unable to drive anywhere, there is not even enough space to get out and walk. I might as well be in prison." Another posted: "I thought it was unnecessary to send people tickets through the post for stopping briefly on quiet streets to read maps etc. I thought that a CEO hiding and then giving out a £120 ticket for overstaying at a meter by 30 seconds was unreasonable. I thought it was all a big scam. How wrong was I? Look at this! I have no idea when I'll see my family again!"
'Educate'
Meanwhile, Westminster cyclists expressed disappointment with the new 10-minute grace period granted to drivers returning to their cars at parking meters. "It was an enjoyable pastime, noting when cars had parked and then informing CEOs the second they overstayed," one said. "And I felt I was really contributing something positive to society. I did it not out of spite, but to educate people about sustainable, responsible transport. Many thanked me once they saw the light. But now, drivers tend to get back before they get a ticket, meaning that they are not punished for their deviant four-wheeled behaviour, and it therefore goes uncorrected.
"I will just have to concentrate on spreading my message of cycling promotion on online motoring forums instead. I find that pretending to be a driver, and then coming up with excuses as to why strict enforcement is good for 'us', fools some people quite well!"
Repeal vote
Although the Deregulation Bill, which bans CCTV enforcement in most cases, has received Royal Assent and become law, there is a 28-day cooling off period which has not yet expired. Green MP Caroline Lucas and Lib Dem MP Norman Baker were among those calling for a repeal vote. "As a result of the widespread and unprecedented congestion experienced on Tuesday, we probably have enough votes between Labour and Lib Dem MPs to kill the bill, or at least the CCTV enforcement provisions," a source said. Debate is likely to take place on Wednesday evening.
Cllr Peter Box, Chair of the Local Government Association's Economy and Transport Board, said: "Today has shown that Councils conduct parking enforcement not to raise revenue but to keep trafic moving for their constituents and visitors. Their expertise in this matter should be respected by central governemnt, rather than interfered with. We hope and expect that common sense will now prevail and the changes will be reversed."
Ministers who championed a ban on most CCTV parking enforcement, and a 10-minute grace period for motorists at parking meters, were frantically backpedalling on Tuesday as the new approach resulted in 'unprecedented' gridlock in cities and towns across England and Wales.
London, Manchester and Leeds were particularly badly hit, with journeys of a few miles sometimes taking over 6 hours. The situation, described as 'dire' by Edmund King, President of the AA, resulted in emergency vehicles being physically unable to reach their destinations. A 74-year-old woman, who had suffered from an asthma attack, was pronounced dead upon arrival at Fairfield General Hospital in Bury after her ambulance was delayed for 2 hours and 45 minutes.
Baroness Jones, representing the Green Party in the London Assembly, branded the CCTV ban 'insanely dangerous'. "Motorists, now unencumbered by CCTV enforcement, are simply dumping their cars in the middle of the road whenever they see a shop they wish to visit. A driver will always behave selfishly given the opportunity, so this absurd policy change can only end badly. Camera enforcement is on the right side of history, and should be increasing rather than decreasing.
'Progressive solution'
"The 10-minute grace period should also be reversed, though it does have a silver lining in that fewer drivers will be able to find a space if existing vehicles are allowed to stay longer. But however long individual cars are allowed to park for, metered spaces are still available for the same total time each day, so the only truly progressive solution is to remove the metered spaces altogether and replace them with double yellow lines and, where appropriate, bus lanes."
Drivers across the UK tweeted their frustration at being unable to move for hours at a time. One motorist said: "The gridlock is so bad that not only am I unable to drive anywhere, there is not even enough space to get out and walk. I might as well be in prison." Another posted: "I thought it was unnecessary to send people tickets through the post for stopping briefly on quiet streets to read maps etc. I thought that a CEO hiding and then giving out a £120 ticket for overstaying at a meter by 30 seconds was unreasonable. I thought it was all a big scam. How wrong was I? Look at this! I have no idea when I'll see my family again!"
'Educate'
Meanwhile, Westminster cyclists expressed disappointment with the new 10-minute grace period granted to drivers returning to their cars at parking meters. "It was an enjoyable pastime, noting when cars had parked and then informing CEOs the second they overstayed," one said. "And I felt I was really contributing something positive to society. I did it not out of spite, but to educate people about sustainable, responsible transport. Many thanked me once they saw the light. But now, drivers tend to get back before they get a ticket, meaning that they are not punished for their deviant four-wheeled behaviour, and it therefore goes uncorrected.
"I will just have to concentrate on spreading my message of cycling promotion on online motoring forums instead. I find that pretending to be a driver, and then coming up with excuses as to why strict enforcement is good for 'us', fools some people quite well!"
Repeal vote
Although the Deregulation Bill, which bans CCTV enforcement in most cases, has received Royal Assent and become law, there is a 28-day cooling off period which has not yet expired. Green MP Caroline Lucas and Lib Dem MP Norman Baker were among those calling for a repeal vote. "As a result of the widespread and unprecedented congestion experienced on Tuesday, we probably have enough votes between Labour and Lib Dem MPs to kill the bill, or at least the CCTV enforcement provisions," a source said. Debate is likely to take place on Wednesday evening.
Cllr Peter Box, Chair of the Local Government Association's Economy and Transport Board, said: "Today has shown that Councils conduct parking enforcement not to raise revenue but to keep trafic moving for their constituents and visitors. Their expertise in this matter should be respected by central governemnt, rather than interfered with. We hope and expect that common sense will now prevail and the changes will be reversed."
I think someone ought to quote it for posterity 
ETA: Just too late , so I'll crop it a little...
GPSHead said:
Wow. I must admit, I didn't call this. I'm sure many of us got caught up in the congestion and will be sharing their tales of woe.
"I didn't call this"... but he sure made it up.ETA: Just too late
, so I'll crop it a little...
Dammit said:
... very lack of original thought.
Actually, in some regards, no. Fairfield General Hospital, Bury - as quoted in (by) the OP - can be a complete pain to get to from Bury for much of the day... 
I can't see anywhere on that route where people saying "Ooh CCTV parking enforcement has stopped, let's dump the motor and run!" would make a difference with most motorists planning their drive; hell! I wasn't even aware that CCTV parking enforcement stopped yesterday? 
It didn't?? That's a surprise
But google maps didn't show anything unusual on Rochdale Old Road heading East from Bury - or anywhere else in the North West - yesterday
. Funny, that... 
I can only assume it's an uncredited link from the 'guffington post' or similar??
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