Traffic warden shocker!
Author
Discussion

gh0st

Original Poster:

4,693 posts

281 months

Tuesday 24th August 2004
quotequote all
Was walking to the laundrette the other day through Newton Abbot center. This was late afternoon (5ish) on a Friday. As I passed a load of empty disabled bays off a side street I noticed a motorcycle parked in it with a traffic warden looking at it.

The traffic warden then went across to the adjacent hairdressers, asked whose bike it was, asked them politely to move it.

Biker came out, moved bike, everyone happy and job done.

Its nice to see these people actually acting like human beings for a change than just being a automatic ticking machine!

Lets see more out there like this! Save the ticket for the arrogant tossers who block off the town centre by parking down the wrong side of the road in rush hour

Streetcop

5,907 posts

261 months

Tuesday 24th August 2004
quotequote all
Most traffic wardens I've ever met have been like that...

I'm my town, i'm constantly telling the wardens at my nick to get more tickets issued, that they're not their to 'Nanny' the driver and round them up from the local shops etc to move the cars.

Everyone knows what double yellows etc means...if you get a ticket..tough poo...you'll have gotten away with it many times before, probably...

Street

gshughes

1,323 posts

278 months

Tuesday 24th August 2004
quotequote all
Maybe people parked in disabled bays should get a ticket though ?

What gets me is that the wardens seem to concentrate on soft targets. Folk parked on single yellows who are not causing any kind of problem get a ticket whereas those on double yellows causing a road safety hazard often seem to get off scott free.

Streetcop

5,907 posts

261 months

Tuesday 24th August 2004
quotequote all
gshughes said:
Maybe people parked in disabled bays should get a ticket though ?


They do if I've got time to stop

gshughes said:

What gets me is that the wardens seem to concentrate on soft targets.


Soft targets? As opposed to what? Tanks?

gshughes said:
Folk parked on single yellows who are not causing any kind of problem get a ticket whereas those on double yellows causing a road safety hazard often seem to get off scott free.


Single yellow and double yellow mean the same thing. The only difference is; double yellows are 24 hours. Single yellow are between certain times/days, ie: MON-SAT 8.30am-6.30pm.

I do agree with you though....more people need ticketing who park illegally. It's selfish, lazy and done with total contempt for not just the law, but more importantly every other road user..

Street

gh0st

Original Poster:

4,693 posts

281 months

Tuesday 24th August 2004
quotequote all
Streetcop said:



Soft targets? As opposed to what? Tanks?


Now there is an idea TAILGATE THIS!!!

Streetcop

5,907 posts

261 months

Tuesday 24th August 2004
quotequote all


Street

gshughes

1,323 posts

278 months

Tuesday 24th August 2004
quotequote all
Streetcop said:

Single yellow and double yellow mean the same thing. The only difference is; double yellows are 24 hours. Single yellow are between certain times/days, ie: MON-SAT 8.30am-6.30pm.

I do agree with you though....more people need ticketing who park illegally. It's selfish, lazy and done with total contempt for not just the law, but more importantly every other road user..

Street


You sure ? I thought there was a grace period on single yellows of around 10 minutes, whereas double yellows are supposed to be an instant ticket.

In practice you can park on most single yellows without causing any kind of hazard, it is a technical offence, whereas most double yellows are near junctions etc, and should be policed far more rigourously imho.

gh0st

Original Poster:

4,693 posts

281 months

Thursday 26th August 2004
quotequote all
Saw it again today! Different traffic warden saw a ticket that was 5 mins out, waited as the owner of the car came back (was obviously just a slight delay) and the traffic warden just mentioned that it was out of time and please to be more careful in future and let her go on her way

However in London today a mate of mine parked up, paid £5 for 20 mins outside a building he was working in, and 4 traffic wardens swamped round his car and stood by it until he returned 18 mins later. They looked noticibly annoyed that he had got back on time apparently...

Streetcop

5,907 posts

261 months

Thursday 26th August 2004
quotequote all
gshughes said:

Streetcop said:

Single yellow and double yellow mean the same thing. The only difference is; double yellows are 24 hours. Single yellow are between certain times/days, ie: MON-SAT 8.30am-6.30pm.

I do agree with you though....more people need ticketing who park illegally. It's selfish, lazy and done with total contempt for not just the law, but more importantly every other road user..

Street



You sure ? I thought there was a grace period on single yellows of around 10 minutes, whereas double yellows are supposed to be an instant ticket.


Absolutely...

Single yellow lines and double yellow lines have the same penalties and rules. There is no 'grace' period. Continuous loading is permitted, so long as no serious obstruction is taking place. Disabled badge holders are also excempt, again so long as no serious obstruction is being made.

The double yellows are 24 hours, whereby the single yellows are between a certain time period, normally the working day, so the road in question can remain free flowing for road users.

Street

voyds9

8,490 posts

306 months

Thursday 26th August 2004
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Got let off today as I had new windscreen fitted in 1 hour parking bay, told traffic warden I couldn't move it for 1 hour as the glue set, traffic warden said he hadn't even seen the car. Good man thank you.

Streetcop

5,907 posts

261 months

Thursday 26th August 2004
quotequote all
were you telling the truth?

Street

MMC

341 posts

292 months

Thursday 26th August 2004
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gh0st said:


Its nice to see these people actually acting like human beings for a change than just being a automatic ticking machine!

Lets see more out there like this! Save the ticket for the arrogant tossers who block off the town centre by parking down the wrong side of the road in rush hour


Has Newton Abbot got "decriminalised" parking - ie regulations enforced by privatised contractors, or is it still controlled by "real" traffic wardens?

MMC

WildCat

8,369 posts

266 months

Friday 27th August 2004
quotequote all
Streetcop said:

gshughes said:
Maybe people parked in disabled bays should get a ticket though ?



They do if I've got time to stop


The cop at Tesco's was "at it again" Disabled bay to do his shopping ... Can you come and sort him out for us He takes no notice of the security man, and made some condescending remark about wimmin and bumps

My six year old - bless him - told him to go play with his cars elsewhere .... Bringing him to be charming law-abiding type ......

For once - was lost for words - too busy ing.

gshughes said:

What gets me is that the wardens seem to concentrate on soft targets.



Manchester ones wait until you get out of cat and (in my case at mo') waddle to pay/display machine - and then run to put ticket on your car. He tried - I waddled there first anyway.... My "bump" got to car before he did When I said "Do not even think about pulling a Magnus Magnusson on me - Liebchen" - he scowled, swore at me and stalked off! Utter wus! And total prat! The joys of having to go into the big town .... Had forgotten just how horrid Manchester is ...How difficult it is to find somewhere to park ..... and how expensive it is to park on scrap of waste ground ....

This is area which tickets buses at bus stops, rabbits in hutches .....

And if you park at Morrisons, or certain Sainsburys around here - and leave ticket the wrong way up - the Stasis place ticket on your pride and joy .....

Streetcop said:

gshughes said:
Folk parked on single yellows who are not causing any kind of problem get a ticket whereas those on double yellows causing a road safety hazard often seem to get off scott free.



Single yellow and double yellow mean the same thing. The only difference is; double yellows are 24 hours. Single yellow are between certain times/days, ie: MON-SAT 8.30am-6.30pm.

I do agree with you though....more people need ticketing who park illegally. It's selfish, lazy and done with total contempt for not just the law, but more importantly every other road user..

Street


But this is the rub - they target the "easy pickings where they can make most cash out of drivers" and not where it is dangerous and pig-ignorant behaviour. So the twazaks do get off "scot free" after all....

WildCat

8,369 posts

266 months

Friday 27th August 2004
quotequote all
Streetcop said:
Most traffic wardens I've ever met have been like that...

I'm my town, i'm constantly telling the wardens at my nick to get more tickets issued, that they're not their to 'Nanny' the driver and round them up from the local shops etc to move the cars.

Everyone knows what double yellows etc means...if you get a ticket..tough poo...you'll have gotten away with it many times before, probably...

Street


Come to Manchester, the supermarket at Cockermouth - you will be right at home then Just your type

These idiots are not ticketting "double yellows" They never ever patrol there... They really do go where they can make easy money - and have been known to doctor tickets in Bury, Manchester. Story was on here, on local TV and in most local/national newspapers...

Stop seeing your lot with rose coloured spectacles. Plenty of bad apples in the force and employed as wardens whether you like it or not

Streetcop

5,907 posts

261 months

Friday 27th August 2004
quotequote all
There's no rose coloured spectacles on me..

The wardens in my force are too soft...

They prefer to go and find the drivers and ask them to move the cars. The drivers only piss up their backs, and park their again...Get £30 off 'em...they'll think twice in future..

Street

lanciachris

3,357 posts

264 months

Friday 27th August 2004
quotequote all
My only traffic offence (if you could call it that) was getting back to my car 5 minutes after the ticket had expired. Warden was issuing ticket as I got there.

One of the evil variety of wardens. The vehicle parked next to mine had a ticket that was 1 1/2 hours out, and the owner returned whilst i was being ticketed - did the warden do anything? did they . Obviously better to target a young person in a bad car than a mother and child..

Streetcop

5,907 posts

261 months

Friday 27th August 2004
quotequote all
Nevermind Chris....

I ticket anybody...if they're capable of being in control of a vehicle, they are capable of receiving a fixed penalty ticket..

Ohhh...streetcop....

Street

Heebee

139 posts

259 months

Friday 27th August 2004
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Streetcop,

I'm confused about the double yellow/single yellow thing.

I was always led to believe that a single yellow was 'no parking' and double yellow was 'no waiting'. We've got single yellows at the top of our street, and there are no signs to say when parking restrictions are in force. Not that it matters: people just park where they like anyway...

I've also seen (in bedford) parking bays, with single yellows through them! What the hell does that mean??

FunkyNige

9,717 posts

298 months

Friday 27th August 2004
quotequote all
Streetcop said:
There's no rose coloured spectacles on me..

The wardens in my force are too soft...

They prefer to go and find the drivers and ask them to move the cars. The drivers only piss up their backs, and park their again...Get £30 off 'em...they'll think twice in future..

Street


The way I see it is this: the wardens are there to act as a deterrent and stop people parking illegally. If we look at the example in the OP, there was a motorbike in a disabled bay. If the warden put a ticket on it, there would still be a motorbike in the disabled bay, whereas if they asked for it to be moved there would not be a bike in the disabled bay. So on one hand we have the bike where it shouldn't be and on the other the bike is gone.

When the wardens (and police by the sound of it) are more interested in giving out tickets rather than making sure no vehicles are where they shouldn't be we're in serious trouble.

chrisgr31

14,211 posts

278 months

Friday 27th August 2004
quotequote all
Streetcop said:
There's no rose coloured spectacles on me..

The wardens in my force are too soft...

They prefer to go and find the drivers and ask them to move the cars. The drivers only piss up their backs, and park their again...Get £30 off 'em...they'll think twice in future..

Street


I never realised you were in charge of the wardens in Crawley High Street!

The High Street has yellow lines with bays for short term parking, and a small charge. Local Estate Agents use them as there parking spaces, only paying on the rare occasions when a traffic wardns appear, and to make it worse the traffic wardens used to go and ask the estate agents to pay or move. Needless to say there was speculation as to why they should do this.

There has to be a happy medium where those who are innocent, have popped into a shop and been held up get a chance whereas regular offenders don't. After all in the High Street here its obvious who the regular offenders are as they are there every day!