London parking fines top £269m
Discussion
£269m war on drivers
By David Williams Motoring Editor, Evening Standard
14 October 2004
The full scale of the war being waged on motorists in London is revealed today.
Drivers paid an astonishing £269 million in fines in the capital last year.
The figure covers clamping and tow-away fees, parking fines and penalties for driving in bus lanes.
Parking fines alone amounted to £222 million, 37 per cent up on the year before, according to a survey by a motorists' campaign group.
Westminster council heads the "rich list" by taking an estimated £52.6 million in parking penalties, with revenue 34 per cent up on the year before.
The second-biggest earner is Camden, which took nearly £18million in parking fines, with income 41 per cent up on the previous year.
The most astonishing gain was in Newham. Parking revenue shot up 135 per cent to help generate £6.9 million.
The figures are from a survey by AppealNow.com, a webbased service that fights "unfair" tickets on behalf of motorists. It shows Kensington and Chelsea in third place, earning £14.6 million from parking fines, 24 per cent higher than the year before.
Next is Islington with £10.4 million. "The latest figures show an amazing amount of money being
taken from motorists," said chartered accountant Barrie Segal, who founded AppealNow.com.
"The total revenue figures - conservative estimates based on the number of tickets issued and vehicles dealt with by clampers and towers - show many councils are using the system to raise money rather than manage traffic.
"Westminster issued 7.7 per cent more tickets than in the previous year yet, because of the congestion charge, they agreed that fewer vehicles parked in the borough.
"How did they issue seven per cent more tickets when traffic dropped?"
Mr Segal said analysis of his data showed "'thousands" of tickets were being issued unfairly.
He said the rise in maximum parking fines - from £80 to £100 with a 50 per cent discount for swift payment - had also swelled council coffers.
"Motorists feel powerless to stop this reign of terror. Thousands are suffering," he said.
Today's figures come days after the Evening Standard reported that a record 5.9 million parking and bus lane fines were issued in the year to 31 March - up more than 500,000 on last year.
Those statistics came from the Association for London Government (ALG), which represents boroughs.
Reasons given for the rise were that more councils enforced bus lanes with CCTV, and there were more controlled parking zones.
But Nick Lester, the ALG's transport and environment director, denied revenue rose "anywhere near" as steeply as Mr Segal's claims.
"His estimates are too high," Mr Lester said. "It would be unlawful for councils to use enforcement as a revenue-raising exercise "It is lawful for them to make a surplus during legitimate enforcement."
Westminster has clamped and towed away more vehicles than any other London borough in the past year. The ALG reported it immobilised 45,384 vehicles and towed away 20,508. Camden clamped 29,554, and towed away 9,456. Kensington and Chelsea immobilised 15,654 and took away 9,704. Hackney clamped 13,033, Islington 10,919.
By David Williams Motoring Editor, Evening Standard
14 October 2004
The full scale of the war being waged on motorists in London is revealed today.
Drivers paid an astonishing £269 million in fines in the capital last year.
The figure covers clamping and tow-away fees, parking fines and penalties for driving in bus lanes.
Parking fines alone amounted to £222 million, 37 per cent up on the year before, according to a survey by a motorists' campaign group.
Westminster council heads the "rich list" by taking an estimated £52.6 million in parking penalties, with revenue 34 per cent up on the year before.
The second-biggest earner is Camden, which took nearly £18million in parking fines, with income 41 per cent up on the previous year.
The most astonishing gain was in Newham. Parking revenue shot up 135 per cent to help generate £6.9 million.
The figures are from a survey by AppealNow.com, a webbased service that fights "unfair" tickets on behalf of motorists. It shows Kensington and Chelsea in third place, earning £14.6 million from parking fines, 24 per cent higher than the year before.
Next is Islington with £10.4 million. "The latest figures show an amazing amount of money being
taken from motorists," said chartered accountant Barrie Segal, who founded AppealNow.com.
"The total revenue figures - conservative estimates based on the number of tickets issued and vehicles dealt with by clampers and towers - show many councils are using the system to raise money rather than manage traffic.
"Westminster issued 7.7 per cent more tickets than in the previous year yet, because of the congestion charge, they agreed that fewer vehicles parked in the borough.
"How did they issue seven per cent more tickets when traffic dropped?"
Mr Segal said analysis of his data showed "'thousands" of tickets were being issued unfairly.
He said the rise in maximum parking fines - from £80 to £100 with a 50 per cent discount for swift payment - had also swelled council coffers.
"Motorists feel powerless to stop this reign of terror. Thousands are suffering," he said.
Today's figures come days after the Evening Standard reported that a record 5.9 million parking and bus lane fines were issued in the year to 31 March - up more than 500,000 on last year.
Those statistics came from the Association for London Government (ALG), which represents boroughs.
Reasons given for the rise were that more councils enforced bus lanes with CCTV, and there were more controlled parking zones.
But Nick Lester, the ALG's transport and environment director, denied revenue rose "anywhere near" as steeply as Mr Segal's claims.
"His estimates are too high," Mr Lester said. "It would be unlawful for councils to use enforcement as a revenue-raising exercise "It is lawful for them to make a surplus during legitimate enforcement."
Westminster has clamped and towed away more vehicles than any other London borough in the past year. The ALG reported it immobilised 45,384 vehicles and towed away 20,508. Camden clamped 29,554, and towed away 9,456. Kensington and Chelsea immobilised 15,654 and took away 9,704. Hackney clamped 13,033, Islington 10,919.
MMC said:That's not Stephen topping up his royalty cheque and pension is it? If only...being on the receiving end of a dose of Aikido Te would help these councillors think more clearly about who they're meant to serve, and what parking enforcement should be about - traffic flow not revenue generation. Councils just look at the SCAMPs extortion racket and want their snout in the trough too. From disgusted of PH.
£269m war on drivers...Mr Segal said analysis of his data showed "'thousands" of tickets were being issued unfairly...
And all that money is going into scumbag Livingstones pocket to make adverts for a poorly functioning London Transport (as seen yesterday evening on BBC London News) pictures of yellow coated highway robbers, car thieves and a supposedly happy family getting on a overpopulated piss-smelling BUS!!! FFS!!!
The allegations of unreasonable revenue collection (institutional corruption, if you like) could be removed at a stroke if the council did not get to keep the money from the fines it levied.
If you allow an authority to keep the fines it levies, you create a conflict of interest. You leave the doors wide open to corruption and the accusation of corruption.
If parking tickets, speed camera fines etc. were all paid into general central government funding (or the national lottery or whatever) there could be no accusations of corruption, and the motivation of the authority would be clear.
If you allow an authority to keep the fines it levies, you create a conflict of interest. You leave the doors wide open to corruption and the accusation of corruption.
If parking tickets, speed camera fines etc. were all paid into general central government funding (or the national lottery or whatever) there could be no accusations of corruption, and the motivation of the authority would be clear.
In my post "GENESIS" I outlined one of the concepts that an organised society would utilise to reverse the trend of bureaucratic, sorry they are now quite clearly autocratic, organisations from punitively and financially abusing motorists with no criminal intent.
Perhaps now the sceptics among you who tried to assert that it would be an impotent weapon will think again.
Remember these figures are only for the London area, and only for parking and related incidents.
Refusing to pay these would bring it to a dead stop.
Help me to get this going; I can't do it all on my own.
E-mail me and we'll make a difference.
Perhaps now the sceptics among you who tried to assert that it would be an impotent weapon will think again.
Remember these figures are only for the London area, and only for parking and related incidents.
Refusing to pay these would bring it to a dead stop.
Help me to get this going; I can't do it all on my own.
E-mail me and we'll make a difference.
As if there isn't enough of this additional revenue flowing in, that creepy socialist Livingstone is raising public transport fares (despite promising not to) because apparantly, there is insufficient revenue coming in from the congestion charge!
That's what happens when you get grubby twits in a position of power way above where they should be.
That's what happens when you get grubby twits in a position of power way above where they should be.
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