Parking blitz hits drivers
Discussion
this is London said:
Parking blitz hits drivers
By David Williams, Evening Standard Motoring Editor
12 March 2004
New evidence of the massive rise in parking fines is revealed today. Private motorists in London have already been hit by an increase in tickets issued by parking attendants.
Now firms delivering goods to shops, offices and the home are being targeted - and they warn that to stay profitable the extra costs will ultimately be passed on in higher prices for consumers.
A survey by the Freight Transport Association (FTA) reveals that last year the number of parking tickets issued to delivery drivers in London soared by an average of 78 per cent. The value of the fines rose by an average of 86 per cent.
Among the worst hit was retail giant John Lewis. The number of fines issued to its drivers rose from 93 in 2002 to 188 last year, costing more than £13,000.
"The situation is out of hand - local authorities now see the parking ticket as another legitimate form of revenue," said Richard Turner, chief executive of FTA, many of whose members have already seen profits hit by the introduction of the congestion charge.
He blamed "over-zealous" parking attendants failing to use discretion on congested inner-city roads.
"With fewer motorists in the congestion charging zone, attendants target delivery drivers instead to keep tallies up," he said. In the run-up to new laws allowing councils to enforce not just parking but also traffic offences by CCTV from next month, Mr Turner said increased use of technology was also to blame for soaring ticket numbers.
The FTA survey also reveals that attendants in London issue a high rate of "wrong" tickets, with 34 per cent overturned at appeal.
Fleet operators attack attendants for being "aggressive", for failing to ask drivers to move on before issuing tickets - ranging from £80 to £100 - and for misinterpretation of loading and unloading rules.
Wholesaler Matthew Clarke Ltd revealed that it appealed against 1,946 tickets and won in every case. The survey found the worst councils for issuing tickets were Westminster, Camden, the City, and Kensington and Chelsea.
Fines for the 31 firms surveyed totalled more than £1 million in 2003, up from £266,258 in 2002.
The Association of London Government, which represents borough councils, denied parking attendants were over-zealous.
Transport and environment director Nick Lester said: "If drivers had the benefit of the doubt every time it would result in chaos. The fact that 34 per cent of appeals are won shows the system is fair."
"The fact that 34% of appeals are won shows the system is fair".
A novel interpretation of "fair", I think. In reality it shows that a third of tickets are accepted as unfair by the authorities. That's a lot of "mistakes" on the part of the traffic wardens. Even rugby referees don't make that many mistakes, and they have to make split-second decisions....but perhaps traffic wardens do too -- they can see the driver coming back to the vehicle after doing a perfectly legal load/unload and have to write that ticket really quickly.
A novel interpretation of "fair", I think. In reality it shows that a third of tickets are accepted as unfair by the authorities. That's a lot of "mistakes" on the part of the traffic wardens. Even rugby referees don't make that many mistakes, and they have to make split-second decisions....but perhaps traffic wardens do too -- they can see the driver coming back to the vehicle after doing a perfectly legal load/unload and have to write that ticket really quickly.
Peter Ward said:
"The fact that 34% of appeals are won shows the system is fair".
A novel interpretation of "fair", I think. In reality it shows that a third of tickets are accepted as unfair by the authorities. That's a lot of "mistakes" on the part of the traffic wardens. Even rugby referees don't make that many mistakes, and they have to make split-second decisions....but perhaps traffic wardens do too -- they can see the driver coming back to the vehicle after doing a perfectly legal load/unload and have to write that ticket really quickly.
What other 'profession' can you name that only gets it right 66% of the time and is praised by the employer, most firms would go bust with this average but the council makes money out of it.
The last time I parked on a London street, I left the car for 5 minutes and when I came back I had a ticket.
I checked before that there were no wardens about, but obviously they are hiding behind lamp posts and hiding in dark alleys waiting to pounce on the poor motorist.
Since the Councils took over issuing tickets from Traffic wardens they are just doing it for the money.
Scum.
I checked before that there were no wardens about, but obviously they are hiding behind lamp posts and hiding in dark alleys waiting to pounce on the poor motorist.
Since the Councils took over issuing tickets from Traffic wardens they are just doing it for the money.
Scum.
voyds9 said:
What other 'profession' can you name that only gets it right 66% of the time and is praised by the employer, most firms would go bust with this average but the council makes money out of it.
errr, Scamera Pratnershit ?
eg illegal traps, wrong procedures, incorrect NIPs. Deliberate entrapment to obtain pecuniary advantage. I could go on.... maybe we should try a civil action on an SCP one of these days.
ledfoot said:
The last time I parked on a London street, I left the car for 5 minutes and when I came back I had a ticket.
I checked before that there were no wardens about, but obviously they are hiding behind lamp posts and hiding in dark alleys waiting to pounce on the poor motorist.
Since the Councils took over issuing tickets from Traffic wardens they are just doing it for the money.
Scum.
Agree! Hubby (aka Mad Moggie) got one when parking up in Spring Gardens, Manchester (This is the authority which gave Flopsy the Bunny a parking ticket whilst in her hutch outside a petshop, and slapped a ticket on a bus picking up passengers at a genuine bus stop!)
It also hired the numpty who issued parking tickets to every legally parked car on a Bank Holiday!
Well, Mad Mogs parked up fair and square. Went to machine all of 6 strides away, purchased ticket, returned to find
twazak had plonked ticket on his pride 'n joy and was legging it down the road! Mad Moggie chased after him and lot of altercations took place - which resulted in a steamingly Mad Moggie getting all claws into the poor woman behind the glass screens in the quaintly called "Parking Shop" (where you pay your fines and/or rant about it!).
Ticket was finally rescinded 6 months later after a various exchanges of letters.
But Mad Moggie wonders what would have happened if he had not have caught the warden at the time! And also wonders how wide-spread this is in large towns?
Proves that these twazaks are basically dishonest and that any further powers would be misused completely!
Just like the scam partnerships as "hertsbiker" rightly and eloquently points out!
voyds9 said:
What other 'profession' can you name that only gets it right 66% of the time and is praised by the employer, most firms would go bust with this average but the council makes money out of it.
err Inland Revenue. They only claim to get 75% of tax calculations correct.
Ok slightly more than 66% but still scandalous.
Getting only 66% efficiency is appalling in any business - the amount of cash wasted by repealling the other 34% must be phenomenal.
Had a similar incident to others in this thread. Outside a friends house in Brighton, 8.50pm on a Saturday night. Nowhere to park legally, so stopped to drop stuff off. 5 mins later, 30quid fine and THREE numpties walking, nay, striding bloody quickly away into the darkness. By the time I'd got in the car and driven off after them, they'd evaporated.
Had a similar incident to others in this thread. Outside a friends house in Brighton, 8.50pm on a Saturday night. Nowhere to park legally, so stopped to drop stuff off. 5 mins later, 30quid fine and THREE numpties walking, nay, striding bloody quickly away into the darkness. By the time I'd got in the car and driven off after them, they'd evaporated.
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