Traffic wardens face disciplinary action if they don't hand enough tickets in an hour
tinyurl.com/3g2p5z
I know BRs don't appreciate news from Daily Mail - but this really made me speechless.
I often heard earlier that wardens had target to meet but never thought that they are under this much pressure!!
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If there aren't enough cars illegally parked there won't be enough tickets issued, the wardens will be sacked and that is a TOP result. Let's have more news like this! The words "News" and "Daily Mail" are rarely found together in one sentence BTW! Rumour mongering and idle speculation might be nearer the mark.
Edited by Armitage Shanks {p} on 10/10/2008 at 15:13
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If there aren't enough cars illegally parked there won't be enough tickets issued the wardens will be sacked and that is a TOP result.
Maybe we need a national 'No Speeding' week and then see how long it is before the revenue dries up that pays for the speed cameras.
Edited by skorpio on 10/10/2008 at 15:22
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Dear oh Dear! I have just wasted 5 minutes of what remains of my life reading this cringe inducing rubbish!, see link.
Quote from a warden - "'You have to look for chances to give tickets. It means going to residential areas, looking for cars on streets where the lines are incorrectly painted, or faded." If the lines are faded or incorrectly painted they are invalid/illegal and a ticket cannot be issued, or if it is it won't surviv and appeal.
I was tempted to park on a road by my station the other day; there was a 50ft long double yellow line but it did not have the 'closing bar' at right angles to the lines, at one end. I didn't chance it but I notice there is a man who parks there regularly and is never ticketed - the enforcer must know the lines, as they are right now, are not legal
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There is a good point in one of the comments that people who park illegally (and same applies to people who get done by speed cameras) are reducing the tax burden for everyone else. They are, after all, optional payments.
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What's the Daily Mail done wrong this time?
They have quoted an email which certainly looks like it is setting a target.
And they have quoted the council claiming it has 'performance indicators' rather than targets.
Believe whichever side you like, but don't shoot the messenger.
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It's the only way of getting proof that they are doing their job conscientiously and not skiving. Any driver who has parked correctly has nothing to fear.
Edited by L'escargot on 11/10/2008 at 08:01
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Yes but if everyone is parked correctly the Stasi won't be able to issue any tickets and will lose their jobs. How can they issue ?? tickets per shift if there are no illegally parked cars to ticket?
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Can you really see that happening?
I don't think they have any fear of losing their jobs as there are plenty of people stupid enough to risk breaking the law when parking to keep them occupied... and if they all suddenly start behaving ... well, it won't happen, will it!
Can't see why you are getting so het up!
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I am not het up at all although it would be unfortunate for anyone to lose their job, in these difficult times, if they are penalised for not reaching unachieveable targets.
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..... penalised for not reaching unachieveable targets.
I would think that 15 tickets per 7 hour shift was easy enough to achieve.
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If the parking regs are complied with 15 in 7 hours won't be easy and if it was staff wouldn't be threatened with sanctions for not achieving it.
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The ideal situation would be to have a modest number of highly visible parking wardens and to successfully deter drivers from parking illegally. In these circumstances relatively few tickets would be issued.
If I was a parking warden with a target to meet, I'd make sure I kept close by but well hidden and ready to pounce on any transgressors within seconds. I'd also be issuing tickets as often as possible for technical non-compliance like overhanging the bay by a couple of inches.
'They' have set up a situation which creates conflict, rather than promoting co-operative behaviour in society.
All too common a trend unfortunately. The system of extortion has been perfected at Stoke Mandeville. My son is a student nurse. Since the hospital flogged off a big chunk of car park and built a new unit on much of the rest, staff are forced to park in surrounding streets. The residents are understandably annoyed, and the local PCSOs have swooped on this as an opportunity to issue £30 fines for "causing unnecessary obstruction" to cars parked in these streets, whether or not any actual obstruction has been caused or specific complaint received. Appeals are pointless. There's no way of knowing whether you will get a ticket anywhere within 1/2 mile of this hospital - there are no parking restrictions or residents' permit areas. No doubt targets are being hit every week and success celebrated.
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>>the local PCSOs have swooped on this as an opportunity to issue £30 fines
for "causing unnecessary obstruction" to cars parked in these streets whether or not
any actual obstruction has been caused or specific complaint received. >>
M, surely there must be some form of obstruction for the ticket to be issued. You'd be amazed at the pig headedness of some people when they park.
I live in London in a derestricted area, but in a side street near a road that has a number of shops in, which means my street is popular to park in.
Despite a dropped kerb, driveway and garage...people will park completely across it for hours, if not throughout the evening and overnight. The worst was 3 days! Fair enough at the moment my old car is in there and it's Sorned..but when I was using it it was particularly annoying. My insurance was a classic policy which stated it had to be garaged at night..at times I was worried i'd go out in it, then not be able to get the thing back in again.
I'm sure some people park and don't even register that they've done something wrong. Even a slight overhang would still prevent me getting it out as i'd park front in to connect the battery to a trickle charger.
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M surely there must be some form of obstruction for the ticket to be issued.>>
Agreed - there's no reason for PCSOs to issue incorrect tickets.
Quite the reverse, if they did they would be in for ticking off from the serving polis back at the station who is tasked with their supervision.
Obstruction is not always obvious.
For example, parking too close to a T-junction could impede a fire engine or an ambulance.
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M, surely there must be some form of obstruction for the ticket to be issued. You'd be amazed at the pig headedness of some people when they park.>>
Many moons ago, I parked in Windsor just up from the Castle in a marked bay.
Some of the bays were public bays, others were residential permit holders only.
I was lucky enough to park in the last bay before the permit only bays, the sign was in fact in in line with my bays dividing line.
Having read, and noted the rules, including a time limit, I went off....
Returning to my car, with 5 mins left on my allowance, I was dismayed to find I had been ticketed!
looking at the ticket, I saw I had been done for parking in a permit only bay!
at this point I looked around for any traffic wardens/ police officers, but none around...
I knew at this point I had to pay the fine, because IF I left the car, in search of a traffic warden/ police officer I would over run my time, and if I moved my car then looked for help, I would have no proof where I had parked!
Basically what I am saying, is there doesn't have to be a real offence committed, just the possibility of one having been there, for the ticket to be served.
Westpig, Im afraid to say, not all officers of the law, hold the facts in as high regard as Im sure you do, and some, will see any opportunity to issue tickets etc, as fair game......
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I take your point Westpig, and I'm sure the residents' annoyance has been increased by some stupid parking as well as plain territorial instinct.
I've taken my son's word on this one - he's very level headed and responsible in motoring matters. I think his point was that you could have parked likewise in a thousand other locations and not got a ticket.
The ticket itself is also designed to extort. It explains that you can go to court if you wish, but if you lose the result will be that the records will show a fine for a criminal conviction. That is enough to scare anyone looking for employment in nursing - so much for having one's day in court. Of course the 'fine' also increases if not paid within 28 days and there's no indication that this timetable is suspended if you choose to appeal. It's just bullying, extortion and box ticking as far as I can tell.
A magistrate friend feels this is very unfair and would have liked my son to contest it - however we felt that he has enough on his plate without adding further stress so we will pay (which the process relies on).
Of course, if we weren't basically law abiding people we wouldn't have to worry about these things.
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