Southwark Parking Wardens - setting a poor example

[Gimme]

R&A Wrote:

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> I remembered this thread and took this photo of an

> illegally parked parking enforcement officer on

> Thursday night.

> He was parked on the pavement opposite EDT just

> off lordship lane

>

> I know that they can park on yellow/red lines etc

> in the name of 'duty' but are they allowed to park

> ON the pavement?

> Is that even safe???

>

> Anyone any ideas and i'll follow it up if so

Send the photo and details of why you thought it was both dangerous and wrong to [email protected] and copy in [email protected]. These are the people responsible for the parking enforcement.

[davidm]

see photo attached last night opposite the edt at around 17:30, parked on double yellow lines southwark enforcement van. please feel free to forward on

[Mark]

On double yellow lines, on a pavement and within 10 meters of a junction (not in a parking space). Three offences in one, that's gotta hurt.

[R&A]

My flash wasn't working but (just about) shows exactly the same car in the same spot - so he's clearly using this space as a regular parking slot.

Mark - i completely agree and right outside a shop for mothers and young children....- i'll get the email written today....

>"On double yellow lines, on a pavement and within 10 meters of a junction (not in a parking space). Three offences in one, that's gotta hurt."

[cathg]

Why is the car even parked there? Is it just to nab anyone in the loading bays opposite (see various complaints about getting tickets in loading bays - what exactly are the regulations for using them - can you park there if picking up an envelope from Ralon or does it have to be something over a particular weight?)

Also judging from that photo it looks as if the flower van which I have heard persistently parks on LL by roundabout without punishment was on the pavement too - I hope they got a ticket.

[R&A]

the pavement juts out which is why the enforcement officer is parked on the pavement. I don't think the van is on the pavement - i think that's parked ok.

[R&A]

Nick

It has come to the attention of some of the residents of East Dulwich that a parking enforcement officer is regularly parking dangerously and illegally on a junction off Lordship Lane outside a children's shop. I have attached two photos showing:

1) The junction without the car. The picture clearly shows double yellow lines, a dropped pathway for disabled and pram access and the corner of the children's shop JojoMamaBebes

2) The junction with the dangerously parked car

I understand that parking enforcement officers may have to park illegally in order to pursue their duties but to park on a pavement, on a well used junction, on a dropped pathway and on a double yellow line appears dangerous and reckless. Moreover, to see that this particular car is parked here on multiple occassions causes us great concern as young children are using this pavement regularly and i can't see how it is safe to be driving ONTO the pavement so close to a highstreet junction and a children?s shop (Jojomamabebe) during shop opening hours.

Please can someone explain to me, and the other residents, why this is deemed necessary?

I look forward to your response

Many thanks

R&A

Edit: To say sent 1pm today Tuesday 19th

[davidm]

good job needed saying thanks

[northlondoner]

DavidM - yeah I have a picture of the same car parked in the same place.

[SeanMacGabhann]

so if this campaign succeeds, and no traffic wardens break the law, the situation will be better because......

[Mark]

"the situation will be better because......"

a) it's less people parking in stupid places

b) it's a feel good thing:

Teacher gives you detention at school for smoking but later you see them smoking. Grrrr.

Traffic warden gives you a ticket, you see them committing the same offence, they get done for it. Yeeeesssss.

[R&A]

"the situation will be better because......"

1) These people are not 'above the law'

2) There shouldn't be one rule for them and one for us

Dear Sir/Madame

Thank you for your e-mail today showing a photograph of a Southwark camera enforcement vehicle and the location without the vehicle. I would like to explain that Southwark's civil enforcement officers (CEO) are allowed to park their vehicles in contravention of the parking rules as long as they are carrying out their statutory duties with limited exceptions. In this instance if the vehicle had been parked wholly on the double yellow line then they would have been parked correctly to carry out enforcement as long as they were not causing an obstructions as they are allowed to park on double yellow lines. However, from your photograph it appears they have parked partially on the footway and they are not allowed to do this to carry out their duties.

I am a little concerned that you say this is a regular occurrence and have now referred the matter to our parking contractor APCOA parking who will investigate this matter and if deemed appropriate instigate their disciplinary process.

If you do see it there again please do not hesitate to contact me.

Regards

Nicky Costin

[SeanMacGabhann]

This is beginning to sound like joyriders complaining that the police are driving faster than 30mph to catch them - boo hoo

Given how many people deliberately go out of their way to break the law, I can easily see why a relatively small number of badly-paid, over-abused staff need to take short cuts to get the job done

Given that parking spaces are so precious, if you had to do their job, how effective would you be if you had to drive around looking for parking spaces before walking back a few hundred metres and back to catch someone. So no, I don't believe they are in the same boat and subject to the same rules as us

If we abandoned the whole idea of these wardens, and they weren't around to park in silly places the traffic and parking would be worse not better.

[????]

Oh brilliant! I'd call that a Troll post if I didn't actually know you...

People with positions which have authority however badly payed etc etc should do their jobs legally and properly as a matter of principle in any job.... are poorly paid jobs somehow exempt from this? What sort of logic is that? T

Too many Traffic wardens don't. As this example shows in terms of their parking - but more importantly should do their jobs fairly in terms of ticketing...which they don't as many of us who have actually had to fight their totally dodgy ticketing have shown on numerous occasions on here. If you could move your position away from your dislike of cars Sean and get your head round the fact that many tickets ARE completley dodgy and this is a FACT not some car drivers conspiracy to have a free for all parking enviroment, which most sensible car drivers understand would lead to chaos. An unreasonable number of tickets are issued when no parking offence has occured for whatever reasons (and I know what I think causes it) I won't bore everyone with the 2 tickets I've got off becuase they were just plain wrong but will happily tell you if you're interested. I've paid 2 others because they were technically legal (6 mins on a 5 minute zone outside a nursery being extremley unfair although legal).

[SeanMacGabhann]

I'm certainly not trolling and nor did I argue that being poorly payed ALLOWED them to do anything - I mention their pay merely to point out that there seems to be this sense of them doing it for fun and that is fairly unlikely

But I'm also disappointed you have ignored all my previous posts where I agree that many tickets ARE wrongly issued and I have a fair amount of sympathy with that argument. I have even had this discussion with you before - but you have ignored that just to say "sean hates cars" - which is plain wrong in any case

But this thread isn't about that - it's about why they are allowed to break the parking laws and we aren't - and I stand by the argument that it's effectively the same thinking as police chasing joyriders. Now if they do all that just to give you a dodgy ticket then I'm on your side... but I haven't seen too much about that on this thread

[Loz]

The problem is that the job of parking wardens used to be to manage parking. As part of this job they had the sanction of writing you a ticket. They could use their initiative to move people along or ticket them.

Nowadays, with outsourcing, the job of parking wardens is to write tickets. Managing parking is no longer part of the remit. If they have the choice of tapping on a car window and informing the driver they should move or slapping a ticket on the windscreen, then we all know what the choice would be.

Did anyone see the BBC show a couple of months ago when the followed a bright-eyed and bushy tailed fellow, new from overseas who was proud of his new job as a parking warden for, I think, Westminster? He started by being friendly with the public and being as helpful as possible. Of course, this meant his ticket writing numbers were down on what was expected and management leant on him. By the end of the programme he was a tired-looking shadow of his former self and had joint the ranks of the hide-behind-corners brigade. He was no longer proud of his job. Sad.

[SeanMacGabhann]

Yep there is a problem with the ticket-writing/out-sourcing/money-making culture loz

But to focus on that alone is to ignore the other side of the problem

[Loz]

But to focus on that alone is to ignore the other side of the problem

Is it? No one that I've noticed is asking for all parking wardens to be disbanded, just a more common sense approach taken. Wardens are a necessity, else they'd be chaos.

Personally, I think the solution is simple. If a ticket is found to be invalid, the council pays you the amount of the fine. You'd see a bit more common-sense applied pretty sharpish. And you'd still have wardens on the streets controlling parking. Everyone's a winner.

[SeanMacGabhann]

I wouldn't disagree loz - but that is still talking about invalid tickets. the thread is about whether wardens should be allowed to park on lines or otherwise illegally

[Loz]

The answer to that is yes, providing it's done properly and safely - and only when necessary. To use your joy-riding analogy - the police are, as a general rule, not allowed to break the law. To chase at above the speed limit they have to get the OK.

Maybe parking wardens should be the same - they should have to ask someone in authority each and every time they want to park illegally?

[Gimme]

Just missed getting a photo of parking attendant car double parked dangerously on sharp corner while ticketing and then driving away talking on a mobile phone. I have however complained to Nick Costin about this. These guys are the worst parkers and drivers in town and must be controlled or removed from their jobs.

[sniffy]

To the OP and other like minded individuals:

^ oh bejeebus!! Why should Traffic Wardens have to abide by the same laws as us???!!! they are enforcers...

If you didn't park in stupid places they wouldn't have to be there at all.

And with regards to the comment referring to how the police go about their business, well they do whatever they need to do to get the job done. And in some ways, the traffic wardens should be able to do so too!

As many of you have already pointed that one out!! how stupid would it be to see traffic wardens pull up into an NCP just to go ticket the twunts who can't be bothered to do the same!

So if you have an issue with traffic wardens not abiding by the 'law' I suggest it's because your peeved that you've had a ticket from them and they did the same as you...

BUT MAYBE THEY WERE ONLY THERE BECAUSE YOU WERE TOO LAZY AND INCONSIDERATE TO PARK YOUR CAR PROPERLY IN THE FIRST INSTANCE

Ok, rant over... sorry

Sorry if i missed something?

[Sue]

Calm ....

[Loz]

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit was today, 11:24pm by sniffy.

You had to edit that 2 times, Sniffy?? Was it not wildly deranged enough or badly punctuated enough on the first two attempts? Not enough question marks or exclamation marks to get the point across?

[sniffy]

Loz Wrote:

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> > Edited 2 time(s). Last edit was today, 11:24pm

> by sniffy.

>

> You had to edit that 2 times, Sniffy?? Was it not

> wildly deranged enough or badly punctuated enough

> on the first two attempts? Not enough question

> marks or exclamation marks to get the point

> across?

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For sure, something like that ;)

Really though, some people just whinge about the most trivial things...

When quite possibly they're in the wrong in the first instance?

Just MHO

All peace and good will kind of stuff

x