So here we are in Salisbury Rd, High Barnet where Mr Mustard had just walked past a traffic warden giving a PCN to a 4by4 that had it's front wheel on the double yellow and the rest of the car over the single yellow; however, the traffic warden must have ridden his scooter the wrong way up a one way street. You can't park against the flow of traffic in a one way street, even on a scooter. If councillors ever wonder why residents hate the venal and rapacious enforcement to which they are subjected then they should look at the hypocrisy of situations like this one and the fact that enforcement vehicles (not sure this is one, surely it is merely transport) park in contravention when they don't need to (scooters can be parked in almost any bay) is what annoys the public. Parking in contravention by traffic wardens has to be reasonably necessary, it clearly isn't when there are parking bays nearby. This sort of thing should stop.
Having to park properly, like the public have to, would slow the traffic wardens down so they don't issue sufficient PCN to please their bosses. Why they are so keen to issue PCN is one of life's mysteries. Someone somewhere has targets in mind even if the contract forbids them. The only pseudo target is that the council project a certain annual income from parking and if they see slippage they take action to correct it which usually means more PCN.
The traffic warden was also in breach of the NSL contract with Barnet Council as he was wearing his crash helmet whilst issuing the PCN. If traffic wardens are supposed to engage with the public then they need to be able to fully hear them which Mr Mustard knows you can't when you are sporting a crash helmet, even without ear plugs.
Yours frugally
Mr Mustard
p.s. Where was Mr Mustard going you ask yourself? To the post office to send two PATAS appeal forms and some representations to Enfield Council against a bus lane PCN. Enfield have sneakily placed their camera where the imminent end of the lane is not shown and so they dish out PCN to anyone who cuts the corner off the lane which is too trivial to merit a PCN.
Basically, until people go to jail for malfeasance this sort of thing will carry on forever. Not just "venal and rapacious", but ruthless.
ReplyDeleteIn this regard, Barnet Council has form: http://www.notthebarnettimes.co.uk/2009/12/one-law-for-cllr-tambourides-one-law.html
ReplyDeleteThe Wayback Machine helps us all remember and celebrate noteworthy ex-councillors.
DeleteI had forgotten that just as I have forgotten that former councillor.
ReplyDeleteThank you David.
I like your suggestion that there are "pseudo targets", because local councils "project a certain annual income" and take action if there's "slippage". As an ex-councillor (in Haringey) I was at one meeting when the secrecy curtain twitched and a council finance officer let slip that they were projecting a loss on that year's Parking Account. They weren't, of course. The "loss" was a shortfall in very substantial projected income.
ReplyDeleteHowever, there is a way in which - at least to me - it seems reasonable for a Parking Service to use the number of PCNs issued as "management information". And that's if there are glaring disparities in tickets issued by different traffic wardens patrolling similar streets. It could be a useful signal to a manager to get down there and check who is slapping tickets on everything and anything with wheels; and who's sitting in the caff.
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A small question about the photo in your next blog entry - a security company car parked on double-yellow lines. Why black-out part of the mumberplate?