Scouting around the internet Mr Mustard found that residents of Connell Crescent (close to the Hanger Lane gyratory) have been unhappy about their road being used as a short cut from the A40 to the North Circular since at least 2005.
The local residents association wrote about it in a 2015 newsletter:
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| be careful what you wish for; some Connell Crescent residents received PCN! |
Did the council know the extent of the problem?
No, and here is the proof in a letter from an Engineer in Highways. (an expert in financial engineering Mr Mustard would hazard)
So the council now know that c.300 cars a day are still using Connell Crescent when they shouldn't (the council didn't try very hard to warn people did it, with only 1 in 10 motorists being sent a warning? and no extra warning signs of a new restriction, or council staff giving out leaflets on site) so the residents are still suffering, despite the council imposed "solution" but this road is now a nice little big earner for Ealing Council. Trebles all round.
On Thursday 24 September you will find three NoToMob members on site who will put a dent in the daily figures and try to get them as near to nil as possible. In that way the NoToMob will be doing the councils job for them and helping the residents to have a more peaceful life. Do pop along to say hello to Bald Eagle and CoCo.
Just look at the income though that Ealing Council could gather in a year.
52 weeks at £167,570 a week is nearly £9million.
Of course many people will pay at half price but that would still be over £4million of lovely revenue.
Local residents will slowly catch on as they are caught out (one incurred 8 PCN before the first one arrived in the post) and so then it will only be visitors who are caught but there are plenty of those on the A40 and until every satnav is updated (Mr Mustard's is 4 years old so he reads the road signs) there will be victims aplenty for Ealing.
They will probably resist change now that they have such an earner (the council only made £8.5m in PCN income in the last financial year so this one spot will, incredibly, double their revenue) and they only issued 3,024 code 52 (no motor vehicles is 52J) PCNs in the whole year which figure they have passed in a fortnight at Connell Crescent, so something must be done.
Clearly, this level of non-compliance suggests that the signs are inadequate.
What are the choices for this location?
1 A physical barrier, either an arm that comes down but lifts to let vehicles exit, or bollards which rise and fall.
2 An illuminated No Entry sign (the red circle which has a 99.9% compliance rate) which only lights up during the 3 - 7pm restriction time.
3 Make the road one way westwards with permanent no entry signs at the Boden shop (Hanger Green) end.
If the council stick with the status quo that would tell Mr Mustard they don't give a fig about residents but have become addicted to the revenue.
Yours frugally
Mr Mustard
When it comes to this sort of thing, the cash poisons everything. Councils are, indeed, addicted to it just like heroin addicts
ReplyDeleteI wonder why the warnings are listed as "unknown" for contravention filmed.
ReplyDeleteI saw two warning letters and both had still images which appeared to be from video recording of some kind. Also both stated that it was a parking contravention which is not correct and very confusing. Both recipients contacted the council to ask for an explanation as they did not understand what they had done wrong. Neither received a response. What kind of warning is it if people are told it is a warning for a parking contravention and can not get clarification from the council ?
Do these figures mean it is far more effective in stopping people driving down the street to send warning letters rather than PCNs ?
ReplyDeleteNo, it just means that during the warning period the council didn't monitor the location for 4 hours and/or that some people will have spotted the rather obvious camera van and avoided driving past it (without necessarily knowing what contravention they would have committed). The newly installed permanent camera on a pole is at least 5 metres in the air and not in the eyeline of motorists.
ReplyDeleteIt should be a residents only route as we live here and have the nightmare of the a40
ReplyDeleteI agree there needs to be a restriction but the current one isn't working and residents get PCNs as well. I'm acting for one of them.
ReplyDelete