Newham Council are cheats - #52

 

Platinum are a company whose registered office backs onto Nursery Lane and so the explanation as to why their car was on a single yellow line is perfectly plausible. 

Now if we look at the location, it is a narrow cul-de-sac and so because of the numerous comings and goings that will doubtless take place from neighbouring properties this isn't a place at which you can leave a vehicle parked for more than a minute or two.

Newham Council may have breathed a sigh of relief that this series of cheats blogs had come to an end earlier in the year but that was only because Mr Mustard had bigger fish to fry in real life. He is now on top of his work again and so has time for public awareness campaigns. This series will only eventually stop when the council start to behave with the utmost probity. 

You might also be wondering, as is Mr Mustard why there aren't double yellow lines on both sides of the lane and no loading marks as any parked vehicle will cause an obstruction. Only Newham Council in their 'wisdom' can answer that question.

This looks like the sort of PCN that Mr Mustard calls a hit-and-run one as a 'traffic warden' (CEO) seems to drop out of the sky, issues a PCN and scarpers like a kid playing knock down ginger. The complaint in this case is that the CEO operated at a distance and only approached the car after having printed out the PCN. There is nothing unlawful about that even though the public may regard it as unsporting or even cheating. If a CEO can read your number plate from 100m and has a belief that you are in contravention he can record the necessary information and then slap the PCN on the vehicle and leave and it is entirely lawful. 

There doesn't have to be a single photograph but here there wasn't a photograph of a sign and as they are often missing or defaced (especially in Newham) then should a motorist put a council to proof at adjudication a council will be in difficulty. They can rely on library signs although they mustn't be too old. Often google street view is relied upon and Mr Mustard has driven virtually down this lane and not found a single sign.

Mr Mustard suspected that this is a location inside a controlled parking zone and after going for another virtual drive away from the location along Upton Lane he found some dated images of CPZ entry signs (and some temporary Event signs) which tell you the rules for unsigned single yellow lines which you might meet further along your journey. Those zone entry signs are at least a quarter of a mile away around a couple of turns which the public will likely regard as a cheating system (many drivers don't understand this point, Mr Mustard doubts it forms part of the driving test or training, please tell him if he is wrong).

There is a lot to take in on those signs whilst moving and repeater signage would be useful but that would make the entry signs obsolete. Mr Mustard's view is that it would be a more compliant world without cpzs. Of course, if the car had been out on hire and was then moved by a Platinum driver who came to work on the train, he/she wouldn't have been on notice of the restriction in any event.

The end.

Don't be green in yellow boxes

 

This location on the A1 just north of Apex Corner has had cctv installed to monitor the yellow box.

Mr Mustard knows that the car in the top right of the box received a PCN as probably did the car in front and possibly the cars in lanes 3 & 4 as their rear wheels were in the box. You are fine exiting Marsh Lane, it is the drivers coming south who should all stop at the top edge of the box and then only move forward once they can cross the entire box and make an escape but that would make traffic flow worse so we all have to gamble and pay the price if it goes wrong.

If Mr Mustard realised he had erred and was going to be caught if he stopped he would have turned left into Marsh Lane, not done a U-turn until it was allowed (as there is a ban just as you enter Marsh Lane) and then rejoined the A1 south.

Be careful out there.

Barnet Council trip on the kerb

 

The above is a badly parked car which, despite the driver being in attendance and ready to move, was given a PCN for being adjacent to a dropped kerb.

 

What you can probably tell from the council's own photograph is that the kerb isn't dropped.

 

How, therefore, the traffic warden justified issuing a PCN for an alleged contravention of being adjacent to a dropped kerb when there simply isn't one, only they know.

 

The motorist made their own informal challenge saying that the PCN was ridiculous as there isn't a dropped kerb at the location but that, despite being true, cut no ice.

 

Barnet Council's response included that the vehicle was adjacent to a dropped footway and, in a line which surprised Mr Mustard, that 'The CEO has a legal obligation to issue PCNs to any vehicle seen parked in contravention'. That tells you a lot about the thinking which goes on in the parking back office which can be summarised as motorists must be punished.

 

In this case the punishment is not merited.

 

Mr Mustard wrote the formal representations in response to the Notice to Owner. They were very simple and pointed out the lack of a dropped kerb in Heather Gradens NW11 and included an image taken from google street view.

 

That didn't convince Barnet Council either who opined that the image I had provided is not conclusive.

 

Mr Mustard therefore had to pop to the location in question and take photographs. Here is one of them, anyone who can see a dropped kerb here needs their eyes tested.

 

What the council have forgotten is that at the tribunal the council have to prove their case before any argument needs to be presented by the keeper. This will be fun. Mr Mustard has started an Appeal at the tribunal. He expects the towel to be thrown in pretty quickly.

The end (for now).

p.s. Please don't park this close to junctions.

Due adjustment: #6 Camden Council

 

Following the above response from September Mr Mustard was going to write nice things about Camden Council but he has had to change his mind, although he is still in a good mood today.

Although the request was answered outside of the FOI system he still communicates with parking via FOI and very cordially too. The FOI officer cannot be faulted for his speed and friendliness of response. No criticism is made of him.

The switchboard telephone number to call is 020 7974 4444 (option 5). If you know of someone with a PCN who cannot write due to their disability please have them test this system out. If that doesn't work Mr Mustard will find them an expert to help out.

Mr Mustard followed up to see if the telephone number was going to be printed on PCNs as otherwise how would a disabled person know it? There then followed a quick and amusing (except for the adverse effect) exchange of emails.

Thus Camden get about 5 out of 10 for due adjustment.

Mr Mustard thought he should also have a look at the website to check if the due adjustment phone number was there and it wasn't, so how anyone was going to find the number is a mystery.

There are other items on this page which Mr Mustard find worthy of comment.

The website says 'you cannot challenge by phone'. Yes you can, London Councils who set the rules under statutory authority say the disabled who cannot write must be able to make representations by telephone.

Do not use the chatbot. Mr Mustard doubts that it ever tells you that you have a good case.

Internet Explorer is still supported by Microsoft until June of this year so shouldn't be excluded yet.

You can only use the Microsoft operating system to look at cctv, a bit awkward if you only have Apple products.

There are circumstances in which you should be allowed to recover your car from the pound without paying. A single woman robbed of her handbag late of an evening (luckily she had the car key in her pocket but nothing else) should be allowed to recover her car (with a promise to pay later) so that she can get home safely. Mr Mustard is sure he has seen such a policy somewhere but can't put his hand on it right now. Somebody who reads this and knows will doubtless add the information in the comment box.

End.