DVLA storing up problems

The number of people who have moved recently has dropped but there is always delay at DVLA in recording changes of address. Anyone who had moved in, say, February should have sent their registration document by post to the DVLA within a reasonable period, say 4 weeks, and then expected it back 2 or 3 weeks later.

There is no option to amend your address by any other method, probably as a security feature. Covid-19 has brought almost all services at DVLA, except those which are on line, to a grinding halt.

Now what may happen is that if you commit a moving traffic contravention today in, say, Barnet. The council ask DVLA for the registered address of the keeper of the vehicle and given that they have put a stop on amending addresses a number of those are going to be out of date and the PCN will therefore go to the old address. It seems that somewhere between 4% and 5% of people move home each year. In London 2,147,900 PCNs were issued for moving traffic contraventions in the year to March 19. Let us suppose that there are 4 weeks' worth of address changes which have not been updated.

Thus, the number of PCNs which could go to an out of date address is in the order of 4/52 * 2,147,900 * 4.5% = 7,435

That is 7,435 people who will not have been properly served but the PCN enforcement process will rumble on.

Many people don't bother with paying for mail forwarding nowadays as they don't usually receive any mail, doing almost everything on line. The first they may get to hear of the PCN is when the bailiff clamps their car having traced a new address. That is clearly unfair.

The law, the London Local Authorities and Transport for London Act 2003, requires that the PCN is served on the person appearing to the enforcement authority to be the owner of the vehicle. Mr Mustard doesn't see how, given that it is the case that the DVLA register isn't being updated, they can hold that legitimate belief.

Yours frugally

Mr Mustard

TfL - pandemic parking enforcement

To their credit TfL (possibly a decision from the top, the mayor, but let's try and leave politics out of this) are not enforcing the Low Emission Zone, the Ultra Low Emission Zone nor Congestion Charging at the moment. This has helped essential workers to move about in vehicles without penalty which is a good thing.

Mr Mustard has never understood why PCSOs who are meant to be enforcing law and order get used as traffic wardens who undertake civil enforcement of parking and stopping penalties. One day, when he isn't so busy, Mr Mustard will look into that.

The sick rate looks to be low level so that is a good thing.

Ah, of course, for TfL this was a rather nonsensical question as they only use code 46 'stopped on a red route or clearway where prohibited' so their answer, unless enforcement was completely abandoned, which wouldn't be sensible, is fair enough. One can only hope that TfL are allowing a bit of latitude in these strange times. PCNs for moving traffic contraventions, like stopping in yellow boxes, are probably being churned out as usual.

No PPE but uniquely allocated handsets.

Yours frugally

Mr Mustard

Today's bicycle ride

Having now cycled daily since 23 March, starting with a mere 10km loop I then once my legs ached a bit less moved on to a 15km loop and today I thought I would go a bit further still, and decided to follow the no. 12 cycle route northwards until I felt it was time to turn around and that point was at Hatfield House. Always downhill out of High Barnet, wherever you go.

 Next time I might come back on the A1000 just for the variety.

I stopped a few times and took photographs.

This pedestrian and cycle bridge is wonderful. I have driven under it countless times, it takes you over South Way in South Hatfield. The town is perfect for cycling in.

There are multiple information panels, this one tells you about the aviation trail. 

I took a photo of just one other panel, not wanting to spoil any visit you may decide to make to Hatfield.

Here is a wider view of the bridge, it is well used and maintained.

As you go up the A1000 and not far short of Hatfield railway station there is a gap in the shrubbery which leads to a small memorial area to the terrible train crash of 17 October 2000. I messed up my photo so have included one which is the copyright of bikerboy

It is a pity that this sign is necessary but there was no litter.

Stopped at the halfway point I took this photo of the statue of the 3rd Marquess of Salisbury, the former Prime Minister, Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil. The park and gardens are currently only open to existing pass holders. This year if you visit once you can go back for the rest of 2020.

By checking the Hatfield House website I discovered for those of you wanting to bake and having difficulty in obtaining flour, that the nearby mill is running and selling direct to the public.

I like the front door and the sign which subtly suggests you don't knock out of hours.

Finally, opposite some unremarkable modern bungalows, this lovely property.

I hope you enjoyed the ride.

Mr Mustard
 

Waste collection still not right

Residents have been sending photographs to Mr Mustard of their bins. Things haven't yet settled down since the great bin rescheduling of 5 November 2018 (the cunning plans should have been put on the bonfire).

There have been management changes. Jamie Blake, the strategic Director for the Environment left after 4 years and 7 months to go to Newham. The council website says his replacement is Geoff Mee. The street scene director, responsible for implementing the bonkers reorganisation, Ms Kitran Eastman, left in September 19, and word which reached Mr Mustard was that she was dead against the plans which is impossible if others design and then force through the implementation of a duff idea, what is one to do? You end up carrying the can if you don't get out. The head of HR has also changed but Capita provide that so where is the surprise. Also mentioned in the June 18 report to the Environment Committee was the Head of Street Scene Service Support, Mr Richard Gilbert who also left, in his case in April 2020 and joined Barking & Dagenham Council. Goodness knows who else who was involved in the designing and implementing of the November 2018 changes who has left for pastures new where bin rounds run like clockwork.

The pandemic has put extra strain on the service as there are more home deliveries and thus more boxes to dispose of.

The council have suspended green waste collections so much of it is ending up at the bottom of the black bins under general waste and bin men don't therefore see it when they open the bin lid and into the lorry it goes. The blue recycling was weekly then fortnightly and then back to weekly again at during the fortnightly hiatus random lorries were roaming the streets causing confusion in the minds of the public. Guess where some residents' recycling ended up when the blue bins were fortnightly, yes in general waste.

Two years ago the green bins of most the borough used to be collected on a Saturday on overtime and Mr Mustard hears that the plan is to revert to that system as, wait for it, it worked.

Ten or a dozen new vehicles were purchased to support the November 18 reorganisation. They turned out to be too big for a number of Barnet's streets, the older ones which were built when the horse and cart was the dustman's transport of choice. Larger lorries were ordered as some genius thought that would reduce the number of trips to the tip but they proved to be impractical. More new dustcarts are coming in 2020, they will be the same larger size so equally limited.

The Oakleigh Park depot will soon approach its third birthday. The subsidence at this white elephant, for which the council overpaid by £millions, is spreading. You will note if you drive down there some buttressing on the pavement in Oakleigh Road South. 

Time banded collections were introduced in Mill Hill. That led to innocent people being given fixed penalty notices after the council themselves failed to stick to the collection times. Banded collections work in organised councils, we are talking about Barnet though.

Mr Mustard hears that the contents of recycling lorries are getting rejected at Hendon Tip because they are contaminated with food (food collection is paused but the waste has to go somewhere) green waste (partly thanks to the introduction of charging although collection is also now paused) and builders' rubbish as the Summers Lane Recycling Centre is closed as are many commercial tips.

So there we are 18 months after a reorganisation which was meant to save £1,200,000 a year. Needless to say it hasn't, with huge costs spent on agency staff, over 40 of them on some days. They have now all been stood down, Mr Mustard hopes we have sufficient permanent staff remaining especially as some must be off due to the virus and as they cannot self isolate in the cab. The bin lorry staff are doing their best, give them a friendly wave when you see them. Management's failings are not of their making.

What Mr Mustard suggests is we turn the clock back to the start of 2018 when, apart from the odd missed collection, everything worked and then consider changes, test them out one at once, implement them if they work and put them aside if they don't. The big bang approach led to a big mess, tinkering will not fix that.

Yours frugally

Mr Mustard

Barnet Council cross the line

The registered keeper of the car with the doors open has been sent a PCN after stopping on the double yellows to board a child, this is an exemption provided you are reasonably quick about it. The PCN though isn't for being on the double yellows, as they cannot be enforced by cctv, but for being

As it happens 'restricted area' is not defined in legislation. What the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016 say about the markings on the ground is this:

Note that the prohibition in para 2 refers to stopping 'on' the markings. For a long time Mr Mustard would win at the tribunal if the vehicle stopped in the middle of the road, not over the marking themselves. Then, on 2 August 2018, an adjudicator with decades of experience decided what would become a key case at the tribunal and thus a decision which his colleagues were very likely to follow (and it wasn't a decision that Mr Mustard disagreed with)

Thus it is clear that Adjudicators regard the school keep clear markings as applying to the centre of the road, the same as for single and double yellows.

Why, Mr Mustard hears you ask, was the car on the other side of the road sent a PCN? Automation is probably the answer. The school markings are monitored during the applicable hours by a cctv camera. It selects short bursts of footage which the computer decides is a contravention. Those clips are then watched, in theory, by a human being who has to decide if a contravention has occurred or not. It is perfectly possible that the operative charged with this task popped out for a fag, a cup of tea or a jimmy riddle whilst the clip was running and simply ticked the yes box to this being a contravention when he/she got back to their desk.

Mr Mustard will fire an email off to the parking manager whilst simultaneously making representations through the usual channels. He doubts this PCN will live for long.

Simple logic, if stopping on the double yellow is part of the restricted area so is the disabled bay the council have painted there.

Yours frugally

Mr Mustard

The PCN didn't live long once Mr Mustard emailed parking management directly.

That is a proper apology.

Hammersmith & Fulham - pandemic parking enforcement

Mr Mustard is moving to Fulham. Not only have they answered the FOI fairly quickly, they have slacked off parking enforcement more than any other local authority in London and ... oh, musn't spoil the story.

Mr Mustard is sorry to see so many traffic wardens off sick.

Mr Mustard is delighted to see so many traffic wardens doing something else, H&F must be one of the few boroughs which still manages its parks properly. Social distancing in a densely populated borough such as H&F will really help to keep the numbers of infected people down, stats by borough here.

Now that is what you call cutting back. Codes 01 and 02 are single and double yellow lines, with and without loading restrictions.
Code 62 is parking on the footway.
Code 21 is a suspended bay.

Please also don't block anyone's drive (as you may get towed, Mr Mustard didn't ask about towing away as he didn't want to ask too many questions) park in a disabled bay or on crossing zig zags.

By far the safest borough in which to be a traffic warden. Note the use of bodycam in the parks.

Hammersmith and Fulham get Mr Mustard's star prize, this round of applause, as they have truly backed off enforcing and found other more useful duties for the wardens (Mr Mustard just hopes they have been properly trained and are using nudge theory to educate people to stay apart).

H&F have just shown up every other council in London when it comes to parking (TfL are to be praised as well for suspending the LEZ, ULEZ and congestion charge).

Yours frugally

Mr Mustard

Lambeth - pandemic parking enforcement

The absence rate is towards the top of the table.
Good to see the staff redeployed to Food shelters (food banks? it isn't clear).

This absolutely isn't an answer as it was up to each council whether to follow the guidance or not and set their own policies. London Councils is an umbrella body which cannot tell an enforcement authority when not to enforce. Mr Mustard asked for a proper answer (Mr Mustard had already read the guidance before he framed his question).

Doh, Mr Mustard failed to question the guidelines but never mind now. This probably means that PPE is not being issued to traffic wardens. If you see a traffic warden in Lambeth feel free to comment at the end of this post.

Update: Lambeth sent some further information which was to their credit:

Yours frugally

Mr Mustard