Merton - Pandemic parking enforcement

Here we go then with the same FOI questions as you saw Ealing answer. First of all, full marks to Merton Council for such a prompt answer.

Merton only issue about half as many PCNs as Barnet so presumably have about half as many traffic wardens (CEOs). A pleasingly low sick absence level. Not pleasing that they have not transferred any traffic wardens onto other duties in these exceptional times.

Just the same as Ealing, with the notable exception of enforcement around schools, so almost business as usual.

A worrying lack, just as in Barnet, of personal protective equipment (PPE) for traffic wardens. Traffic wardens could have the virus, not know and transmit it via a PCN.

'School safety zones' are becoming more common although they don't exist in the Traffic signs manual, 2019 edition. They are marketing speak for sections of road which you can't drive down at certain times of day.

The website is misleading, as the Traffic Order says nothing about the restriction only operating in term time and Mr Mustard wouldn't know the term times for Merton if he was passing through. The sign below also doesn't say anything about operational dates. The council may not enforce outside term times but if so they should cover the signs over.

This is a sign from Frinton Road.

Rather oddly, if you enter between 9.30am and 2.45 pm you also mustn't stop on the yellow zig zag markings outside of the school as they restrict stopping from 8am to 5pm. A completely illogical arrangement (unless it has been changed since April 19 when the google car went down the road).

This sign, the 'flying motorbike' sign (and which means 'no motor vehicles' of any type including vans, buses, lorries etc) will have a delayed action in creating a safe space as in Mr Mustard's experience, borne out of talking to motorists who were just about to wrongly pass the same sign in Connell Crescent, Ealing, it is one of the least known signs in the Highway Code. Thus it takes many months for compliance and better safety to be established by the blunt instrument of receiving a PCN in the post during which time the council wrings its hands in sorrow, wonders why their scheme isn't working effectively and coincidentally pockets tens or hundreds of thousands of pounds from PCNs. A council which implements a scheme which they know from other boroughs' statistics won't work instantly and fully is morally repugnant.

Anyway, regardless of how effective the sign is, Merton are, perfectly properly, not enforcing these signs during lockdown, and there shouldn't be many vehicles about anyway. They will probably catch the same motorists later so what would be better, from a public education point of view, would be to send zero value PCNs and an explanation of the sign and their locations in order to help achieve the road safety objective.

So that is 2 points to Merton who have hardly backed off parking enforcement.

Yours frugally

Mr Mustard