28 billion coins worthless in Barnet's car parks

coins might as well be collectors' items in Barnet

Sometimes you hear that there isn't a demand for some product or service and so it is not offered.

Here in Barnet we are not offered the most convenient method of paying by coin of the realm, you have to find a shop to buy a permit or a paypoint outlet. In that time you are at grave risk of getting a parking ticket.

It isn't as if there is a shortage of coin in the UK, per the Royal Mint there are 28 billion coins in circulation, so the method of payment is not hard to find. It is simply that the council don't want us to use it.

Yesterday the debit/credit card meter in the Moxon St, High Barnet car park was fixed. The cause of the problem was coins inserted into the card reader. Now that shows you how desperate people are to pay by cash and how hard it is for the man in the street to believe that a parking meter doesn't take cash.

What a pity that the council don't want to listen to the public or provide a service for which there is self-evidently unfulfilled demand.

One day, cash meters will return as will shoppers.

Update; A twitter follower suggested that Mr Mustard was being optimistic about the return of cash parking meters. Perhaps, but next May lots of councillors want to be re-elected or newly elected. This decision was taken by the Conservative majority. Every time one of their councillors or would be councillors comes knocking on your door asking for your vote, say yes of course, if you bring cash parking meters back (and then vote for who you like!).

Yours frugally

Mr Mustard

Cash is King (not bling)

Thank you to the British parking Association (not something Mr Mustard types very often) for bringing to his attention a press release from the Payments Council trailing their lovely £750 report. Mr Mustard wonders if bloggers count as journalists so that he can have a free copy (how about it Bugle Dan?). Actually he doesn't need it as what he needs to know is in the press release.

Oh dear Cllr Brian Coleman, your adventurous (another word for foolhardy) decision in mid 2011 to remove cash parking meters was pants (moist gusset variety)(Mr Mustard apologises to anyone who now has an image of BC in his pants)

and Cllr Dean Cohen you need to get Officers to take another look at their/your stubborn refusal to countenance cash parking meters. We need them, there is demand. Bring them back and businesses across Barnet will sing your praises (and remember you in May 14). It is a mark of a great leader that they recognise duff decisions and correct them. We now have meters which will take cash, they have had the slots covered!

Yours frugally

Mr Mustard

Wanted - parking meters please.

Part of the rather thin justification for getting rid of parking meters was the cost of dealing with vandalism and repairing machines. Nowhere did Mr Mustard see any document from the council setting out what steps they had taken to prevent vandalism (which wasn't quantified and probably not as bad as made out).

Whilst in Carcassone at New Year Mr Mustard noticed this machine in a public car park (he had himself parked the blogger bus on the other side of the car park, about 10m down a hill where it was free to park (why pay when you can walk the extra 10m?).

So here is a parking meter which is installed inside a solid metal cage. This both discourages casual vandalism as power tools will be needed for any attack and makes the cash box within much more secure. You can see the cctv camera on the right hand outside of the cage. There was another on the left hand side. It seems likely that vandalism of any of these machines in remote locations will have virtually ceased. Graffiti is common in France. There was none on this machine.

In addition the meter accepts cash in the form of notes or coins (the first hour was free) and credit cards.

What a pity that those in charge at Barnet Council didn't have sufficiently open minds to look at other options when they removed the meters. Maybe they will start to think for the future once they read this blog post.

Yours frugally

Mr Mustard

Cash is no longer king in Barnet

A nice quiet time to put out this rather annoying Delegated Powers Report. The council supposedly want it to be advertised so here goes. 

You can look at the original on the council website.

as ever, click & click again to enlarge & then back to return

Mr Mustard doesn't think that removing the cash payment at or near the point of parking is a Better Service for less Money. In car parks at least the payment machine could be of the type provided at airports which could be housed in a glass cabin and in which one could instantly pay by cash, note or credit or debit card without the fuss of registering. Barnet Council have forgotten that they are meant to be providing a service to residents and having them run around looking for PayPoint shops will not endear them to the council and will waste their lives.

Why could there be a lack of maintenance contracts with suppliers. Could it be because Barnet Council have forgotten, accidentally, or deliberately to renew the maintenance contracts?

3.2 The public do not consider cash to no longer be viable. 99% of the public carry it with them.

3.4 So there you are in Strafford Rd next to Chipping Barnet library and you want to use PayPoint. How will you know that the nearest PayPoint is Wood St filling station which is 0.3 miles away? A mere 84 pay points across the borough will not really be enough now will it ? Are they all open during the full hours of the zone ?

3.6 Barnet isn't Westminster.

3.7 Is the profile of Westminster's visitors in cars completely different to Barnet's ? Westminster's are probably nearly all business people. 

5.1 How to waste £160,000 in one easy lesson.

5.2 Another £80,000 and more claims for falling over badly patched footpaths. So that is £240,000 diverted from better causes.

5.5 But no benefit to residents who want to use cash payment at the point of parking. If you want to do some shopping Mr Mustard suggests you visit Welwyn Garden City where you can park next to John Lewis for 1 hour free of charge at any time and all evening when it is lovely and quiet in the store.

Now the funny thing is that the staffing chart says there are 3 parking (meter) maintenance staff posts not 4 as in the report above. Why do these errors get made ? Is it an attempt to over-egg the pudding? Errors routinely get picked up by bloggers. Please become more accurate Barnet Council. Mr Mustard knows that he has read something somewhere in the last few months about getting rid of the cash collection people as well but can't quite remember where at present. He will. He will.

Notice that 2 out of 3 meter repair posts were vacant. Why did it take so long for that meter to be fixed ? Was this anything to do with it ?

8.4 Well, if Barnet Council had purchased identical machines all from one supplier their life would have  been simpler.

8.6 The trial was considered a success. Only in the eyes of the council.

8.9 The council realised they could make more money this way by issuing more penalty charge notices.

8.10 Or demonstrating the lack of choice available.

8.11 Not logical, it demonstrates a blinkered vision. Where large numbers of motorists park together, like in a municipal car park it makes sense to have a machine. It saves time for the motorist too. Barnet Council have no idea how to compromise. Maybe they could think about selling all of the off-street car parks and then someone else will have the management issues that Barnet Council find to be too much trouble?

8.12 Mr Mustard is helping your communication plan. If you are unhappy about this plan you can email the Cabinet member with responsibility for Environment Brain Coleman on cllr.b.coleman@barnet.gov.uk but best not tell him Mr Mustard sent you as he isn't the number one fan of this blog.

8.14 Mr Mustard will keep an eye out for this coming in front of committee later on and report to you again.

1a So the purpose is not to help residents and visitors to Barnet. Better take down those Welcome to Barnet signs.

1c So 10% of people do not have a mobile phone. Well never mind.

1c. It is considered that the removal of pay and display machines across the borough would have a significant impact on certain sectors of the community who, due to their personal circumstances , may not be able, or be comfortable using the pay by phone technology. But we are still taking them away. So why bother with a 7 page impact assessment?

1d. Welcome to Potters Bar, welcome to Welwyn Garden City, hello Bluewater, bye bye Barnet.

1e. No

1f. Correct. they are all equally adversely affected.

1g. During a riot maybe? or indeed any customer at any time with both their mobile phone and credit card readily nickable.

1. Footfall will decrease as people learn to go elsewhere. Its called voting with your feet. A choice between paying or not paying, ooh, that's hard to decide.

2. Mr Mustard has done his bit to help.

3. Please only use your blue badge when you really should. Don't use your old grandad's pass and then be spotted sprinting from your car to the shops.

The legal challenge will arrive one day. Just not sure when or where.

Yours frugally

Mr Mustard

Cash cow yields to be increased

Yesterday evening at the full Council Meeting item 2.1 is questions to the Leader ( who was absent ) and Cabinet Members ( i.e. the inner circle of Councillors who take the big decisions - if your Councillor isn't one of them then he/she doesn't have much power - think Ikea rather than chippendale ! ). There were 40 questions.

For residents who live in or visit a CPZ there is more bad news. Here is the Q&A for you to read for yourself printed in Barnet Council's corporate colour of "wishy-washy blue".

Item 2.1

Council Questions to Cabinet Members

12 April 2011

Questions and Responses

Question 1 by Councillor Lord Palmer

Can the Cabinet Member explain why in Barnet our parking enforcement officers allow motorists to drive off without being issued a PCN after they have been observed committing a parking offence? 

Why has the legislation allowing our officers to issue the PCN by post, after they have started writing it but after the motorist has driven off not been put into effect? 

I have been informed that ‘’whilst the law has been revised it remains an option that has not been endorsed or adopted by this Authority and as such our procedures or systems do not cater for this aspect of enforcement.”

Answer by Councillor Brian Coleman

Councillor Lord Palmer raises a valid issue and I have asked officers to implement with effect from 15^th April following appropriate training for Civil Enforcement Officers.

So will this make the Borough a nicer place to live in or visit; no it won't. Barnet Council are desperate for money from motorists. Squeeze our teets a bid harder why don't you - cows have a well known habit of kicking out when milked too hard and then you will be sorry.

If you are unhappy about this policy then write to your Councillor. You can find a link here.

http://committeepapers.barnet.gov.uk/democracy/council/listcouncillorname.asp?intSubSectionID=13&intSectionID=9

The Council's time would be better spent in making sure that all ticket machines are working properly, that all signs and lines are correct ( they aren't ) and that they answer the phone in a decent time - it was 20 minutes on Monday. This new policy will simply lead to more appeals ( lines and signs being incorrect, faded or missing is a good place to start ). The parking "service" is already in a mess - try and cut down the number of tickets not put them up. The point of the CPZs is to control parking, not to make £millions out of motorists who overstay by a minute or two.

Yours frugally

Mr Mustard