Newham Council are Cheats - #24

 

Here we go again.

A CEO (Civil Enforcement officer, or traffic warden as was) records 's&l ok' which stands for 'signs and lines ok'. That was a lie. The motorist had their own proof of signage being absent and it is clear that the traffic warden photographed a sign from another bay, which does not apply, every bay can have different rules so assuming is dangerous.

Checking on google street view we see that the first bay on the left was missing its sign in 2022 with the sign in the second bay being ok. That makes the first bay free and the traffic warden a cheat and supported by the back office who ignore inconvenient facts and reject perfect challenges.

 Newham Council are Cheats.

Seeing round corners - scientific breakthrough in Barnet

 

A US soldier tries to aim an StG 44 with a Krummlauf attachment over a cover. (Creative Commons)

Many motorists think traffic wardens are sniping at them as they appear out of nowhere, issue a PCN and disappear again in less than a minute.

In a recent case brought to him by a local resident with whom Mr Mustard is acquainted the resident in question was expected to see around a corner as the traffic warden clearly had.

The car was parked in this short bay, it has room for 4 average cars but this being Ravenscroft Park, a very desirable address in High Barnet, many residents can afford better than average cars.

Residents parking bay in Ravenscroft Park, EN5

Note that the bay is labelled as being for residents and although the image cuts the end off the bay is about 20m in length. A car within that bay was given a PCN. Although there were signs for roadworks, no suspended bay signage was visible from the bay.

Around the corner to the right is Blenheim Road, a cul-de-sac so unless you are visiting a friend or playing tennis there is no reason to go there.

The sign on the bay looked like this:

Thus it is clear that the bay in question, the suspended bay, is in Blenheim Road not in Ravenscroft Park. The 'side' of 17 Ravenscroft Park is the left as you look at the building i.e. as you would read a sign which was actually in Ravenscroft Park, which is the boundary of Blenheim Rd.

The number of required spaces is 7 (these are imaginary spaces as only pay only bays in Barnet are divided by painted lines) and you can't fit 7 spaces into a 20m parking bay as they are generally held to each be 5 metres long.

The type of parking space which is suspended is a Pay to park space. Here is the sign in the bay from around the corner in Blenheim Road.

and the bay itself

It is abundantly clear that this is the suspended bay, it having the reference 9189 and looking to be about 35m.

One can also see that a suspended bay sign on the pole in that bay could never be seen around the corner in Ravenscroft Park except by a stupidly keen traffic warden (no. 798 who is newish and needs retraining).

This was an obviously invalid PCN. The resident challenged it, not wanting to bother Mr Mustard with such an obvious error which they expected to be cancelled without demur. No such luck. Mr Mustard hasn't seen the challenge that was made as he didn't need to and it was to the effect that an error had been made but it was rejected. This may be evidence that nowadays there isn't a proper consideration of informal challenges, as ones before the Notice to Owner are known, they are all just rejected as apathy rules and most people then give in. Mr Mustard isn't most people.

Mr Mustard doesn't mess about. He emailed a parking manager at 09:36 on Valentine's Day. The message contained just 110 words and a photograph. It included a complaint about the traffic warden, a request for retraining and a suggestion that the council might want to avoid the tribunal and cancel the PCN.

As a measure of the reverence in which Mr Mustard is held by the council, or maybe the opposite, he received a same day reply at 10:04 confirming that the PCN was being cancelled and management would be looking at the CEO's actions.

Everyone in the borough should get the same prompt and high standard investigation of the challenges they make to PCNs.

If the legislation included a penalty to be paid by a council if they blunder like this the quality of PCNs and of the consideration of representations would markedly improve.

Don't take a chance when parking, the traffic warden might be just around the corner, you can't see him, but he can see you, apparently.

The end.

Legally correct but morally dubious

Another recent tribunal case, Mr Mustard suspects, in which most people will regard the issuance of a PCN as unkind and mere revenue raising. Full marks to the motorist for taking up their right of Appeal to an independent adjudicator but unfortunately their hands were tied by the law.

Do not blame the adjudicator, they have to apply the law even though they may have been unhappy to do so. The council could have chosen to cancel but made a deliberate decision not to. Discretion is entirely in their hands.

Mr Mustard wonders if there was a bus stop closed sign that the motorist should have taken a photograph of in support of their case at the time. Not a bad idea to take photos when you get a PCN of things which might be relevant. Digital photos don't cost anything so be snap happy.

Mr Mustard couldn't remember why the road was closed so did a search and then the event came back to mind, the terrible burst water main, as reported here in the local paper

Burst water main in North Finchley

The motorist did no harm and was in fact trying to do good, the council make that less likely in the future.

If you don't like the manner of a traffic warden ('civil' enforcement officer, or perhaps uncivil in this case) then what you should do, separately from the challenge to the PCN, is to write a complaint. Don't lower yourself to their level and use intemperate language on the street because it is only once sufficient people write in with complaints about conduct that traffic wardens will be told to behave properly with courtesy and respect to the public (Mr Mustard may have his rose tinted future looking spectacles on here but there is nothing wrong with hoping for the better). Most of the traffic wardens in Barnet are OK but there are a few whom Mr Mustard thinks need some training in their public manner.

Yours frugally

Mr Mustard

Newham Council - white paint shortage & other problems

A friend of Mr Mustard's, let us call him Mr L, received a PCN for being in a disabled bay, he isn't that sort of chap and was the victim of innocent error thanks to the paucity of the white lines.

He was parked at the zig zag end of the bay, the bay you can barely see:

This sign was alongside to the left but why would you look for it when you know you are within the PN zone as you live nearby (Portway E15)

Looking back on google street view we have these lovely pictures from 2015, the bay is pristine and was before the residents bays were introduced

Then by 2018, the lines had become worn away and pristine residents bays are in evidence (lazy and unhelpful not to repaint the other bay at the same time)
 

and here is the latest satellite view

which makes clear how unclear the separate bays are.

It is precisely this sort of unreasonable and predatory PCN which gives traffic wardens and councils a deservedly bad reputation. It is no consolation that there is a system of challenge, the PCN should not have been issued in the first place or a warning PCN for zero (you rarely see those) would have done the job of bringing the bay to Mr L's attention, the way the missing lines should have done. Mr L has had to waste an hour of his life getting photographs and emailing Mr Mustard who in his turn has spent an hour in research and making the informal challenge.

Until this sort of malicious nonsense PCN issuing stops the councils won't stop damaging their own reputations.

They won't stop, they need the money.

Love - an apology

A lady made the mistake of parking on the grass verge where a few other cars had done the same. It wasn't a place that had previously known for being enforced but things can change. She paid the PCN at 50% but came to Mr Mustard as she was unhappy with how she, and her female colleagues, had been spoken to by the traffic warden ('CEO').

The complaint set out what had transpired that day in the words of the lady concerned.

When I was told there was an Enforcement Officer outside I quickly went out to talk to him. He had already put a ticket on my car and was in the process of issuing another on a different car. I asked him why I had been given a ticket and he replied, “You can’t park here, love.” I asked why I couldn’t park there and he just repeated, “You can’t park here, love.” I asked him but to call me “love” and could he answer my question. He then replied with something along the lines of, “Sorry darling, you can’t park here,” with a patronising emphasis on “darling”. I asked him again to not call me that and said, “If we can’t park here then where are the signs to say we can’t?” He said, “There doesn’t need to be signs, love. You can’t park here.”

At this point he was obviously doing this on purpose as he could see it was winding me up. A couple of other women there were now also telling him to stop using sexist language. He asked how he was being sexist and was laughing. He was obviously antagonising us and, by now as more people were arriving for work, was enjoying the show he was putting on.

A colleague told him he was being rude and sexist and he just laughed. He said in an extremely patronising and condescending way, “Well, what would you like me to call you then?” She said that Madam and Sir would be a more appropriate way to address people and he replied, “Well, MADAM, you can’t park here.” He then waved to everyone and walked up the road laughing.

I have never met such an arrogant, condescending little man as this before. But, what I don’t quite understand, is that I was told there was an Audi parked amongst the cars in that area but he didn’t put a ticket on it. A colleague (who’s ticket is one of the ones sent) told me that he skipped it, ticketed the other cars and then let the Audi driver drive off.

Mr Mustard then added in the terms of the complaint, as follows:

In summary, the traffic warden was rude, patronising, sexist, arrogant, unhelpful, partial, condescending, antagonistic, unprofessional and behaved in a way that is detrimental to the council's image. He is completely unsuited to his job.

An apology has now been received, although it took two reminders to get one:

Your complaint has been forwarded to me for reply, as I am one of the officers responsible for monitoring the parking enforcement contractor, NSL Ltd. I apologise for the delay in replying to you.

After reading your letter I requested a statement from CEO BT*** regarding his conversation with you.  In his statement he explained that he uses the word “love” daily and up until the incident nobody had been offended (as far as he was aware). He thought he was being polite. Since then, he has not used the word “love” whilst carrying out his duties, as he is now aware that it could be offensive or seen to be sexist. (Part of the problem is that the public don't complain enough so the council don't know what language is sued by traffic wardens. You rarely see a council officer shadowing a traffic warden as the provision of the service, and hence the supervision, is left to NSL)
He has apologised for his behaviour and explained he did not intend to be rude, patronising, sexist, arrogant, unhelpful, partial, condescending, antagonistic, or unprofessional.

I have spoken to the contract manager at NSL Ltd, as they employ the CEOs. I have advised him to remind all the CEOs that as front-line representatives of the Council we expect them to treat all motorists with courtesy whilst in pursuant of their duties.  We also expect motorists to treat them the same. BT*** has also been spoken to separately and reminded of his obligations. (The motorists involved were courteous despite the testing time and there is no need for this line in the apology as it is irrelevant. Having outsourced the service does not outsource the responsibility for council traffic wardens to NSL, the extra management layer does not excuse the council).

In relation to the Audi, BT*** explained that the vehicle “moved straight away” so he was not able to enforce it. (This is a pack of lies as the location was a cul-de-sac and the traffic warden had to walk past the Audi to ticket two other cars as a cursory inspection of the council's own evidence would have shown).

I’m sorry that you have found cause to complain. Please be rest assured that if a CEO has behaved inappropriately, we take it seriously and the CEO is dealt with accordingly.

Always good to get an apology. Any more complaints about that particular traffic warden, are not going to help him, he will simply have to be more polite in future. Please, if you are unhappy with how you are spoken to, send your complaint to parking.clientteam@barnet.gov.uk Make sure you also challenge the PCN which has to be to the email address on the PCN, or use the on line system, or write to the Sheffield PO Box (where the scanner sits).

It is easy for traffic wardens, just call people Sir or Madam.

Yours frugally

Mr Mustard

Traffic wardens not trained in blue badge abuse / fraud

Mr Mustard is fighting a PCN, and he has just started a case at the tribunal, where, the driver says, the traffic warden confiscated the blue badge because the holder, a juvenile, was not in the car. The motorist, his mum, says she was collecting him. Whilst Mr Mustard believes the motorist, he thought he would check the knowledge of the traffic warden and the training which enabled him to do his job properly. Thus, he asked Havering Council about the training of traffic wardens and was worried to receive this response:

Misuse of a blue badge is a fraud. Typical council semantics.

The removal of the badge caused extra difficulties for the young boy whose badge it was. Mr Mustard did get it returned pretty quickly by complaining to the Chief Executive of Havering who quickly delegated the task to a senior manager who arranged a same day interview of the driver, who was the holder's mother, and then gave the blue badge back to her, the driver on the day in question.

You can't blame the traffic warden for getting it wrong, as he hasn't been trained (although motorists are expected to digest without any error the Rights and Responsibilities guidance which runs to 34 pages) but he shouldn't be asked to exercise the powers of a blue badge fraud investigator (and make no mistake as soon as a badge is seized it is assumed that you are guilty) nor should he confiscate a badge, without being fully trained. It would be better if a traffic warden merely reported the suspicion of fraud to the blue badge investigation team.

Mr Mustard has further concerns about the traffic warden. This is part of his written report.

If it wasn't such a serious situation Mr Mustard would be smiling as he thinks of Allo Allo:
for "I was pissing by the door, and I thought I would drip in"

we have 'I was petroling on St Nicholas Avenue'

but this is no time for humour.

The other point Mr Mustard notes is that the traffic warden, who pulled up alongside the parked car which was on double yellows, asked the driver to move on before looking in the windscreen, where the blue badge was to be found. That speaks volumes about the attitude of traffic wardens. Anybody on a double yellow must be wrongly parked and yet tens of thousands of motorists in greater London have blue badges and the right to park for 3 hours on a double yellow (except where loading is banned, identified by yellow marks across the kerb).

The blue badge has been returned, then renewed just a month after the incident without any hesitation, no proceedings have been commenced or even threatened, but yet Havering Council want to force the motorist to the tribunal. The motorist won't have to attend, Mr Mustard will handle it. Will the council fight the tribunal Appeal or will they wisely throw in the towel and file a 'do not contest' form. Time will tell and Mr Mustard will let you know.

Mr Mustard is of course wondering which other London local authorities have untrained traffic wardens going about confiscating badges in an ignorant fashion. Best smarten your act up parking managers before Mr Mustard starts asking questions.

Yours frugally

Mr Mustard

Yeah but no but yeah

Not 100% certain this was the bay but the sign fits the decision

Mr Mustard keeps an eye on the decisions made each day by parking adjudicators. In the next decision the council ticketed a goods vehicle for being in a goods vehicle loading bay and then when the motorist points out that his was a goods vehicle the council change their argument, which never plays well with an adjudicator, being a slippery eel.

Not all adjudicators will cancel a PCN for the lack of adequate description reason, many will say that in combination with the sign, you know what you did. If the vehicle owner isn't the driver though and wasn't there it would not be obvious. The public is entitled to be told exactly why a penalty is due, you shouldn't have to guess.

The adjudicator slays the second argument about not being engaged in loading as that is not the allegation on the PCN so the council, in their desperation to extract £110 from the innocent Mr Joyce, blathered on about an irrelevance. Mr Mustard thinks the quality of correspondence has gone downhill since NSL moved the back office to Dingwall because it is cheaper, naturally, but cheap ain't often also good.

Rare though it is to see costs awarded Mr Joyce clearly felt he had been badly done by and applied for costs.

If a council don't oppose an application for costs it is more likely to be granted, it being assumed that the council has no objection whatsoever.

It doesn't matter if the council don't see you unloading. They rarely observe for even 5 minutes and so if the traffic warden is only there for one minute, they aren't likely to see much happening.

Barnet Council were adjudged to have been 'wholly unreasonable' - nothing new there then.

What Mr Joyce should have claimed for was the costs of preparing his Appeal i.e. from the moment he received the Notice of Rejection and his travel time in attending the hearing, at the litigant in person rate of £19 per hour.

Barnet Council are lucky to have got off with wasting £35.

Remember, just because the council state that the traffic warden didn't see something happening doesn't mean that it wasn't happening. If Lady Godiva had ridden down the street whilst the traffic warden was intent on his handheld equipment and didn't see her ride by, it doesn't mean she wasn't in East Finchley that day (although it is an unlikely event) only that the traffic warden didn't see her. The same goes for loading, please please do it properly dressed.

Yours frugally

Mr Mustard

Traffic warden forgets to do his/her job

So you park at night on a single yellow line in Burleigh Gardens (it is quite convenient for Southgate tube station). You can see this sign

which shows the school warning correctly facing oncoming traffic (so motorists know to slow down & keep their eyes peeled, you do do that don't you?) and then the sign which tells goods vehicles & coaches over 5 tonnes not to park overnight is facing the wrong way and has been since at least May 2016. This led Mr Mustard's client to not notice the no parking timed restriction as the sign was at ninety degrees to it, as you can see from above. The no parking until midnight sign is facing the road, which is correct, but is inadequate thanks to the hgv sign above which misleads.

What does the contract with NSL say about signs and traffic wardens? This:

Mr Mustard wonders why this sign has not been reported (he assumes) for more than 6 months and then rectified? Is it because NSL's traffic wardens focus on the issuing PCN aspect of the contract rather than the defective lines & signs? (115 PCN were issued in Burleigh Gardens in 2016). Is it all about the money? Does Barnet Council not realise that these things damage its reputation?

Is Mr Mustard going to complain about NSL not doing their job? Of course he is.

Is Mr Mustard going to fight the PCN all the way to the tribunal? Yes again.

If you get a PCN based upon defective signs and lines please make a complaint about the behaviour of the traffic warden to barnet@nsl.co.uk and send a copy to first.contact@barnet.gov.uk so that the council know about it. Add the complaint into your representations against the PCN. Councils hate getting complaints and they might cancel the PCN just to tidy the complaint away.

Yours frugally

Mr Mustard

New Year's Resolutions - Yours!

In 2015 Mr Mustard has completed the challenges to over 270 PCN and lost 11 of them but as he is rather busy now in his professional life he would find it handy if you, yes you, could receive fewer PCN in 2016 (to be fair many people  ask Mr Mustard for help but once a year) as that is the easiest way to avoid paying out your hard earned. Also, the council are sharpening their act up so technical challenges are now harder to find.

By parking legally at all times you will force the traffic wardens to run around ever faster looking for victims and if you can have enough of an effect on the 153,000 (165,000 the previous year) PCN issued each year (to 31 March 15) in Barnet the number of traffic wardens might have to be reduced as they will only be retained whilst there is a profit to be made.

So, how do you avoid getting a parking ticket?

Double yellow lines - don't take a chance.

Don't park on double yellow lines, ever, day or night. This is what they look like in case you are in any doubt:

You are allowed to pick up or set down passengers and their luggage which should take less than 2 minutes (longer if you have small children, the elderly or disabled passengers). If you are disabled you can park on them for up to 3 hours as long as your badge is in the windscreen, the correct way up (i.e. showing the expiry date) and with the clock correctly set. It doesn't matter if there is an odd break in the lines, as long as they look like a set of double yellows the adjudicator will find against you.

Kerb flashes

Now on the next kind of double yellows, even blue badge holders cannot park. This is because of the kerb "flashes" which are short stripes at 90 degrees to the road. If there are double stripes that means no unloading at any time. There should also be a sign like this one:

So park somewhere else with your blue badge; a car park, a residents bay or a paybyphone bay all of which you can park in all day for free (in Barnet - you'll have to check the arrangements in other boroughs).

If there is only one stripe across the kerb you are more than likely on a single yellow line and the times at which you cannot unload, and thus cannot use your blue badge, will be on an adjacent sign.

Pavement parking

The next big mistake which people make is to treat the pavement as an extension of the road, viz:

Thank you for this photo to Alan Stanton.

Mr Mustard understands why people do it, often because the road is too narrow if you leave your whole vehicle on the carriageway but all you do is break the paving slabs (making it more likely that an old person will suffer a fall) possibly prevent wheelchairs and buggies passing along the pavement thus forcing them into the road and giving a traffic warden a golden opportunity to give you a PCN without a second's hesitation. There are 5 traffic wardens out on scooters until 11 at night looking for cars parked like this. They keep finding them, let's spoil their fun.

There are roads where you may have it in writing from the council that pavement parking will not be ticketed (treasure that letter) or the pavement may be specially marked out with bays and signs on posts saying that it is permissible, signs like this one.

If it isn't clear that you have express permission to park on the pavement, anywhere in Greater London, don't do it.

There is an exemption for builders who are unloading but it is very tightly drawn. It has to be absolutely necessary to be on the pavement, loading has to be ongoing and someone has to be with the vehicle so unloading 1,000 bricks to the rear of a property out of sight on your own won't wash.

Dropped kerbs and/or raised roads = crossovers

This is another favourite of the traffic warden.

not perfect but still obviously a dropped kerb

Now you can't park across a dropped kerb which exists to enable pedestrians (and wheelchairs) to cross the road, to enable cyclists to enter/exit a cycle lane or for vehicles to access premises. You often find them at junctions to help pedestrians.

You can park across a dropped kerb of your own home, friends or family with permission if the dropped kerb serves only one residence (as it is the practice of Barnet Council to only issue PCNs on demand for dropped kerbs, except inside CPZs at operational times when it is automatic). So, if you and your neighbour share one drive, or you live in a small block of flats and even though you might be the only driver, you cannot block that dropped kerb. Also be wary inside a CPZ as the dropped kerb might have a single yellow line across it and that would operate at the times shown on the CPZ entry plates. If a white line is painted across the dropped kerb it means nothing legally and is intended to alert you to the existence of the dropped kerb.

The car in the picture above got ticketed in Barnet and had to go all the way through the appeal process before the PCN was cancelled at PATAS.

Single yellow line inside a CPZ.

Lots of people get caught out with this one especially in Golders Green on a Sunday.

Now, if you find a single yellow line with a time plate nearby then you know exactly where you are. The sign has the times during which you cannot park. If you cannot see a time plate do not park without further research. A single yellow line means that there is a parking restriction which is less than 24 hours. Now you have to find out what it is. The answer is on a sign like this one:

A bit grubby this one, not easy to read after dark

So this sign, which you passed half a mile ago and didn't really notice is the one that applies to your single yellow line. The idea is to reduce street clutter but in Mr Mustard's book it increases confusion in the eyes of the motorist. Many will look at the adjoining bay (they all have to have signs so clutter reduction is not that great) and assume that the same times apply; they might or they might not. The answer is to start looking out for these signs in the future or to drive back to the edge of the zone to check and once you have done that you might as well park for free and walk if you have the time.

Given a choice between a parking bay whose hours have finished and an unknown single yellow line you should use the bay.

Bus stops

What a beautiful bus stop in Friern Barnet. All it needs now is a bus. It doesn't need your car in it and your car should not be in it so stay out of it no matter how tempted you are; Mr Mustard only just managed to get a PCN cancelled for a lady picking up her injured son in a bus stop in order to take him to hospital - that is how difficult it is to get such a PCN cancelled.

A thick yellow line (8 or 12 inches wide) and the words bus stop in 1.6 metre high letters should be enough of a hint that a bus stop is not a place for you to stop your car not even for a minute to pop into the newsagent or to ask directions. Traffic wardens drop out of the sky when you least want them to.

Bus stops can still be enforced by cctv if they have that thick yellow line.

Special bays (taxis / motorcycles / disabled / doctors etc)

Unless you are a  taxi / motorcycle / blue badge holder / doctor etc stay out of the bay which is restricted to certain users. There will be a sign saying who can use the bay and words painted on the carriageway so do follow them. This sort of bay will usually be restricted 24 hours a day but there are some that aren't which you can park in outside of the restricted times. Mr Mustard started learning in depth about parking tickets when he parked, in November 2009, on a Mon-Fri disabled bay and it was a Saturday and he received a PCN. The council cancelled it but had to be pushed to admit they had made a mistake. Mr Mustard didn't know at that time what he knows now but council errors are very common.

Blue badges

It is a common error to put the photo side of your permit to the top. If you keep it in a holder with only one open face then you cannot make that mistake. Mr Mustard thinks that the best way of not forgetting your blue badge clock is to set it every time you park even if you don't need to. Be careful with the pointer and keep it well to the earlier part of the quarter hour in which you arrived, you are marking the quarter hour not the exact minute. Official advice from London Tribunals (formerly PATAS) is midway but that is dangerous in Barnet where a clock set to 2:07 will see a PCN issued between 2:00 and 2:06 on the spurious grounds that you advanced the clock to give yourself extra time.

The other problem is expired badges. They are renewed every 3 years and reminders are not sent. Badges issued 3 years ago had a hand written date which fades over time (you can get them changed for free). Go outside now and check your badge or that of your relative and apply for a new badge 6-8 weeks before the old one expires.

Resident permit expiry

This is another common problem. The council send reminders but say this is merely a courtesy so if you rely on them and they let you down (which happens a lot) they say it isn't their fault and the PCN stands. Mr Mustard's advice is the same. Go outside* now and check your permit and that of 2 or 3 neighbours and deal with it if the permit has expired. If it has then you can apply on line for a permit to be instantly issued as they are now electronic. Also make a note in your phone to remind you a month before the next renewal date or write a note and put it on a prominent notice board in your kitchen.

*After about October 16 all permits will be electronic so if you don't know when your's expires you will have to phone the council up on 020 8359 7446 to find out (Mr Mustard doesn't know if the little used MyAccount option tells you as he doesn't use it)

The bus lane

In Barnet there is only one bus lane. Mostly on the A5 southbound although there is also a very short northbound section where Barnet territory extends west over the A5 for some reason. Most of the northbound lane is in Brent. Southbound the times are (unless readers tell me otherwise) 7 - 10 am and 4 - 7pm i.e the morning and evening rush hour. Just stay out of the bus lane at those times. The only times you can use the bus lanes are when there is less traffic so that you probably don't need to. Some people never go in a bus lane ever and so never receive a bus lane PCN through the post. If you have lots of time you could treat bus lanes as forbidden territory. Note that motorcycles are not allowed in Barnet's bus lanes.

At the start of the bus lane there will be a sign 30m before it to tell you of the times and give you time to move across to lane 2 and a thick solid white line on the offside and the words Bus Lane in huge letters also tell you of the existence of a bus lane. If in doubt, stay out as the cameras are automatic and pick up 99% of contraventions, even in the dark.

Call a taxi to get me to the kerb

Parking a long way from the kerb is untidy, inconsiderate and possibly dangerous. It is also an offence if all of your car including the mirrors, not in a marked out parking space, is more than 50cm from the kerb when parked. This is to stop double parking but is rigorously enforced at all times even if you are just a sloppy parker, not double parked and doing no harm. Do please make sure that part of your car is within 50cm of the kerb, a wheel or a wing mirror will do but preferably all of one side of the car to be on the safe side, about 10cm from the kerb should be possible for most people. Park, get out, look and move if you haven't done well enough.

That's enough to keep you safe from 90% of the contraventions.

Good luck and all the best for 2016.

If you are a member of a group of any sort and would like a 20 minute presentation on parking tickets, then Mr Mustard is your man. No charge, just a nice cup of tea will do.

Yours frugally

Mr Mustard

Helen Michael silenced (not for long)

That pesky cafe owner, Helen Michael, of Cafe Buzz who has been vocal on the subject of the removal of cash parking meters, as they adversely affected her business, is still on the warpath. This time it is about traffic wardens being over zealous and giving out PCN like confetti on a suspended 15m stretch of parking bay opposite Cafe Buzz as it makes customers and potential customers nervous to even visit North Finchley. Helen's view is that traffic wardens were targeting the spot, which was ambiguously signed, just to raise revenue as she saw wardens down there on foot at 8pm when usually it is only the scooter riders passing by who stop and dole out PCN.

So, fed up with seeing traffic wardens take photographs and driving away her trade, Helen tweeted a picture of a traffic warden at work, like this one

You won't get such lovely food as at Helen's, in the above establishments

with the small difference that Helen left the traffic warden's face visible.

This led someone, whether the traffic warden, NSL or Barnet Council isn't known, to complain about Helen having breached twitter policy, or some such, and for now, until she sorts it out, Helen's account is suspended. Here is some legal advice I was given for free:

The general rule for street photography is that if you are taking a picture of a street scene, which happens to have lots of people in it, that is fine.

If you are taking a portrait of a particular person, as in this case, then you need them to sign a consent form.

Mr Mustard thinks it must be the traffic warden who complained as she is now, according to other local business owners (most of whom are very grateful to Helen and support her efforts to get the council to be sensible) going around making uninvited improper remarks about Helen to other business owners such as referring to her as "a bitch" and telling them (at least 3, statements are being written as we speak) she is "a horrible person" (she isn't; she is lovely) unless of course the definition of a horrible person is someone who prevents people from getting PCN in which case Mr Mustard will have to be renamed Mr Horrible.

The problem with the enforcement last week outside the premises of Tally Ho Discount (soon to be Tesco) is that the 15m stretch which was suspended was described as being outside 770-774. Now Tally Ho is number 770 and is about 13m wide so that left only an adjoining 2m elsewhere which was suspended. The other buildings are not numbered and so without making further enquiry, which should have been unnecessary, motorists didn't know if the other 2m were to the left or right of Tally Ho. Traffic wardens didn't care, they simply ticketed any vehicle outside any part of McDonald's and blithely told motorists that they could appeal (Mr Mustard doesn't expect to be summonsed for an offence that he hasn't committed, such as say burglary when his swag bag is clearly empty and be told that it's fine, you can appeal). Mr Mustard politely asked a different traffic warden how motorists could know where the 15m stretch started and ended and her answer was that it wasn't her job to put the signs up and that motorists could always appeal. She couldn't answer therefore how she decided whether to ticket or not (the answer of course is always to issue a ticket, to the innocent as well as the guilty). Mr Mustard hung around for a while to stop people getting tickets. He moved a fellow motorcyclist along 5m to be out of danger. The rider spoke to the traffic warden who told the rider not to listen to Mr Mustard (she clearly not knowing of his knowledge on the subject in hand). Mr Mustard doesn't think it is in the job description of traffic wardens to instruct the public to not have expert help in contesting PCN; they might just be an incy wincy bit biased?

Mr Mustard talks to most of the traffic wardens he meets (some though don't seem to have a tongue in their head and stupidly give residents the silent treatment which is enraging) and they are happy to explain anything he asks. Others just walk away. This is what the contract with NSL requires (try hard not to laugh so much that your feet fall off)

The atmosphere where traffic wardens are seen as Ambassadors for the council seems to Mr Mustard (and we are 3 years into this contract) to be like this

or maybe it was an auto-correct error and Ambushers was the word that was meant to be included in the contract?

It might be a good idea if parking management were to move the slandering traffic warden to another location well away from N12 and took a long hard look at how traffic wardens behave on the street by following them around and checking first hand what antics they get up to.

Do feel free to send your traffic warden stories to mrmustard@zoho.com or to the local Times newspaper

Yours frugally

Mr Mustard