CCTV threat to illegal parkers
MOTORISTS spotted on CCTV parking illegally in Nottingham have been warned they could be hit with a fine.
More than 400 warnings have been sent to drivers by Nottingham City Council since it was granted powers to charge for parking offences caught on camera by the Department for Transport in June 2008.
The city council has now warned it could start issuing fines if the problems persist.
The fines could be as high as £70.
Motoring groups say using CCTV to enforce parking is a money-making scheme and that the cameras cannot use the same discretion as traffic wardens.
They have also pointed out motorists may not know about the fine until it lands on their doormat days after the alleged offence, which makes it far more difficult to collect evidence for an appeal.
Keith Peat, East Midlands regional coordinator for the Association of British Drivers, said: "If you use CCTV for parking offences there is no discretion. The councils will say you have got the right of appeal.
"The difference is, whereas a warden wouldn't have bothered issuing a fine, they just blanket the thing. And how do you prove in retrospect you had a blue badge up?"
DfT guidelines say: "Motorists may regard enforcement by cameras as over-zealous and authorities should use them sparingly."
Outside London authorities can fine up to £70, with a 50% discount if paid within 14 days.
Stephen Glaister, director of the RAC Foundation, said: "The danger is many motorists will find themselves unable to contest the offence and be forced to pay a hefty fine for an infringement they have not committed.
"CCTV enforcement might make commercial sense for local authorities, but benefits for council tax payers must not come at the expense of justice for motorists."
Luke Bosdet, for the AA, said: "It sounds like Nottingham, at the moment, are using the powers sparingly if they are issuing warnings. But if you move to issuing anyone who contravenes parking rules with a ticket regardless of the circumstances, we are going down a bad road.
"What we are seeing with CCTV is the emphasis moved from deterring the bad driver to raking in as much money as possible."
Details of the 34 councils who have the powers were released by transport minister Sadiq Khan in a written Parliamentary answer.
Nottingham was the second to gain certification, in June 2008. The other authorities include Islington, Hackney, Bristol, Basildon, Bolton and Medway.
Mark Parkinson, director for Transport Services at Nottingham City Council, said: "The key purpose in installing CCTV cameras is to monitor activity across the highway network.
"No cameras have been installed to issue a penalty charge for parking, but infrastructure is used to support enforcement where there are particular locations that have safety issues or impact negatively on the overall operation of the highway.''
A council spokesperson added that just over 400 warnings had been handed out so far and "if problems persist will we use penalty charge notices."
70 Comments
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by The Equaliser, NOTTINGRAD
Thursday, January 14 2010, 5:58PM
“In the absence of being able to make comment direct on the reports of the multiple murders happening in the last few days in and around the City could I ask the Chief Constable just what the hell is going on?
It seems once more to be Motorists Fear and Tremble we've got you taped but real criminals are running amok.”
by The Equaliser, NOTTINGRAD
Thursday, January 14 2010, 5:28PM
“I think FW and Comrade Sensible are either one and the same or they attend the same Socialist Coven.
I remember reading that 61% of appeals that go to Tribunal are upheld.
Now that can only be so if the original reason for issuing the ticket was completely fallacious.
Otherwise the Lawgivers would side with the Council as is their wont.”
by FW, Nottingham
Thursday, January 14 2010, 3:15PM
“
The report was commissioned and was led by a team of legal experts including judges, barristers and solicitors who are experts in law especially motoring law. These studied 5000 cases at random and found around 80% of the tickets could be legally contested and revoked and in a large number of cases compensation could be claimed against the issuing body.
Try reading before passing comment as its a public document which can be accessed online.
I'd be happy to if you could provide somewhat more definitive information, like who the authors were, who commissioned it, etc. Until then, I'll presume it's another of those conspiracy theory urban myths that seem so popular around here.”
by Stumpy, The Hollows
Thursday, January 14 2010, 12:01PM
“You have got to agree that those that have grasped the levers of power have turned this country into a pretty crappy place for the ordinary guy to live in.
If you know the right people and especially if you have got money or can swing a shed load of benefits then life is not bad. In most other categories life in the UK stinks.”
by The Equaliser, NOTTINGRAD
Thursday, January 14 2010, 11:54AM
“The answer is for every motorist to contest and then refuse to pay their fine.
Same with Community Tax if you want to stop them: Stop paying it for a few months.
Snarl the system up.
Then they might just listen!
I'd like to think that motorists could avoid a fine in the first place and then the whole system would come tumbling down.
That is why they keep changing the goal posts the amount of genuine deliberate flouting of the parking rules is minimal and they need to milk every possibiltiy to get you!”
by Doris, Langley Mill
Thursday, January 14 2010, 11:47AM
“I had a bus driver get out of his bus yesterday and tell me in no uncertain terms to get a move on.
I was going slow and had stopped for a geezer who'd skidded on the black ice at the time.”
by Mr B J Mann, Nottingham
Thursday, January 14 2010, 11:39AM
“Errrmmmmmmmm, bus driver:
Are you an inconsiderate b-b-b-b-b-bus driver?
Or do you pull out of the way of the traffic flow to pick up passengers?
If you are on a nice wide bit of road, and you see than some silly b-b-b-b-bus stop installer has installed a bus stop just where the road narrows, do you pull up before you get there to avoid causing congestion?
If you see that some silly b-b-b-b-bus stop paver has accidentally built out the pavement bear the bus stop right into the middle of the road, so that if you actually stopped at the stop, you would cause *gridlock*, do you stoip just before or just after the stop to allow traffic to flow.
Or do you stop at the stop itself liker a right b-b-b-b-b-bus driver, completely blocking the road.
In fact, are you one of theose b-b-b-b-bus drivers who, if they are approaching one of the few bus stops that is still in a lay by, even if there are no other buses, or even cars in it, will still stop in the middle of the road, and completely block traffic.
Oh, and don't start on about how you have to do that otherwise other traffic won't let you out:
Of *COURSE* they won't let you out.
Because they know if they do you will be crawling along at 20mph (unless there's a red light to run).
They will have no way of getting poast because the road's been narrowed.
And at the next stop you will be stopping at a built out bus stop.
Trapping them behind you, stop starting all the way:
To try to drive them out of their cars and onto your bus!
.”
by Colin, Sandiacre
Thursday, January 14 2010, 10:21AM
“Hey up busdriver are you the fat one that shouts obscnitiest at every car driver on the rout to Sandiacre in the morning?
I think you are funny.”
by Stumpy, The Hollows
Thursday, January 14 2010, 10:19AM
“It might be said that Busdriver has got a vested interest and his wife/partner probably works in a council office.”
by The Equaliser, NOTTINGRAD
Thursday, January 14 2010, 10:13AM
“Again and again Bus Driver you are playing into the hands of the zealots.
It's the simple often unavoidable¿unless you want to leave your car at home and that is an area the Stasi are already looking at¿oversights that are the most profitable.
You are right they don't seem really that interested in some of the misdemeanors you mention.”