Traffic wardens' new powers to fine drivers
6:06am Monday 17th March 2008
Comments (21)
THEY'VE got a new name, new powers and they're coming to a street near you.
A major overhaul of the parking fine system is about to give civil enforcement officers, formerly known as traffic wardens and parking attendants, tougher powers to deal with inconsiderate motorists.
From Monday, March 31, CEOs will be able to issue two levels of fines depending on the seriousness of the offence, send fines through the post to motorists who drive away and issue tickets to drivers who stop on or near crossings.
And the new act also opens the way for local councils to follow London's lead and introduce cameras at junctions to catch even more offenders.
Gerry Bolland, parking services manager at Bournemouth council, said: "This is a major step change in the work we do. At long last we have got the legislation that we should really have had seven or eight years ago."
Under the Traffic Management Act, the flat-rate £60 parking fine will be replaced with a two-tier penalty system.
That means that drivers who overstay their parking ticket can expect a £50 fine, while anyone caught illegally parking in a disabled bay, on double yellow lines or blocking junctions or crossings will get a £70 fine. Both fines will be halved if paid within a fortnight.
There will also be two circumstances in which fines can be issued through the post - if motorists drive off after a CEO has started to issue a fine and if a CEO considers his personal safety is at risk.
Mr Bolland warned motorists CEOs would be able to use their handheld equipment to record conversations.
"I've absolutely no qualms about them recording what is said to them," he said. "We have had some trials with that and it seems like something we can practically do.
He said the council would continue to target irresponsible motorists in a "random manner" but added: "Where we have got areas where there's a concentration of problems, I can see those areas going to camera enforcement.
"I would not even rule out the use of Automatic Number Plate Recognition outside schools."
But while council officers welcome the new powers, they are not expecting any increase in the amount of money raised by parking fines.
Robert Lawton, cabinet member with responsibility for transport and the environment, said: "Parking enforcement is financially neutral. Money raised from parking fines goes back into enforcement and we cannot touch any excess money, if there is any."
Your Say YourThisisdorset
rayc, Poole says...
8:27am Mon 17 Mar 08
Is this true? Where does the money raised from Penalty Notices go? A report in the Echo said that money from enforcement had been budgeted in to council income.
Is this another quango that can butter it's own bread similar to the Camera Partnership?
AndyC, Bournemouth says...
9:31am Mon 17 Mar 08
rayc wrote:And if the revenue is used by the council instead of council tax for other projects the problem is what precisely?
Robert Lawton, cabinet member with responsibility for transport and the environment, said: "Parking enforcement is financially neutral. Money raised from parking fines goes back into enforcement and we cannot touch any excess money, if there is any." Is this true? Where does the money raised from Penalty Notices go? A report in the Echo said that money from enforcement had been budgeted in to council income. Is this another quango that can butter it's own bread similar to the Camera Partnership?
michael carpenter, BOSCOMBE says...
11:21am Mon 17 Mar 08
rayc, Poole says...
12:24pm Mon 17 Mar 08
Is that what is happening? How do they budget - are they hoping / wishing / planning that people break the rules. What does "Parking enforcement is financially neutral" really mean in practice?
Mr Angry, Bournemouth says...
12:54pm Mon 17 Mar 08
Carl Barron, Dorset says...
1:51pm Mon 17 Mar 08
Reply>> Will the CEOs be advised to inform any motorist that they are about to record spoken evidence before they record?
Because under currant UK Law no orally recorded evidence can be used in a Court of Law unless the offender has been informed that evidence is about to be recorded prior to recording.
Or are they going to run with the new system until the first case bounces, wasting yet more public money on failed prosecutions.
ovingtonbadboy, bournemouth says...
2:30pm Mon 17 Mar 08
John, Poole says...
5:05pm Mon 17 Mar 08
ovingtonbadboy wrote:If they are to be paid on the same basis as their Councillor bosses, then it would be the worse their performance, the higher their pay!Fine?!
what we really want to know is if these CEO`s run on targets and bonus related pay structures?
Benjamin, Hamworthy says...
5:18pm Mon 17 Mar 08
rayc, Poole says...
5:38pm Mon 17 Mar 08
Benjamin wrote:That is why the government decriminalised parking and transfeered responsibility from the Police to councils.
New name, new powers, same objective. Fleece even more money from motorists!
When the Police run parking we had a fantastic impartial system where the enforcers did not receive any of the fines. we now have a system where the enforcers benefit.
The councils even want to remove the independant adjudicator and become judge and jury. It is corrupt.
Steve, Bournemouth says...
5:52pm Mon 17 Mar 08
Tim M, usa says...
6:26pm Mon 17 Mar 08
Or are they going to run with the new system until the first case bounces...
There you go. It only needs one case to stick, remember.
wage slave, throop says...
6:27pm Mon 17 Mar 08
PokesdownMark, Pokesdown says...
7:52pm Mon 17 Mar 08
Carl Barron wrote:Court of law?! I think you'll find that Courts of Law are not part of the process.
Quote>> Mr Bolland warned motorists CEOs would be able to use their handheld equipment to record conversations.
Reply>> Will the CEOs be advised to inform any motorist that they are about to record spoken evidence before they record?
Because under currant UK Law no orally recorded evidence can be used in a Court of Law unless the offender has been informed that evidence is about to be recorded prior to recording.
Or are they going to run with the new system until the first case bounces, wasting yet more public money on failed prosecutions.
beachhut, southbourne says...
8:08pm Mon 17 Mar 08
michael carpenter wrote:This depends on when they are riding through the precinct as this is still techically a highway at certain time of the day. I have driven down the precinct following the accepted route down through the bollards. Unfortunately I did'nt take out any drunks, druggies, muggers,of general unsavoury characters which you find in Boscombe, but maybe if we all have a drive
DO THE COUNCIL THINK THEY COULD SPARE A FEW OF THE WARDENS TO ENFORCE THE NO CYCLING IN BOSCOMBE PRECINT OR IS THERENOT ENOUGH MONEY TO BE MADE FROM CYCLISTS ILLEGALLY RIDING IN A PREDESTRIAN ZONE.
through we maybe more successfull.
Carl Barron, Dorset says...
10:09pm Mon 17 Mar 08
Quote>> The councils even want to remove the independent adjudicator and become judge and jury. It is corrupt.
Reply>> You make a good point here. One which could well bounce back.
Posted by: PokesdownMark, Pokesdown on 7:52pm today
Quote>> Court of law? I think you'll find that Courts of Law are not part of the process.
Reply>> This makes it even more interesting. If we are to move outside of 'English Law' into a new frame work of 'Local Council Public Order Enforcement' thereby untested.
We could reach a stage where Motorist collectively take off all number plates, remove any ID from windscreens and put Two Big Fingers into both the front and back screens.
We are certainly heading that way extreme as it may sound, it could so easily become a reality.
Carl Barron, Dorset says...
10:14pm Mon 17 Mar 08
Quote>> The councils even want to remove the independent adjudicator and become judge and jury. It is corrupt.
Reply>> You make a good point here. One which could well bounce back.
Posted by: PokesdownMark, Pokesdown on 7:52pm today
Quote>> Court of law? I think you'll find that Courts of Law are not part of the process.
Reply>> This makes it even more interesting. If we are to move outside of 'English Law' into a new frame work of 'Local Council Public Order Enforcement' thereby untested.
We could reach a stage where Motorist collectively take off all number plates, remove any ID from windscreens and put Two Big Fingers into both the front and back screens.
We are certainly heading that way extreme as it may sound, it could so easily become a reality.
Cargy, Devon says...
2:36am Tue 18 Mar 08
Imagine what a nice little revenue earner the uncontested tickets are in the current system, and imagine the increase in council coffers when the new style CEOs can just grab a few random registrations and issue tickets without needing to provide any proof because "I couldn't put a ticket on the vehicle" or "I was too scared to put a ticket on cos the driver was waving his nodding dog at me aggressively"! Kerching!
rayc, Poole says...
8:34am Tue 18 Mar 08
Perhaps he likes the power he has over motorists too much to be impartial.
Hannah, Bournemouth says...
9:47am Tue 18 Mar 08
Carl is right. If a motorist refuses to comply the final resort is a court of law... Her Majestys law. Even then a case can move on to the European courts. The council permanent staff are beginning to get out of control, but there will be a day of readjustment of the balance of power between the ordinary people, and the new Barons of the town hall castles.
JUST THE TICKET: Civil enforcement officers will be able to send fines to motorists who drive away before they have a chance to issue them. This is one of a range of new measures that Bournemouth council's parking services manager Gerry Bolland has been w
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fedupwithjobsworths, Moordown says...
7:37am Mon 17 Mar 08