snoozy traffic wardens (Lounged)

[ladywotlunches]

Twice in the last week I've noticed one of our lovely traffic warden cars (the little red one) that zip around trying to ticket anything and everything, parked across a double yellow AND one of the dropped kerbs, with the engine running and the driver reclined right back in the seat having a kip, with his mate next to him grinning inanely.

This seems wrong on so many levels! Do you reckon there's any point emailing our lovely councillors about this waste of council tax and danger to pedestrians and traffic in ED? I think not, but I feel better for telling you all...

[kford]

And the unecessary environmetal damage - isn't it a by-law offence to be parked with one's engine running for no good reason? Take a photo/film, post it here.

[Nero]

Yup. Film it, put it on YouTube, alert local press...The Daily Mail will follow it up within a few days. Simple. Nero

[ladywotlunches]

>:D<

See, I feel better already. Now, I've just got to take a photo and work out how to upload onto this new fangled interweb thingy....

[benjaminty]

I've not seen the red cars .... what make/model are they? On Saturday I stopped off on Melbourne Grove for a swift cuppa with someone for 10 mins.... back wheels ever so slighly on double yellow and wham bam ?60 fine ..... it's like living back in Lambeth again :'(

[????]

Incentivised traffic wardens = lots of parking fines for the council to waste on shit - absolutely nothing to do with any benefit to you or I.

[giggirl]

PLEASE take a photo/video and post it here. I'm begging you.

[Brendan]

Would it be illegal to shoot out their tires with a pellet gun?

[macroban]

I can understand the dismay that the wardens were not out of their car collecting revenue, but perhaps this was their scheduled break.

[*Bob*]

I feel sorry for traffic wardens.

People park illegally, get fined by people who's job it is to issue tickets to people who park illegally - and for some reason can't seem to understand why.

"I only parked there for a minute"

"I just stopped to use the cashpoint"

"I'm waiting for someone"

"I'm only just over the line"

etc

etc

etc

[Brendan]

Or in mine and my partner's experience:

"I'm an on-call midwife responding to an emergency. Hence the signs on the car. Do I really have to pay you ?100 because you obviously can't read and have clamped my car"

"You have put the ticket over my pay and display ticket."

"I was walking to the machine to pay you prick!"

"Yes this is in fact a legal parking space."

[PeckhamRose]

I absolutely have NO sympathy for traffic wardens at ALL.

They are the scum of the earth. And I don't even own a car.

They are second in line of scum only to the managers who control them.

Don't hesitate to photo and/or film said wardens breaking laws, wasting time/fuel and our taxes.

Email your councillor AND the local community council area you are in AND Southwark Council's Highways Department AND the evil Daily Mail and the South London Press with the photos and film and if you can not get them uploaded tell them you can come in to all their offices with the evidence and THEY can do it.

This is a good story.

ALSO - at the time you are witnessing the offence, get a friendly looking witness to stand next to you, then tell the wardens to their face that you are going to report them and say out loud:

1) the registration number of the vehicle they are in

2) any identification number badge they are wearing

3) the date and time

so that they know you are serious.

This works with bad company car drivers too. The other day I was nearly knocked off my bike by a large van and as I inevitably -without hurrying- caught him up at the lights, a woman in her car was next to me so I shouted at the van driver his registration number and the name and phone number of his company and told him I would be reporting him. To my utter surprise the woman in the car next to me said she would do so too, because he'd nearly got her before he nearly got me!

Got home, and had forgotten the number. It's not easy remembering phone numbers and I was on a motorcycle so could not write it down easily. I hope the woman did though and even if she did not the van driver looked pale which was pretty rewarding to see.

Back to topic: Absolutely get these traffic wardens in trouble and I hope they all lose their jobs and I hope I am wrong about there not being a hell and heaven and they all go to hell.

Apart from this I have absolutely no opinions on the matter at all.

I'll get me coat.

[*Bob*]

I still feel sorry for traffic wardens.

Perhaps if the general public didn't constantly lie to them in an effort to avoid getting fined, they wouldn't have to assume that the general public are liars who lie in order to avoid getting fined.

No-one treats them with any respect. Why should they return the favour?

[PeckhamRose]

Because traffic wardens are the scum of the earth who deserve no respect.

That's why.

[Keef]

Exactly right (*bob*)! Some of them probably are little power crazed arseholes, but most of them are just people who needed a job, and got a job.

Calling them scum of the earth is bang out of order. Do you call bin men smelly scummers because they deal with your rubbish?

[Brendan]

I agree that they are necessary but the fact that they get paid commission on the amount of fines they dish out flies in the face of all reason.

[*Bob*]

If you've parked on, say, a double yellow, does it matter if the warden who ticketed your motor gets paid a commission or not?

I don't see why it does.

[PeckhamRose]

Nope, I call them Sir and I thank them for the very important socially useful job they do.

And I always say hello to them and smile a friendly smile.

Traffic wardens are not doing a socially useful job.

Keef Wrote:

Do you call bin men smelly scummers because

> they deal with your rubbish?

[Brendan]

See my statements above *Bob*. In all these instances we were ticketed illegally because a traffic warden was trying to make a buck.

[*Bob*]

Brendan Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> See my statements above *Bob*. In all these

> instances we were ticketed illegally because a

> traffic warden was trying to make a buck.

I saw the statements above. Did you have to pay any of the fines?

[Brendan]

2 of them yes. the others took so long and we were messed around so much trying to get them withdrawn that I sometimes felt it wasn't worth it.

[blinder999]

Brendan Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Or in mine and my partner's experience:

>

> "I'm an on-call midwife responding to an

> emergency. Hence the signs on the car. Do I really

> have to pay you ?100 because you obviously can't

> read and have clamped my car"

>

> "You have put the ticket over my pay and display

> ticket."

>

> "I was walking to the machine to pay you prick!"

>

> "Yes this is in fact a legal parking space."

admittedly, I'm not an on-call midwife, but I've yet to experience any of these situations, and I've been driving for a long time. And illegally parked cars annoy me and IMO should be ticketed.

[*Bob*]

Brendan Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> 2 of them yes. the others took so long and we were

> messed around so much trying to get them withdrawn

> that I sometimes felt it wasn't worth it.

That's a crappy experience, Brendan - and I don't deny it would cheese you off no end.

But I would suggest that the majority of the population (me included) have mostly only ever been deservedly ticketed.

[Brendan]

The situation with my fianc? (the midwife) when she was on call was particularly annoying as she was clamped and then the attendant who had got her clamped just refused to admit that she was displaying her sticker. Therefore his word against hers and bugger the fact that she is someone serving his community and responding to a medical emergency. Just so long as he gets his readies.

Scum if you ask me.

[Brendan]

You're probably right though *Bob*.