Council vehicles (parked illegally)

[TheAllSeeingEye]

Hi

Is anyone else growing tired of the daily hold-up at the North Cross Road / Lordship Lane junction due to the variety of massive council vehicles parked illegally there ??

Not only a pain in the neck, but also parked illegally and dangerous for passing foot traffic. If you drive one, move it.

Just an observation ...

[intexasatthe moment]

I believe that the recommended response to problems of this nature is to find an alternative route .

( as in coping with overparking of coaches in Townley Rd ).

[TheAllSeeingEye]

Removing vehicles that are parked illegally makes more sense, rather than law-abiding citizens having to alter their plans.

I wonder, out of interest, if the Southwark Parking Officers (or whatever they are called this week), would dare ticket a Southwark Cleaning vehicle whilst the driver got his bacon sandwich ?? I think not.

[Sandperson]

Take some snaps ASE. Let's have a look.

[computedshorty]

(?)

[rbarton]

Okay not in e.dulwich but image attach, it happens everywhere, this was up in OLD Street.

CCTV camera car on a double yellow! Who do councils think they are? Above the law, then they enforce it?

[TheAllSeeingEye]

Was a tongue in cheek suggestion. The more pressing issue is that on a daily basis there is a jam there because of large van's and street cleaning vehicles just dumped anywhere.

[first mate]

A couple of months ago I asked for a huge Southwark Cleaning Van to be moved from where it had been parked illegally and dangerously, for some while, right at the end of the road by the Palmerston. It was blocking the view into and out of Northcross Road and you could see an accident was waiting to happen. The driver and a number of Southwark employees were all congregated outside the greasy spoon, a few yards down with their Manager. The Manager did get the van moved but I feel he should not have had to be asked. Do these people get any training, do they care?

[computedshorty]

(?)

[intexasatthe moment]

But Southwark Council is one of the largest industries in the area and this apparently is a factor to be taken into account when considering this type of parking offence.

[TheAllSeeingEye]

first mate Wrote:

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

> A couple of months ago I asked for a huge

> Southwark Cleaning Van to be moved from where it

> had been parked illegally and dangerously, for

> some while, right at the end of the road by the

> Palmerston. It was blocking the view into and out

> of Northcross Road and you could see an accident

> was waiting to happen. The driver and a number of

> Southwark employees were all congregated outside

> the greasy spoon, a few yards down with their

> Manager. The Manager did get the van moved but I

> feel he should not have had to be asked. Do these

> people get any training, do they care?

exactly what I am referring to, and surprise surprise, its still happening everyday.

[TJ]

and this one was in the west end. B'stard gave me a ticket too...

[James Barber]

If you witness inconsiderate or dangerous behaviour then please either phone the "A I driving dangerously" number onthe back or record the details and number plate and email me and I'll ask for an explanation.

Sometime doubling parking of rubbish truck and lorries s to enable bulk rubbish collections and they can;t any closer and by definition the items are large, usally heavy and bulky. This seems reasonable.

[KalamityKel]

James I think the issue here is that the vehicles are being left parked in inappropriate areas for long periods of time when not actually in use.

I don't see how ticketing such vehicles will help particularly - I mean who would end up paying the bill and where would then money go to... think about it...

Report it and keep reporting it.

[jlg]

I think you will find the vehicles are parked illegally and dangerously for long periods while the council are in the dulwich cafe lordship lane.

[ruffers]

Wherever I've worked in the private sector if you got a parking ticket using a company vehicle you had to personally pay, does this not apply here?

[sophiesofa]

I'm pretty sure that these council vehicles have double yellow line passes so there's nothing that can be done.

[kford]

Would that include the double yellow lines at the corner of junctions? If so that would be classed as 'Leaving a vehicle in a dangerous position' with a police offence code of MS10 and three penalty points + fine.

Cf the Southwark Parking camera car parked on the corner of Lordship and Hansler Road, blocking the left hand sightline for over an hour and with its engine running: http://img707.imageshack.us/img707/5001/carkz.jpg

(Rehashed from 'inconsiderate council drivers' thread, so apologies if you've read this)

[kford]

The Southwark Parking spy-car is at it again today, on double yellow lines, obstructing the sightline left out of Hansler Road onto Lordship Lane.

Highway Code Rule 243: "DO NOT stop or park

near a school entrance

anywhere you would prevent access for Emergency Services

at or near a bus or tram stop or taxi rank

on the approach to a level crossing/tramway crossing

opposite or within 10 metres (32 feet) of a junction, except in an authorised parking space"

[puzzled]

is this really a major problem? I detest southwark council and all their works, but can't say this is in the top 10 niggles. sounds like someone has a persona;l grievance with the parking gestapo.

[TheAllSeeingEye]

These little Victorian streets were built before cars were the norm, so yes it is a problem as it obstructs peoples view pulling out on to a main road, especially on a weekend when its busy with traffic and pedestrians. Ive lost count of the potential accidents and near misses Ive witnessed in recent weeks, and with one tragic loss of life recently Im sure no-one wants another. Southwark council take note.

Also, on a side issue, speed cameras have been painted yellow in the last few years to make sure they were visible because of the age old debate on whether they were there as revenue generators or to make the roads safer. How does this fit in with a mobile speed camera unit like the one seen above ?? ... its clear its purely revenue generating as you wouldnt be aware of its presence until it was too late. Of course, you shouldnt speed, but its impossible that Southwark can claim this is aimed at making things safer for both of the points raised above.

[kford]

@eye - I think this is just a parking camera.

@puzzled - I've never received a PCN from Southwark and I've nothing against sensible parking control; there would be chaos otherwise. I do, however, have an issue with this do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do approach, especially when it makes the roads less safe.

[Gimme]

Anything that makes driving and crossing streets more dangerous should be tackled. When it is the council parking dangerously it is unacceptable as they are the ones supposedly responsible for making the roads safer. That is what annoys people more than any old car parking there.

puzzled Wrote:

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

> is this really a major problem? I detest southwark

> council and all their works, but can't say this is

> in the top 10 niggles. sounds like someone has a

> persona;l grievance with the parking gestapo.

[Gimme]

kford - sent a link of your photo to Nick Costin (the man in charge of all parking enforcement in Southwark). Hope you don't mind. I've already sent pictures of his staff parked in similar dangerous situations and got the following reply from one of his managers in the past:

"The legislation allows all Civil Enforcement Officers (CEO) on official

duty to park their vehicles in parking contravention while carrying out

their duties."

Personally I don't think that's acceptable. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should (unless there's no alternative).

In this case (and the vehicle parked in the same place today), they could quite easily have found somewhere safer and not on a double yellow line to sit on but they are so arrogant (or badly trained) that they quite clearly made no effort to bother. Will raise this with councillors if there's no acceptable reply from Mr Costin.

[SeanMacGabhann]

+

Oh I don't know - many drivers seem to subscribe to "just because you can't doesn't mean you can't"

The bleating on this thread beggars belief. Were y'all breast fed until teenage years or something?

If people weren't parking illegaly then these guys wouldn't even exist for you to moan about. you are putting the horse before the cart so to speak

As stated before - if these guys have to go and find a "proper" parking space and walk back to the guilty car the chances are it'll be gone. Much like police chasing after joy-riders don't stick to the legal speed limit because... come on you can do this... because...

If the roads are dangerous places it isn't because of these wardens