Council Parking Attendants - Waste of money?

[andygardener 10]

Their being jobsworths can only be a good thing, since their job depends on ticketing people who park illegally and not harassing anybody else!

 

Re the OP: Still doesn't require four of them does it? Unless all four were busy doing ticketing or checking for tickets needing to be doled out. Which it seems they were not. And i've seen them lazing around dozens of times in my area which should be one of their prime hunting spots as i can't park within about a mile of my house thanks to SCC restrictions. (hunters bar end of eccy road)

[matsalleh 10]

Their wages are paid from the income from parking tickets so if they were not employed there would not be any money for potholes, youth centres etc.

 

If you were watching them for 10 minutes and the van kept parking up then waiting while one of them issued a ticket, does this mean that you were following them? Worrying.

 

If that means that only 1 of the 4 is being paid I don't have a problem with that,other than the cost of extra fuel for carrying 3 non productive personnel.

[strikerPaul 10]

If that means that only 1 of the 4 is being paid I don't have a problem with that,other than the cost of extra fuel for carrying 3 non productive personnel.

 

What on earth? Why are people suggesting these people would be sat there without being paid?

 

I really can't see it personally, unless they get some sort of kick out of giving tickets surely they would prefer to be at home revising the highway code?

[matsalleh 10]

What on earth? Why are people suggesting these people would be sat there without being paid?

 

I really can't see it personally, unless they get some sort of kick out of giving tickets surely they would prefer to be at home revising the highway code?

 

No one is suggesting that.The first word of my post is IF

[alchresearch 214]

Instead of ranting or whinging or speculating about it, why don't you contact the council and ask why there was four in a van?

[strikerPaul 10]

Instead of ranting or whinging or speculating about it, why don't you contact the council and ask why there was four in a van?

 

What and ask them what the people of Sheffield think about it? Great idea....

 

I was asking what Sheffield people thought about this, not why the council do it. But thanks for your input, however irrelevant it was

[alchresearch 214]

Thought about what? Why there were four wardens in a van with no knowledge from yourself why they were there?

 

Its a loaded question and open to the usual rants and speculation from the armchair experts.

[Cuey 10]

Their being jobsworths can only be a good thing, since their job depends on ticketing people who park illegally and not harassing anybody else!

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1348789/Two-thirds-parking-tickets-issued-illegally.html

 

Or falsely extorting money. If most of us got 2 thirds of our work wrong we would be out of a job. They just try it on and most people pay up. I've had 3 parking tickets in my life. 1 i paid because i was in the wrong. 2 i challenged and got them both overturned.

 

Its another money making scheme for the council and you could get rid of half of them without having any impact on traffic in the city. They are quick to get people 10 minutes over in a bay outside the city centre but we have all seen at 5:00pm cars parking on eccy road, woodseats, Firth park, Walkley etc and no one to be seen. I think they should be more targeted on the problem areas / times rather than parking bays at 5pm. I suppose they go for the easiest ticket with the least chance of someone challenging them.

[CrazyWomble 10]

Their wages are paid by parking tickets? How certain are you about that?

 

Pretty certain.

 

Why would it mean I was following them?

 

You said they were 'going round the city centre' - therefore they must have been moving. You also said they 'kept stopping' - I assume you saw them stop more than once. I cannot envisage a scenario where you could have seen them driving and stopping more than once if you yourself were not moving, stopping, waiting for them to finish and moving on again.

[Planner1 438]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1348789/Two-thirds-parking-tickets-issued-illegally.html

 

Or falsely extorting money. If most of us got 2 thirds of our work wrong we would be out of a job. They just try it on and most people pay up. I've had 3 parking tickets in my life. 1 i paid because i was in the wrong. 2 i challenged and got them both overturned.

 

Its another money making scheme for the council and you could get rid of half of them without having any impact on traffic in the city. They are quick to get people 10 minutes over in a bay outside the city centre but we have all seen at 5:00pm cars parking on eccy road, woodseats, Firth park, Walkley etc and no one to be seen. I think they should be more targeted on the problem areas / times rather than parking bays at 5pm. I suppose they go for the easiest ticket with the least chance of someone challenging them.

 

So, you'll happily quote figures from unnamed "campaigners" from an article which is a thinly disguised advert for a lawyer who specialises in getting people off parking penalties. But, you don't mention the other side of the coin:

"Peter Box, of the Local *Government Association, said: ‘In more than 99 per cent of cases there is absolutely no evidence to suggest that parking fines have been issued incorrectly.

‘Councils are not allowed to use parking charges as a way to make profit and money raised from charges and fines is reinvested to benefit all motorists.’"

 

It's all well and good sitting at your keyboard and criticising. Do you actually realise how many people and how much resource is involved in implementing, maintaining and enforcing parking infrastructure?

 

The CEO who actually issues the penalties has no way of knowing whether items like the Traffic Regulation Order, which backs up the restriction, is properly made and valid. Think how many miles of roadmarkings and how many thousands of associated signs there are in a city this size and of course you are bound to find some which are not compliant if you look hard enough.

 

There is ample evidence from places where the Police have ceased enforcement before Councils could take up civil enforcement, that absolute chaos ensues when people become aware that they will not be penalised for transgressing.

Edited January 20, 2011 by Planner1

[Magilla 510]

Their wages are paid from the income from parking tickets

 

 

I'm sure parking tickets help to alleviate many financial woes, but to suggest that charges from tickets are directly related to people's pay is not correct. To do so would encourage abuse of the system and could lead to the council being accused of extortion or fraud.

Edited January 20, 2011 by Magilla

[NorthernStar 11]

Motorist already pay through the teeth without having nasty little jobsworths making life more difficult for motorists, I have no problem with parking being restricted where it poses a danger to themselves and other people or causing obstructions etc.

But restrictions and laws enforced for profit are vile and the people who enforce this deserves no respect whatsoever. Laws should be for the greater good of society not for profit. A traffic warden who takes part in this in my opinion has about the same contribution to society as a yob who gets his jollies out of snapping car aerials.