Sheffield's New Parking Rules To Improve Safety For Pedestrians And Cyclists

[Planner1]

On 14/05/2024 at 19:19, Thirsty Relic said:

A few mobile wardens in unmarked cars cruising around would easily hoover up many such crimes and far more than cover their costs - such an easy solution, but way way way beyond the brain cells of those who make such decisions.

If you used your brain cells you might take the trouble to understand how parking contraventions have to be enforced, then you would know why what you suggest is largely impractical.

 

For a start, parking contraventions are not “crimes”, the offences have been decriminalised so councils can enforce them

 

Most parking contraventions involve some observation by a civil enforcement officer before a ticket is issued, to check for example whether loading / unloading is taking place. 10 minutes of observation is often necessary before a ticket can be issued. In practice, that means that many drivers just move off and get away with it.

 

Sneaking around in unmarked vehicles would be viewed as unfair by many. 
 

Practical enforcement isn’t as simple or lucrative as you and others may think.

[Resident]

10 hours ago, Planner1 said:

Camera enforcement can only be used on school entrance markings and bus stop clearways.

 

It used to be permitted to camera enforce  other parking contraventions such as no waiting / no loading restrictions, but the government changed the regulations to stop it. 
 

So, most restrictions can only be enforced by a civil enforcement officer, in person.

If they drive the ANPR van up and down the Wicker on a daily basis, particularly in an evening they'd make an absolute fortune. Don't think I've ever not seen people parked illegally in the bus bay heading towards city centre. Same goes for Spital Hill. 

Bus companies have constantly complained about it. Personally if I were the bus bosses I'd refused to serve bus stops in these areas till the council pulled their finger out and sorted it.

We all know why the council won't though.....

[Planner1]

5 hours ago, Resident said:

If they drive the ANPR van up and down the Wicker on a daily basis, particularly in an evening they'd make an absolute fortune. Don't think I've ever not seen people parked illegally in the bus bay heading towards city centre. Same goes for Spital Hill. 

Bus companies have constantly complained about it. Personally if I were the bus bosses I'd refused to serve bus stops in these areas till the council pulled their finger out and sorted it.

We all know why the council won't though.....

If you were really interested in that, you could send in an FOI request and find out how many tickets they issue in those locations and how many they issue with the camera vehicle.

 

With regard to your accusation that the council don’t enforce in certain areas, I can tell you that it certainly was not true while I worked there. I can’t say what is done now.
 

When we used the camera vehicle to enforce no waiting / no loading restrictions, I used to have to respond to the many complaints received about the number of tickets issued on Spital Hill / Burngreave Rd and surrounding area. I personally visited local stakeholders, including the mosque and explained to them why they were being ticketed and what they could do to avoid it ( ie comply with the restrictions). No concessions were made. Enforcement carried on as before ( until the government stopped councils from using camera enforcement on those restrictions).

 

In a good few years of being involved in enforcement I never saw or heard of any instruction not to enforce certain areas ( and I asked the managers at parking services whether any such instruction had ever been given and I was told no) I asked for and saw evidence that enforcement certainly was being carried out in the areas where this accusation arises like Page Hall, Wolesey Rd, Burngreave etc, just the same as it is elsewhere.

 

This is quite a big city, parking services have limited resources. They can’t be everywhere at once. They have priorities, which are agreed with senior management and politicians. They carry out enforcement in accordance with those priorities. Some locations will only ever get occasional enforcement. People being people, tend to recognise that they can get away with parking where they shouldn’t most of the time in such places, so they risk it. The penalties available to the council ( set by government)  a great deterrent to most nowadays.

 

If you visit other places, you’ll see similar levels of non-compliance with parking restrictions. I see it wherever I go.

[bassett one]

if police spent a couple of hours every night just doing illegal parking i think it would bring in cash and make folk think

[Planner1]

3 hours ago, bassett one said:

if police spent a couple of hours every night just doing illegal parking i think it would bring in cash and make folk think

It wouldn’t bring in cash for them.

 

Any  prosecutions they make are dealt with through the courts.

[Martin C]

13 hours ago, Resident said:

If they drive the ANPR van up and down the Wicker on a daily basis, particularly in an evening they'd make an absolute fortune. Don't think I've ever not seen people parked illegally in the bus bay heading towards city centre. Same goes for Spital Hill. 

Bus companies have constantly complained about it. Personally if I were the bus bosses I'd refused to serve bus stops in these areas till the council pulled their finger out and sorted it.

We all know why the council won't though.....

Seconded. So many times I've seen elderly people / people with pushchairs have to step out into the road to board a bus that cannot pull into the stop (WK2) as intended. There's a huge sense of "entitlement" and perceived invincibility (to park just wherever is most convenient to the driver) in that area. This will only get worse as time progresses.

Yes, I agree. Suspend the bus stop - and post an explanatory notice as to the reasons why.

[Planner1]

29 minutes ago, Martin C said:

Seconded. So many times I've seen elderly people / people with pushchairs have to step out into the road to board a bus that cannot pull into the stop (WK2) as intended. There's a huge sense of "entitlement" and perceived invincibility (to park just wherever is most convenient to the driver) in that area. This will only get worse as time progresses.

Yes, I agree. Suspend the bus stop - and post an explanatory notice as to the reasons why.

Have you ever asked the police or the council to enforce it?

[Resident]

1 hour ago, Planner1 said:

Have you ever asked the police or the council to enforce it?

Both the police and the council have been approached numerous times by the bus operators. 

Once in a blue moon they'll blitz the area for an evening then 2 days later, same offenders are back. 

It wouldn't be difficult to place a permanant ANPR system down on the Wicker to enforce the bus stop & I can find no rule, bylaw or law that says they can't. 

[Planner1]

9 hours ago, Resident said:

Both the police and the council have been approached numerous times by the bus operators. 

Once in a blue moon they'll blitz the area for an evening then 2 days later, same offenders are back. 

It wouldn't be difficult to place a permanant ANPR system down on the Wicker to enforce the bus stop & I can find no rule, bylaw or law that says they can't. 

Yes they can do it via fixed cameras, but I’d think you’d need several to cover the number of bus stops in Wicker, which wouldn’t be cheap, so finding the money might be an issue.

 

Best way to approach it might be to lobby the lead councillor for transport and the local councillors for that area. You need strong political support for initiatives like that.

[alchemist]

14 hours ago, Martin C said:

Seconded. So many times I've seen elderly people / people with pushchairs have to step out into the road to board a bus that cannot pull into the stop (WK2) as intended. There's a huge sense of "entitlement" and perceived invincibility (to park just wherever is most convenient to the driver) in that area. This will only get worse as time progresses.

Yes, I agree. Suspend the bus stop - and post an explanatory notice as to the reasons why.

And that will do what??  The bus passengers will have to walk further and the car drivers wont give a damn