Forum Topic

Licenced thievery by our Council

Just watched three ticket wardens; ticket twenty or more cars in Brent way Brentford; its Bank Holiday Monday in the middle of the festive season. There has been no need of parking restrictions on this road even during the working week; for years. What I witnessed today was thievery with licence and nothing but, it is disgusting; no wonder they travel in threes; I'm just glad my car wasn't out there.

Philip Walsh ● 5969d19 Comments

Paul,I don't understand the relevance of your post there is no access to bank or post office from or through Brent Way and even Catherine Wheel Roads restrictions can only just about be relevant; Even Securicor and the like shouldn't be parking on yellow lines as they currently do in Catherine Wheel Road unless its for the 5 minute loading time.Changing the parking restrictions would not effect them one bit double yellow lines would still be on the corners and that's where they currently park.I am glad to hear that some discussion is at last taking place though; as I have been complaining about it for years.

Philip Walsh ● 5959d

Mr WalshI can assure you that I have been attempting to change the restrictions on this particular road for many months now along with Cllr Dakers but the problem at the moment is that the Freight Hauliers Association have objected to the new times proposed for the yellow lines by the Post Office and we are now in negotiations with them to resolve this.They are objecting because they state that cash in transit vehicles may be unable to drop and pick up cash safely at the bank and Post Office and so therefore we are unable to introduce a new traffic order for this particular areaI have been assured though that this will be resolved very shortly and although I appreciate that this is taking time the local Councillors and Officers have indeed been working very hard behind the scenes.

Paul Fisher ● 5961d

What annoys me the most about ticketing in Brent Way is the fact that parking restrictions in this road are completely unnecessary and have been so for a number of years; all the local councillors know there is no need for restrictions in this road but none of them seem in the slightest bit interested in changing the restrictions. I can't help but feel that revenue is more important than fairness.

Philip Walsh ● 5961d

"we are in the process of trying to set up a meeting with the Leader of the Council at which these matters can hopefully be resolved for once and for all."  Make sure the meeting is minuted because this Leader seems to be very slack in minuting important meetings and will no doubt deny the meeting ever took place. He is still refusing to divulge his notes of an important meeting which was supposed to be minuted and is required under document disclosure by the High Court of Justice.

Steve Taylor ● 5966d

....when a Council is in charge..supposedlyThere really needs to be an enquiry here, not just Hounslow but all of London's Boroughs and beyond.Several Boroughs declared saturday a normal day dismissing all notion of Bank or Public holiday and imposed parking charges.However it transpires that each of these authorities other facilities normally open and operating on Saturdays were closed - "Due to the Public Holiday".TfL operated a Public Holiday timetable on ALL services and there were NO mainline services. The first bus and tubes ran on Saturday from 08.30am!Ealing, worried about a court case actually put notices up in every restricted street, How much did that cost? rather than waive its enforcement. Yet it's own car parks remained free!If a borough declares it NOT a public holiday then fine, but in that case, ALL it's staff and facilities that normally open on a Saturday or particular day should be exactly that - Open as Normal and attending work.Spare a thought for those who were shafted by this mess. In one example, staff at Selfridges were required to be in store by 08.30 latest on the 26th. Or else!That was before the first buses and tubes. Many had to drive and were not made aware that parking would be enforced by Westminster and K&C. Those that did check had to park in car parks that cost more than they earned for the day. Those that parked in the streets got fined more that double their income for the day.Just to keep their jobs, the authorities penalised them in all directions.The Mayor needs get his act together and bang heads together. If it is deemed a normal day, then TfL must run a normal service and facilities should be open. If it is not then again, it should apply as per a public holiday.What is for sure, is that those who got fined should unite and take this to the high court because the double standards are glaringly dubvious to say the least.

Anthony Waller ● 5968d

Oh, and thanks Paul for the update.

Matt Harmer ● 5968d

That's a good reminder that I never got an answer to Robert's question, will raise it again next week. The parking dept won't know but will ask the people who *should* know...Matt

Matt Harmer ● 5968d

Hi Paul. When you have your meeting,could you ask a question for me. I have for months been asking this department to tell me when they formaly adopted Enfield Road. As the Land Registry can find no record of this ever being done. If this is the case, they have never had the right to issue PCNs in this road.

Robert Ayres ● 5968d

MattI have requested an urgent meeting with the Interim Head of Parking on her return to work and will keep you and others on this forum updatedRichardI will also be discussing the case in ChiswickNeil,No problem at all in you highlighting this on the GPG though nobody has contacted me so farBest wishesPaul

Paul Fisher ● 5968d

Just a few words to say that, for what it is worth, Paul has my 100% support on this.It is worth noting that Paul, myself and other members of the Community Group within the coalition are being very seriously undermined at the present by the Chief Executive and other chief officers at the London Borough of Hounslow and we are in the process of trying to set up a meeting with the Leader of the Council at which these matters can hopefully be resolved for once and for all.  In the meantime, please bear in mind that we are, institutionally and instinctively, on the side of the residents.

Phil Andrews ● 5969d

Fair play to you Paul. I suspect that you'll be told that the tickets were issued in line with policy and there's nowt that can change. If that's the case then I trust this can be used as something to learn from...

Matt Harmer ● 5969d

But the Hounslow Parking Taliban own goal wasn’t. Are these people really real?I’ve heard tell that they are really robots kept in a looked room until the controller’s turns them on by remote control, when they see a vehicle parked on yellow lines form their new crime initiative CCTV control room.

Ian Roberts ● 5969d

Thank you, Paul.  There was another example of "bang out of order" ticketing reported on the Chiswick forum. I'll mail you the details.

Richard Jennings ● 5969d

Paul, i've posted your reply on the GPG site. I hope this is ok.Matt, seems that most BFC fans think 1-1 was a fair result.

Neil Chippendale ● 5969d

John, a wee dram or two does improve the quality of the po-litical debate, methinks.  :-)What utter nonsense and another fearful parking experience for the poor motorist.  Go for it chaps!

Sarah Felstead ● 5969d

Paul,Perhaps it is time for members of the council to tell the Parking Taliban to go and **** themselves for once! Having just returned from visiting an elderly relative in York Hospital and ran the gauntle of the Bank Holiday shoppers there and for many miles on the M1 around Meadowhall, I accept that enforcement would be necessary in Hounslow Town Centre, Chiswick town centre and possibly central Feltham. However, enforcement in Brentford today is taking the p888.

John Connelly ● 5969d

I have no intention of even attempting to defend this Matt and though Cllrs are of course legally not allowed to become involved in any live PCN`s which I personally feel is absurd,I will of course take this up as a general matter with the Parking Dept as it seems bang out of order.Can I please ask that any motorist who was ticketed on this stretch today e-mail me the PCN details at paul.fisher@hounslow.gov.uk ?

Paul Fisher ● 5969d

Incredibly frustrating.Many people (including, fairs fair, Cllr Fisher) have worked to try and increase trade to our High Street, and we have succeeded in putting many people off from ever returning. The Hounslow website reports that "We do not enforce residential bays or single yellow lines in residential Controlled Parking Zones (CPZs), or pay parking bays on these days [bank holidays]. So it's ok to park in residential streets with CPZs (such as Layton Rd and The Butts) even though it would, presumably, inconvenience residents, yet the council is happy to charge people parking where residents aren't disturbed fifty quid. Happy Christmas.Cllr Fisher visits these pages fairly often so it will be up to hime to defend this.I thought a point was fair today, by the way.

Matt Harmer ● 5969d

The wardens knew very well that this was going to be a day when they could easily make money as Brentford were at home against Charlton. One of this seasons biggest gates.I'm normally in favour of parking restrictions but on a Bank Holiday! Any chance of a responce from someone in Council?

Neil Chippendale ● 5969d

"Restrictions such as yellow lines with individual time plates, bus stops, zebra crossings and other similar restrictions remain in force on bank holidays, and days when bank holiday enforcement is being carried out. We do not enforce residential bays or single yellow lines in residential Controlled Parking Zones (CPZs), or pay parking bays on these days."What you witnessed is therefore within the letter of the above announcement on the LBH website (Brent Way is not in a zone and has time plates enforcing no waiting Mon-Fri).  But where is the logic in enforcing Mon-Fri restrictions on a Bank Holiday?  If the restrictions aren't needed on any weekend, then they're not needed on a Bank Holiday either.  Why aren't Mon-Fri restrictions ignored on a bank holiday, Cllr Fisher?

Richard Jennings ● 5969d