Bus stop parkers pay penalty in camera car blitz (From Bournemouth Echo)
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Bus stop parkers pay penalty in camera car blitz
7:30am Friday 3rd July 2009 in
MORE than 100 drivers caught parking at bus stops are being forced to pay parking fines.
Bournemouth council’s camera car has recorded details of 103 offending vehicles since it went live just over two weeks ago.
But it has only caught three people for parking on zig-zag lines outside schools.
The council is believed to be the first in the country to use a car-mounted camera in a bid to tackle irresponsible parking. The vehicle has been out and about since June 17 and offenders have received £70 fixed penalty notices through the post.
Cllr Robert Lawton, cabinet member for environment and transport, said: “We have already noticed an improvement at some of our schools where there have been problems before.
“The car has been circulating schools at key times since the launch and to date we have issued three penalty charge notices for offences outside schools, which is promising as it shows parents have taken note of the camera car and are parking responsibly and keeping children safe.
“We will be delighted if we get to the point where no penalties at all are being issued because it will mean drivers are parking responsibly and keeping our roads safe.
“The camera car is a unique road safety initiative aimed at reducing the number of road accidents involving children and keeping bus stops clear of parked vehicles. Some may see this as a means of taxing the motorist, but this is simply untrue. Our concern is safety of children.”
He added: “Parking at bus stops is an offence, a danger to bus passengers and other pedestrians and causes delays to buses. To reduce congestion on our roads we want the bus service to be as reliable as possible and provide an excellent alternative to the car.
“This is why this system will help us in improving road safety by discouraging motorists from irresponsible and unsafe parking.”
Comments(26)
ferret38
says...
8:06am Fri 3 Jul 09
retired lady
says...
8:09am Fri 3 Jul 09
ukdragon
says...
8:40am Fri 3 Jul 09
retired lady wrote:Totally agree with you. If you break the law, you break the law - simple as that.
Why do people always say these are money making schemes? If drivers did not break the law the council would not need to take these steps and would not make any money. The fault lays fairly and squarely on drivers parking where the should't.
ben111
says...
8:48am Fri 3 Jul 09
ukdragon wrote:I tend to agree with FERRET 38 on this one , a man in a high vis vest would be a lot cheaper than a what the council are doing , C'mon their people dying of cancer shall we all get a grip and calm down or do we need a sledge hammer to crack a nut really
retired lady wrote: Why do people always say these are money making schemes? If drivers did not break the law the council would not need to take these steps and would not make any money. The fault lays fairly and squarely on drivers parking where the should't.Totally agree with you. If you break the law, you break the law - simple as that.
GB916
says...
8:53am Fri 3 Jul 09
ben111 wrote:The problem with the high vis idea is these people flauting the law would just shout abuse at the person trying to tell them they should not park there,so well done,the more people that get £70 fines the more the message will get across
ukdragon wrote:I tend to agree with FERRET 38 on this one , a man in a high vis vest would be a lot cheaper than a what the council are doing , C'mon their people dying of cancer shall we all get a grip and calm down or do we need a sledge hammer to crack a nut really
retired lady wrote: Why do people always say these are money making schemes? If drivers did not break the law the council would not need to take these steps and would not make any money. The fault lays fairly and squarely on drivers parking where the should't.Totally agree with you. If you break the law, you break the law - simple as that.
retired lady
says...
9:04am Fri 3 Jul 09
retired lady
says...
9:07am Fri 3 Jul 09
verwoodbadger
says...
9:38am Fri 3 Jul 09
The cameras should be permanently mounted at bus stops, outside schools etc so they are real deterrents, only then might we solve the problem!
Zzzz
says...
9:45am Fri 3 Jul 09
ferret38 wrote:If the money goes into council coffers and means they can cut council tax or improve services, bring it on! It's a win-win situation as far as I'm concerned (since I never park at bus stops).
Nice little money making scam for the council , Rather than sitting in the car clicking away , why dont they put a jobsworth in all the high ves gear and a just tell people youcant park here or we will fine you !
oldgiraffe
says...
9:53am Fri 3 Jul 09
Nick2
says...
9:57am Fri 3 Jul 09
If a 40 foot long Volvo More bus has to park at an angle to let a disabled passenger off onto the raised step because a car driver is talking on his mobile, drivers soon moan about how inconsiderate the bus drivers are.
Can’t have it both ways!
Hey council, check out the bus stops at Branksome Redlands, Poole Hill Roundabout and Walisdown Roundabout. These are not just bus stops, but bus stop clearways. This means no stopping, even to let people out of the car!
cardomon
says...
10:46am Fri 3 Jul 09
djd
says...
11:16am Fri 3 Jul 09
Good on Bournemouth Council, give out a few tickets and drivers may realise their legs have more uses that just hitting the throttle and brake pedals !!!
mark0peters
says...
11:54am Fri 3 Jul 09
I am sure another car with fumes pumping out is not needed.
Also schools need to provide safe parking - or staggered exit - so that there is room for everyone.
cooperman
says...
12:43pm Fri 3 Jul 09
ferret38 wrote:what a load of rubbish ,why should anyone have to tell you 'you cant park there' !! as a driver you should know - otherwise whats the point of having a bus stop specifically marked out,like wise a disabled parking bay,or a loading bay,bus lane etc,its common sense isnt it ? .the markings tell you not to park there and when you do now dont be suprised to find the fixed penalty notice in the post.
Nice little money making scam for the council , Rather than sitting in the car clicking away , why dont they put a jobsworth in all the high ves gear and a just tell people youcant park here or we will fine you !
2 weeks ,103 offenders .... theres the justification for it ,nice one
nessie
says...
1:06pm Fri 3 Jul 09
jeebuscripes
says...
1:54pm Fri 3 Jul 09
I'm seconding the idea of putting all the of cash in the IMAX.
paul2
says...
6:56pm Fri 3 Jul 09
ferret38 wrote:Why on earth do you need somebody to tell you not to park in a bus stop?
Nice little money making scam for the council , Rather than sitting in the car clicking away , why dont they put a jobsworth in all the high ves gear and a just tell people youcant park here or we will fine you !
casual_observer
says...
7:50pm Fri 3 Jul 09
PokesdownMark
says...
10:41pm Fri 3 Jul 09
Insurgent
says...
2:47pm Sat 4 Jul 09
cavalier682
says...
3:46am Sun 5 Jul 09
cardomon wrote:Will second that comment , especialy early evening .
They could park it opposite the co-op in Tuckton, it would pay for itself in a day
D Regulate
says...
12:15pm Tue 7 Jul 09
So many road side parking places have been removed by the council, it has become very difficult for people to make a quick visit to a shop.
Some spaces become parking bays for disabled people. I'm all for that, except that we need to have so many of these spaces because people who seem very fit and able have managed to get disabled badges.
We seem to accept so many stupid decisions, supposedly made for our benefit. One stupid decision then leads to another that is meant to fix a problem with the first decision. We need to start again and determine our objectives, then create a new and simpler set of rules.
JJMcClure
says...
4:27pm Wed 8 Jul 09
D Regulate wrote:Camera doesnt need to park to catch the offenders, it just drives past the bus stop and the camera takes the picture.
Where will the camera car park? In a legal space, I presume. The problem is that drivers will be even more hard pressed to find a legal parking space because of the camera car! So many road side parking places have been removed by the council, it has become very difficult for people to make a quick visit to a shop. Some spaces become parking bays for disabled people. I'm all for that, except that we need to have so many of these spaces because people who seem very fit and able have managed to get disabled badges. We seem to accept so many stupid decisions, supposedly made for our benefit. One stupid decision then leads to another that is meant to fix a problem with the first decision. We need to start again and determine our objectives, then create a new and simpler set of rules.
GB1980
says...
1:27pm Thu 9 Jul 09
PokesdownMark wrote:That's the car that goes around looking into people's living rooms to see if they're watching television without a licence.
I've seen another car with a camera on top. I think it was a silver or light grey colour. Are there more than one of these cars?
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CAUGHT ON CAMERA: Cllr Robert Lawton with the new ROADflow car that targets motorists who park at bus stops or on the zig zags outside schools
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retired lady says...
8:04am Fri 3 Jul 09