ILLEGAL PARKING SIGNS

Parking Tickets

THIS IS A VITAL LETTER FROM AN EXPERT TRAFFIC TECHNICIAN. FOR OBVIOUS REASONS I HAVE AGREED TO KEEP THE EXPERT’S IDENTITY CONFIDENTIAL. Barrie, Following your appearances on TV, I would like to offer my own experience to the parking fairness debate. I worked as a Traffic Technician for two years, with responsibility for the provision and maintenance of Parking signs and lines and I resigned because I could not maintain, (or in some cases provide) Parking signs and lines to within a reasonable degree of accuracy of the restriction description defined in the Traffic Order.(A Traffic Order provides the legal authority for the Parking restriction) Unfortunately, this parking signs and lines "Double Vision" problem is not restricted to my signs and lines area, since I was involved in debates on this subject at nationwide gatherings of people in the profession; but it is true to say that the degree of this problem varies by postcode. I call this issue the Parking signs and lines "Double Vision" problem and anybody who has received a parking ticket should be aware of this problem, since subsequent letters to my MP and correspondence with the Department for Transport has made it clear that Central Government only have responsibility for the production of a very detailed signs and lines (yellow lines, white lines, double yellow lines etc)regulatory specification and there is no regulatory requirement for the accuracy of the parking restriction installation, as appeals to NPAS are regarded by the Government as adequate from a regulatory viewpoint. Parking signs and lines "Double Vision" in my area of responsibility varied between 0% (Where there was no Traffic Order covering a particular Parking Restriction) to several metres of inaccuracy, so it is always worth checking for Parking signs and lines "Double Vision" on receipt of a parking ticket. - But this is not easy, since a knowledge of Traffic Orders, the DfT TSRGD and Traffic Technician "custom and practice" parking restriction measurement techniques is required, which can't be right from a fairness viewpoint. My personal view on this is that NPAS should be empowered to carry out "spot checks" on the accuracy and standards applied to installed Parking restrictions, since this would force local authorities to irradiate the parking signs "Double Vision" problem; but in the absence of such regulatory checking, your work in this sensitive area is to be commended. Best regards MARCH 2006

Barrie's Comments This article highlights the scandal at council parking offices

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