Parking Fine money maker

[down-the-slope]

Edinburgh parking fines reach almost £7m


More than £328m was collected in parking fines across the UK last year

Almost £7m in parking fines were collected in Edinburgh last year - the highest of any city in the UK apart from London, a report has claimed. The Taxpayers' Alliance study said the figure for the Scottish capital was £1.4m higher than in the much larger city of Glasgow.
The campaign group said the figures were the equivalent of £11 in fines per head of population in Edinburgh.
The city council said it only penalised motorists who were illegally parked.
Every local authority in the UK was asked by the Taxpayers' Alliance to provide details of how much money it collected through parking enforcement regulations in the year 2008-09.

The £6.91m collected by City of Edinburgh Council - which also provides parking enforcement in Midlothian - represented a £170,000 rise on the previous year, the study said.
The results showed that Edinburgh collected far more than Birmingham (£4.1m), Manchester (£4.5m) and the whole of Northern Ireland, where a total of £4.1m in parking penalties was collected last year.
The Taxpayers' Alliance said a total of £328m was collected by the local authorities who responded to its request.
It claimed the figures showed parking fines had become a "massive cash cow" for local authorities, who are allowed to keep any money they collect.
Peter Roberts, chief executive of the Taxpayers' Alliance, said: "Parking enforcement has become a massive money-making industry and we are seeing unscrupulous and target-driven enforcement of parking laws where the penalties far outweigh the offence.
"This report shows that some local authorities are treating drivers unfairly and cashing in on parking fines."
Councillor Gordon Mackenzie, convener of Edinburgh's transport committee, said parking attendants "perform a key role in maintaining safe, steady traffic flow throughout the city, whilst ensuring a good turnover of parking spaces."
He said tickets were only issued to vehicles parked in contravention of the parking regulations.

[matty_f]

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Edinburgh parking fines reach almost £7m


More than £328m was collected in parking fines across the UK last year

Almost £7m in parking fines were collected in Edinburgh last year - the highest of any city in the UK apart from London, a report has claimed. The Taxpayers' Alliance study said the figure for the Scottish capital was £1.4m higher than in the much larger city of Glasgow.
The campaign group said the figures were the equivalent of £11 in fines per head of population in Edinburgh.
The city council said it only penalised motorists who were illegally parked.
Every local authority in the UK was asked by the Taxpayers' Alliance to provide details of how much money it collected through parking enforcement regulations in the year 2008-09.

The £6.91m collected by City of Edinburgh Council - which also provides parking enforcement in Midlothian - represented a £170,000 rise on the previous year, the study said.
The results showed that Edinburgh collected far more than Birmingham (£4.1m), Manchester (£4.5m) and the whole of Northern Ireland, where a total of £4.1m in parking penalties was collected last year.
The Taxpayers' Alliance said a total of £328m was collected by the local authorities who responded to its request.
It claimed the figures showed parking fines had become a "massive cash cow" for local authorities, who are allowed to keep any money they collect.
Peter Roberts, chief executive of the Taxpayers' Alliance, said: "Parking enforcement has become a massive money-making industry and we are seeing unscrupulous and target-driven enforcement of parking laws where the penalties far outweigh the offence.
"This report shows that some local authorities are treating drivers unfairly and cashing in on parking fines."
Councillor Gordon Mackenzie, convener of Edinburgh's transport committee, said parking attendants "perform a key role in maintaining safe, steady traffic flow throughout the city, whilst ensuring a good turnover of parking spaces."
He said tickets were only issued to vehicles parked in contravention of the parking regulations.

They can't make any money off them if people don't park illegaly.

[hibsbollah]

I know, lets refund all the inconsiderate parkers their fines, thereby depriving Edinburgh of millions of pounds of funding for essential services

[CropleyWasGod]

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They can't make any money off them if people don't park illegaly.

Absolutely agree. It's the bad and stupid parkers that pay for it, not the rest of us. Long may it continue as a money-maker.

"Gridlock" by Ben Elton puts it into perspective. Imagine the chaos and mayhem there would be without parking wardens.

[HibsMax]

Imagine if Edinburgh were like Moscow and people just kinda park wherever they like! Ever had to jump out of the way of a car driving along the pavement in Edinburgh before?

[down-the-slope]

If you think 'parking enforcement' is about traffic management and not revenue raising then you are blind to the reality.

[CropleyWasGod]

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If you think 'parking enforcement' is about traffic management and not revenue raising then you are blind to the reality.

Lead me to my guide dug.

It IS about stopping chaos in our streets. If people are daft enough to break the law, then tough. Fleece them.

[down-the-slope]

So - as an example - how do you explain 4 parking attendants inspecting one dead end street in stockbridge between 4.50 and 5pm while the main street has cars parked blocking the bus lanes and are ingnored.

The side street had a private nursery where parents were trying to pick up kids at the end of the day. Only 4 non resident bays in the whole street. It was obvious that this was seen as easy potential pickings, rather than anything to do with keeping traffic moving (which I whole heartily agree with - should tow them if blocking bus lanes etc)

I was doing a job there over a few days and the pattern was the same every day. this is one of many examples i could mention

[jonty]

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So - as an example - how do you explain 4 parking attendants inspecting one dead end street in stockbridge between 4.50 and 5pm while the main street has cars parked blocking the bus lanes and are ingnored.

The side street had a private nursery where parents were trying to pick up kids at the end of the day. Only 4 non resident bays in the whole street. It was obvious that this was seen as easy potential pickings, rather than anything to do with keeping traffic moving (which I whole heartily agree with - should tow them if blocking bus lanes etc)

I was doing a job there over a few days and the pattern was the same every day. this is one of many examples i could mention

Are parking 'attendants' on commission/bonus schemes?

I dont know if they do or not, but taxi drivers and bus drivers should be reporting said parked cars and the attendants for that area should be getting a bollocking.

[Danderhall Hibs]

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Are parking 'attendants' on commission/bonus schemes?

I think I read that they're set targets. So a easy street like the one down-the-slope mentions would be ideal at the end of a day to keep your numbers up and your boss happy.

[jonty]

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I think I read that they're set targets. So a easy street like the one down-the-slope mentions would be ideal at the end of a day to keep your numbers up and your boss happy.

Sounds like a points based system is required then.
10 points for a bus lane car, 0.5pts for a car at a nursery

[Killiehibbie]

Last time I looked Edinburgh drivers were not any worse than Glasgow drivers at parking illegally, so why does Edinburgh raise so much more in parking fines?
Could it be that the wardens, or whatever title they use this month, are over zealous in dishing out tickets? I know of a bus driver who parked his car for a quick getaway after his nightshift and got a ticket at 3.50am for being 2 feet into the bus stop at Canonmills.

[CropleyWasGod]

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? I know of a bus driver who parked his car for a quick getaway after his nightshift and got a ticket at 3.50am for being 2 feet into the bus stop at Canonmills.

Would that not be the police? I think they have resposibility for bus stops..... especially at that time in the morning.

[Danderhall Hibs]

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Would that not be the police? I think they have resposibility for bus stops..... especially at that time in the morning.

I wouldn't have thought the meanies would've been out at that time of the morning either. Although wouldn't the police have just got the motor lifted and put in the pound?

[CropleyWasGod]

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Are parking 'attendants' on commission/bonus schemes?

I dont know if they do or not, but taxi drivers and bus drivers should be reporting said parked cars and the attendants for that area should be getting a bollocking.

According to the CEC website:-

All of us complain when we receive a parking ticket. But, there are a lot of misconceptions out there about parking attendants in Edinburgh. Top of the list? “The most common misconception is that we are on commission,” says Stuart, a long-time attendant. “Whether I issue one ticket or 100 tickets, I get a salary.”

---------- Post added at 09:04 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:03 PM ----------

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Last time I looked Edinburgh drivers were not any worse than Glasgow drivers at parking illegally, so why does Edinburgh raise so much more in parking fines?
.

We can afford cars?

[Danderhall Hibs]

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According to the CEC website:-

All of us complain when we receive a parking ticket. But, there are a lot of misconceptions out there about parking attendants in Edinburgh. Top of the list? “The most common misconception is that we are on commission,” says Stuart, a long-time attendant. “Whether I issue one ticket or 100 tickets, I get a salary.”

---------- Post added at 09:04 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:03 PM ----------



We can afford cars?

Are they set a target though?
Is their salary performance related? If so, then the number of disputed tickets must be taken into account.

[CropleyWasGod]

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Are they set a target though?
Is their salary performance related? If so, then the number of disputed tickets must be taken into account.

Website doesn't say anything about targets, but I would reckon they are. Maybe ours are better than the weegies?

Again, from the CEC site:-

They visited 98.3% of the streets scheduled. Streets are scheduled to be visited a minimum number of times a day, depending on the type of street (main traffic route, residential, etc) and location (central or peripheral zone)
The number of parking tickets that had to be cancelled due to parking attendant error fell by 50% last year, from 1.4% to 0.7%
The percentage of tickets which people wrote a letter of appeal about fell from 11.2% to 9.8%. We keep track of this to measure the quality of penalty notices issued
Edinburgh now has one of the highest rates of parking attendants with a nationally recognised qualification in parking control in the United Kingdom.

[jonty]

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According to the CEC website:-

All of us complain when we receive a parking ticket. But, there are a lot of misconceptions out there about parking attendants in Edinburgh. Top of the list? “The most common misconception is that we are on commission,” says Stuart, a long-time attendant. “Whether I issue one ticket or 100 tickets, I get a salary.”

I guess Nade gets a salary, regardless of how many goals he scores, but i'm sure he gets a win bonus too

So - if we believe Stuart, the long-time attendant, then we have hard working attendants and lots of illegally parked cars.

A shame Stuart, the long-tome attendant, can't explain why parents are targetted rather than bus-lane parkers.

I'm sure there's some logical, and reasonable explanation.

[CropleyWasGod]

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.

A shame Stuart, the long-tome attendant, can't explain why parents are targetted rather than bus-lane parkers.

I'm sure there's some logical, and reasonable explanation.

Course there is... these are the very people who voted against the Congestion Charge.

[Killiehibbie]

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Would that not be the police? I think they have resposibility for bus stops..... especially at that time in the morning.

I heard there's a hit squad of wardens that target areas on a nightshift.

[Woody1985]

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I know, lets refund all the inconsiderate parkers their fines, thereby depriving Edinburgh of millions of pounds of funding for essential services

That's surely got to be weighed up by the damage to the economy by enforcing such restrictions.

I can't remember the last time I brought my car into the city centre to go shopping and probably won't again. No doubt the enforcement and pettiness of parking fines has damaged what was once one of the major shopping streets in Britain. Now filled with mobile phone shops, coffee shops and burger bars with a fair few second rate shops thrown in.

Example of this pettiness, Glenogle Road, a mini had parked in the last bay and their rear wheel was just over the end of the bay. Parking ticket.

No obstructions, danger to traffic, blocked views etc etc. Strictly accurate but for parking a couple of inches out the back of the bay FFS. I should add it was not my car.

[Woody1985]

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Would that not be the police? I think they have resposibility for bus stops..... especially at that time in the morning.

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

I wouldn't have thought the meanies would've been out at that time of the morning either. Although wouldn't the police have just got the motor lifted and put in the pound?

It would have been the police.

I went to Cav one night and parked my car where the parking spaces are, straight ahead when you come in from the meadows way. All the bays were full, there was a large fence to the right but there was enough room to park my car so I put it there thinking that I couldn't get a fine even though it was a double yellow.

I wasn't obstructing anything and was parked perfectly safe but because there was a double yellow between the last car and the roadworks I got a fine. I suspect they had caught others out because it looked like a genuine space and unless they specifically decided to walk around the car to check for a double yellow then they wouldn't have noticed.

[hibsbollah]

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That's surely got to be weighed up by the damage to the economy by enforcing such restrictions.

I can't remember the last time I brought my car into the city centre to go shopping and probably won't again. No doubt the enforcement and pettiness of parking fines has damaged what was once one of the major shopping streets in Britain. Now filled with mobile phone shops, coffee shops and burger bars with a fair few second rate shops thrown in.

Example of this pettiness, Glenogle Road, a mini had parked in the last bay and their rear wheel was just over the end of the bay. Parking ticket.

No obstructions, danger to traffic, blocked views etc etc. Strictly accurate but for parking a couple of inches out the back of the bay FFS. I should add it was not my car.

Are you saying the slump in the retail choice in Edinburgh has been caused by parking restrictions? I was under the impression it had more to do with globalisation, the power of the supermarkets and the rise of internet shopping but there you go

[Woody1985]

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Are you saying the slump in the retail choice in Edinburgh has been caused by parking restrictions? I was under the impression it had more to do with globalisation, the power of the supermarkets and the rise of internet shopping but there you go

No but it certainly has a part to play.

[CheesyHibby]

Quite apart from the fines for parking illegally, which to a large extent are fair, what I believe entirely reprehensible is the actual cost of parking in Edinburgh, which has grown exponentially in recent years and is set to go up again. No wonder the city centre cannot attract business...

[CropleyWasGod]

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Quite apart from the fines for parking illegally, which to a large extent are fair, what I believe entirely reprehensible is the actual cost of parking in Edinburgh, which has grown exponentially in recent years and is set to go up again. No wonder the city centre cannot attract business...

Can't agree. On any given Saturday, you can't get a space easily in the town. That says that people aren't put off by the charges, that they're prepared to pay them.

The decline of the city centre as a shopping area is much more complicated than just parking charges. Rents, rates, competition from out of town malls are, IMO, much more of a factor.

[Killiehibbie]

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It would have been the police.

I went to Cav one night and parked my car where the parking spaces are, straight ahead when you come in from the meadows way. All the bays were full, there was a large fence to the right but there was enough room to park my car so I put it there thinking that I couldn't get a fine even though it was a double yellow.

I wasn't obstructing anything and was parked perfectly safe but because there was a double yellow between the last car and the roadworks I got a fine. I suspect they had caught others out because it looked like a genuine space and unless they specifically decided to walk around the car to check for a double yellow then they wouldn't have noticed.

Next time you're out and about late at night keep your eyes open and you might see the wardens going about on scooters dishing out tickets. Double yellows and double parking in side streets are their main target from what I hear. Polwarth, Dalry and Canonmills particular favourites for targeting indiscriminate parking that could block emergency services from getting to a job.

[Woody1985]

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Next time you're out and about late at night keep your eyes open and you might see the wardens going about on scooters dishing out tickets. Double yellows and double parking in side streets are their main target from what I hear. Polwarth, Dalry and Canonmills particular favourites for targeting indiscriminate parking that could block emergency services from getting to a job.

Perhaps it was a warden that got me but I seem to recall it wasn't the typical fine (in terms of the packaging) and I may be wrong but it was signed by a police officer.

That's understandable in those situations. However, if they were that concerned about people's safety they would surely have the cars taken away.

If they put a ticket on the car they probably won't park there again. However, what if there was a fire, accident etc there that night then it's too late.

[Killiehibbie]

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Perhaps it was a warden that got me but I seem to recall it wasn't the typical fine (in terms of the packaging) and I may be wrong but it was signed by a police officer.

That's understandable in those situations. However, if they were that concerned about people's safety they would surely have the cars taken away.

If they put a ticket on the car they probably won't park there again. However, what if there was a fire, accident etc there that night then it's too late.

If they were really concerned about access for fire engines, etc towing the offending vehicles away is what should happen but like everything else they do raising revenue is the real priority.

[s.a.m]

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Perhaps it was a warden that got me but I seem to recall it wasn't the typical fine (in terms of the packaging) and I may be wrong but it was signed by a police officer.

That's understandable in those situations. However, if they were that concerned about people's safety they would surely have the cars taken away.

If they put a ticket on the car they probably won't park there again. However, what if there was a fire, accident etc there that night then it's too late.

There's a school across the road from us, and wardens are out regularly in the morning ticketing people parked on double lines. However, there is an on-going problem with people double parking over the school entrance and the area round about it. A few parents have asked wardens to do something about this, and each time they have been told (something along the lines of) that it's outwith their jurisdiction, and that they are only allowed to ticket people parked in controlled areas (on yellow lines, or in cotrolled zones, I assume they mean). Other traffic offences are a police matter, apparently.