Plymouth parking violation camera car caught on camera flouting rules
A CAMERA car that takes photographs of illegally-parked vehicles has again been seen flouting the rules it is there to enforce.
The Plymouth City Council vehicle was spotted by student Tom Turner, straddling the white lines of a parking space in the city centre on Boxing Day afternoon.
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The controversial car, which has a steerable camera mounted on its roof, is used by the council to catch drivers who are parking illegally.
But 18-year-old Tom, from Yelverton, snapped the vehicle with a rear wheel sitting firmly on yellow-painted 'keep clear' hashing in the Civic Centre car park.
"I think it's a bit cheeky," he said.
"They go around chasing people without any warning and then think it's all right to park like that themselves.
"It's one rule for them and another for everyone else."
Plymouth City Council was unavailable for comment on the photograph yesterday.
However, the local authority has previously said that, under the Road Traffic Regulation Act, the enforcement vehicle does not have to abide by parking restrictions.
Since its introduction just over a year ago, the camera car has been snapped by Herald readers parked on double-yellow lines and in a bus bay.
A council spokesman told The Herald earlier this year how the Road Traffic Regulation Act gave local authorities the legal power to decide what parking restrictions should be implemented in their areas and what exemptions there should be.
"Enforcement vehicles are exempt from parking restrictions under the Act so the camera car was parked legally," the spokesman said.
"But we would always encourage our enforcement officers to park in non-restricted areas wherever possible."
45 Comments
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by pogle63
Sunday, January 01 2012, 8:40PM
“All this vehicle and its operators and owners are doing by constantly badly parking it in Public like this is they are displaying a complete lack of Discipline in their working practices and a complete contempt for the feelings of the general public who are expected to obey laws to which they appear to have EXEMPTED themselves. No one I was led to belive is outside the law in this country.
Those that enforce it ought to be doing so by example - and not exemption. Just another example of slack management and attitudes in government.
What happened to the principle of Leading By Example?”
by mcspredder
Sunday, January 01 2012, 8:01PM
“@by Mike5charsmin
With your take on the sliding scale of offences, I hope you've got your application in for when the Chief Constable post comes vacant?”
by smilingduck
Sunday, January 01 2012, 6:38PM
“cashlift
Exactly they park for free and park where ever they want wouldnt we all like that !!! i woulld love to park on double yellows but we get fined !!”
by cashlift
Sunday, January 01 2012, 5:10PM
“smileing*uck I do have the answer to your problem , when you come inti town use the park and ride , that will leave the car parks empty for blue badge holders , who bye the way do not have to pay in car parks ,, simple”
by smilingduck
Sunday, January 01 2012, 4:50PM
“cashlift
Had they not been blocking 1 lane i wouldnt off been there waiting would i DOHHHHHHHH !”
by cashlift
Saturday, December 31 2011, 7:10PM
“smiling*uck ,you are having a rant , perhaps you should use the park and ride , calm down , are you safe on the road ? or do you suffer with road rage , you call me thick , I don't count legally parked cars ,
As I said apply for a blue badge on mental health issues”
by paulmh66
Saturday, December 31 2011, 5:35PM
“Just block it in next time it's parked up, legally of course. And as for saying they don't have to abide by parking laws, they do actually. They CAN'T park on double yellows unless they are doing roadworks, they CAN'T park in bus stops unless they are a bus, they can't park on hash markings. This vehicle is not a council 'plant' vehicle as the council no longer fix roads, they contract out so have no 'plant' vehicles and have lost that right.”
by smilingduck
Saturday, December 31 2011, 5:14PM
“cashlift
Are you thick or what or just plain stupid !!Ive already said we were waiting in the car for 20min trying to get out the car park traffic could not move cause of these selfish blue badge holders blocking one lane ccause they were parked on DOUBLE YELLOWS !! WE DECIDED TO COUNT JUST HOW MANY SELFISH IDIOTS WERE PARKED WE HAD NO CHOICE CAUSE OF THEM WE WERE STUCK !!”
by cashlift
Saturday, December 31 2011, 4:03PM
“smiling *uck , I think you should apply for a blue badge on mental health issues , I am sure you would qualify , not many normal people count parked cars , which are legally parked”
by smilingduck
Saturday, December 31 2011, 2:33PM
“cashlift
For your imformation i had been waiting 20 min to get out of the car park !! why was that ? there is 2 lines normally but one was was freed up due to the other lane fully blocked with blue badge holders parking on double yellows which was stopping people from driving threw to get in the car park yes selfish pig headed badge holders !!!!”