Croydon Council parking team caught breaking rule they were enforcing
EXCLUSIVE
by Neil Millard
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CAUGHT OUT: The CCTV car on double yellow lines
neil.millard@essnmedia.co.uk
Council parking spies have been blasted as hypocrites for breaking the very rules they were supposed to be enforcing.
A car with a CCTV camera attached to the roof parked on double yellow lines - to try and catch drivers illegally parked on double yellow lines.
The Croydon Council Smart car was caught in central Croydon by shopkeeper Praduman Bhimjiani.
His photographic evidence prompted the council's parking chief to brand the behaviour "unacceptable".
Councillor Phil Thomas explained that council staff were undertaking surveillance work after complaints from a bus company that people were parking on double yellow lines in the road, making it difficult for buses to manoeuvre around them.
He said: "We will investigate the complaint that we were doing it illegally."
But he admitted the evidence appeared damning and added: "We've got to hold our hands up."
Mr Bhimjiani runs NN Confectioners, in Park Street, where the picture was taken - and where he himself was given two parking tickets in January.
The 55-year-old, from Ellesmere Drive, Sanderstead said: "We get a lot of hassle from these people.
"It's not fair on the public really because it's just generating revenue for the council.
"It's also hypocritical. They shouldn't be parking on a double yellow line."
Mr Bhimjiani believes the council should not be excused from breaking the rules.
"If the law is for everybody they should get the penalty as well," he said.
Cllr Thomas confirmed the CCTV car had been in Park Street at around 10.30am last Wednesday (May 6) when the photo was taken.
He added: "It's not acceptable for our staff to be parking on double yellow lines when we ask the public not to do it themselves."
10 Comments
by David, Shirley
Saturday, July 10 2010, 4:27PM
“Recently a smart car with cctv stationed outside a school captured so many people dropping their children. This included any staff that stopped to go in the entrance. The line of the camera angle was almost level with the kerb. The majority of vehicles were actually on the school property, thus I would have thought, making the mornings takings illegal. If this is legal, I will follow up with a picture of every warden (using a scooter/motorbike) I see parked illegally”
by Peter, Wallington
Wednesday, May 20 2009, 6:29PM
“I saw an ambulance park in a bay in Bedford Park today, outside Lunar House, and the driver didn't go to the machine and get a ticket.
Shame I didn't have my camera with me.”
by misterkipling, croydon
Sunday, May 17 2009, 9:52AM
“It would appear that Neil Millard spends a lot of time at the shops looking at parked cars, I assume its training for if the reporting dries up and he needs to become a parking warden himself.
Will we be going for the hat trick on a third story (and I use it loosely) about illegal street parking?”
by lloydwhite, N.Addington
Sunday, May 17 2009, 9:18AM
“Most of the Traffic wardens are every lazy people in the London area. I experience that a lot with my job. I,am loading a cherry picker up and one of those camera vehciles pull across the street.; I can see the lens turning around towards where I am loading ,which is to take 3 - 5 minutes to drop off on a house driveway. They don't come out to talk about it , it's just a money making rip - off that all council are doing now . I,am always coming to blows with them all over London. They can see what you're doing ,by the way its the little numbers at the top of your tax disc that they are ofter so people when you park up " BEND THE TOP OF YOUR TAX DISC UP SO THE NUMBERS ARE NOT SHOWING FOR THEM" just thought this might be handy info to share?”
by Negative, The Cronx
Sunday, May 17 2009, 6:17AM
“The council needs to employ a load of Parking Enforcers to enforce the Parking Enforcers.”
by abcderfghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz, ..
Saturday, May 16 2009, 7:22PM
“So who REALLY cares? when there are soldiers being killed in Afgan , now that is real journalism not what these muppets are doing.”
by John, On double yellow lines
Saturday, May 16 2009, 5:45PM
“I think that painting double yellow lines in a road called "Park Street" is, at the very least, confusing and, at worst, entrapment.”
by Mike, Old Coulsdon
Saturday, May 16 2009, 4:12PM
“Regardless if he or she did not get out a fine should be action, rules are rules.....”
by Peter, Wallington
Saturday, May 16 2009, 3:09PM
“But the difference with this case is that the driver didn't get out and go across the road to the Abbey to get money from a Cash Machine.”
by Dorothy, Waddon
Saturday, May 16 2009, 2:20PM
“This is the second "news" article on parking in 2 DAYS!!! Something tells me Neil Millard or one of his friends at the newspaper got a parking ticket recently!! Call yourself a news reporter?? Try Neil Millard the parking warden!!”