Stoke-on-Trent City Council to allow traffic wardens to fine drivers for 'simple mistakes'
TRAFFIC wardens could be handed police-style powers to fine motorists for offences such as straying into cycle lanes.
Ministers are considering plans to hand council-employed wardens the authority to issue fines to drivers who make illegal turns, stray into yellow boxes or drive in bus and cycle lanes.
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FOOT PATROL: Traffic wardens could soon be able to fine drivers who stray into bus and cycle lanes.
And Stoke-on-Trent City Council has confirmed it will look to adopt the powers if the Government gives the green light to the changes.
The authority's wardens already issue fines for illegal parking and use an £80,000 spy car to catch out drivers entering city centre bus lanes.
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But enforcement officers on foot patrol could soon have the power to fine motorists even for "simple mistakes" – such as driving into cycle boxes at traffic lights or ignoring no entry signs.
The Local Government Association, representing England's councils, is lobbying the Government for the changes on safety grounds.
But motorists fear the hard-up council would view beefed-up powers as a cash generator, with income from city centre car parks continuing to fall.
Business owner Nigel Foster, aged 46, from Meir Park, said it would be another reason not to drive into the city centre.
"You pay through the nose for parking as it is and get a ticket as soon as you go over your limit," he said.
"There's too much scope for this to turn into another way of milking drivers. I'd be totally against it."
Steven Pritchard, chairman of the Portland Street and Cobridge Residents' Association, said: "My concern would be that traffic wardens are not police.
"Delegating extra powers to them to issue extra-judicial fines is uncomfortable from a civil liberties perspective. It has wider implications.
"If people are going to be fined for going into these areas, then they should collect the evidence rather than actually be able to issue the fines."
The AA raised concerns that councils could make more use of cameras to snare motorists if their powers are extended.
Spokesman Paul Watters said: 'This will alienate those drivers who make a simple mistake.
"The risk is the cameras will click away automatically where there is a traffic management problem, such as at a badly-designed junction."
Hardial Bhogal, Stoke-on-Trent City Council's director of city renewal, said: "We would consider adopting these powers to complement our other traffic management duties – if we were allowed, and if there were issues where public safety was at risk."
Roads minister Mike Penning said: "We are sympathetic to this idea. There would be no new offences. We would simply give enforcement powers to local councils as well as the police."
Comments
by WilliamJRead
Monday, September 24 2012, 6:38PM
“An interesting point by 7buster. I would have thought that the traffic enforcement officer would be "independent", as he/she will have witnessed the alleged offence.
As I suggested, let the City Council research comparable cities where enforcement officers already use these powers; how many offenders, caught, penalty notices issued, revenue generated and how many successful appeals by motorists.
Has any Sentinel reader encountered these enforcement officers dealing with traffic offences elsewhere? What did you think of the scheme?”
by DJofTNE
Monday, September 24 2012, 6:13PM
“Watch out, every man/woman who have been bullied at school and are looking to get revenge will be applying for parking ticket warden jobs soon. Oh dear”
by 7buster
Monday, September 24 2012, 8:07AM
“Having been informed by the police over the weekend that a motoring offence needs an independent witness to the offence committed before any action can be taken, any tickets issued are void then, unless the issuer of the ticket gets a statement off said witness.
Obviously this will not be the case because raising monies for the corrupt system is more important than what the law actually says.”
by WilliamJRead
Sunday, September 23 2012, 9:40PM
“These powers have been available and used, elsewhere in Britain for several years. It would be interesting to find out how many "penalty notices" have been issued in a city of 250,000 that would be similar to Stoke on Trent, where these enforcement powers have been used... and were any improvements seen in driver behaviour?”
by Tabazan
Sunday, September 23 2012, 9:15PM
“@ gormhenghast
You said;
"But licensing these free loaders will most definitely spread the cost…"
Well, that statement is debatable as many cyclists and horse riders are motorists as well, so the contribution that they are already making would have to be subtracted from any hypothetical gains in revenue that your idea may provide.
But putting that issue to one side, you still haven't told me how the authorities that would be responsible for the theoretical licensing of cyclists, horse riders and OAP's, would be able to cope with the extra work load. So I'll ask again; if those authorities can't keep track of the estimated 1.4 million unlicensed / uninsured / untaxed drivers, then what makes you think that they could cope with an even greater undertaking?
It's a question that has to be given and answer gormhenghast, because without it, I'm afraid your proposal is just an unworkable pipe dream.”
by putmefootinit
Sunday, September 23 2012, 8:27PM
“Truestokie......."kerching".........it is the one and only word that can define this.
Why consider more reasons (not powers) to hand out tickets when they dont use the existing ones fully,...taxis using bus only lanes, council owned traffic car illegally parked, cars on double yellows outside certain buildings on fridays, all easy targets just like the two minute overstay on a parking ticket that gets a FPN, what about the council's contracror KEIR parking illegally and not getting a FPN, the list is extensive.
No need for extra reasons to issue FPNs they dont use the existing reasons they have to the full extent or accross all the road users in the area.”
by Jolyteddy
Sunday, September 23 2012, 1:21PM
“How are they going to penalise people on the move ? I assume by taking down the registration number and sending notification in the post, but what if they mis-read a number (assuming they do it without special equipment) and send a notice to an innocent party who can't prove it wasn't them ?”
by gormhenghast
Saturday, September 22 2012, 10:03PM
“@ Tabazan
It might not make the roads any better and certainly they will end up a damn sight more messier in terms of excrement and safety, well thats to be seen??? But licensing these free loaders will most definitely spread the cost, and why not after all do we not believe in a BIG SOCIETY where equity in all aspects of life is paramount to politically correct DOGMA.......”
by THETROJON
Saturday, September 22 2012, 3:44PM
“powers to fine motorists no they will never have to power to FINE you...... only a court of law can fine you..... the police cant even give you a fine ..... they can give you a fixed penalty full stop.”
by Tabazan
Saturday, September 22 2012, 10:57AM
“@ gormhenghast
You said;
"…you may come to the same conclusion and that horse riders and cyclists SHOULD be licensed too, and what about those invalid vehicles, mobile chairs trundling unlicensed up and down the pavements…"
Considering that the authorities appear to be unable to do much about the estimated 1.4 million unlicensed / uninsured / untaxed drivers and motor vehicles on our roads, what makes you think that those same authorities would have any more luck at keeping millions more cyclists, horse riders and OAP's in check?
And would licensing everyone that takes a mode of transport on to public roads make those said roads any better or safer anyway? I'm not so sure that it would.”