Police have the power to remove vehicles causing an obstruction.
They should use it more often
I wish they’d come down my street with a battering ram. There’s always some tit in s BMW who’s just abandoned the car, but it’s okay because it’s got the hazards on, on the double yellows because he wants to use the ATM.
There’s this fabulous invention that we really don’t see enough of in this country. It’s called a tow truck.
Fines are useful and all, but only if they’re high enough to be a deterrent and enforceable enough that the offender actually pays them. If we tow offending vehicles, this problem goes away immediately, and even those who consider the fine “the price of a day out” now have to deal with the inconvenience of having to retrieve their vehicle from the impound.
Seriously, why don’t we see more of that here?
I’ve actually wondered what happens when a car gets towed. How does these people find out where to go to get their car back, do they leave a note on the ground or what?
Usually there’s a sign posted that days “no parking” and I fine print at the bottom it says “tow away zone [phone number]”. You call that, and if you’re lucky, you get a human with directions. If unlucky, you get a machine with the same info.
I feel like the cost of towing and the extra admin involved will quickly surpass the fees.
Also the cost of car parks has risen pretty high which I feel pushes more people towards the risk. In some places if you get caught 1/3 times, you’ll still be better off.
You bill them for the towing. And the admin.
The fine covers the towing cost, obviously.
Part of the reason that car parks are so expensive is because they’re not actually controlled by the council but by for profit companies who are trying to make lots of money out of a slab of concrete. That’s clearly an insane concept and car parks should just be nationalised.
He said the North Yorkshire Public Safety Service - comprising North Yorkshire Police, North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, and local health services - was gathering feedback to “help inform how these challenges are managed in the future”.
The MP said he hoped people in Wharfedale would participate so the authorities “fully understand the impact and respond appropriately”.
Free, convenient, regular, public transport, for all.
And change the penalty system. If the fine for illegal parking is £60 for everybody, that’s just a token expense for the rich but an effective punishment for the poor. Do as Finland do and link it to the driver’s wealth and suddenly all the twats in Porsches, BMWs, Audis, and Mercedes will think twice.
That’s outside the scope of a council of course but that doesn’t prevent schemes being attempted and national campaign pushes.
Plus, what village doesn’t have local farmers with tractors and pallet forks? Just put straps round the cars and lift the buggers out the way if absolutely necessary.
