Car Parking Cameras, Spy Cars, Necessary? Over Zealous?

[ToraToraTora]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-24291467
Now I know the black and white brigade will "say don't park illagally and you wont get fined" - but is it as simple as that?

[Old_Geezer]

I don't like authorities spying on me at all for any excuse. Wrong in principle.
I might be more tolerant if they stopped folk parking over the edge of my dropped kerb, but I doubt it.

[Old_Geezer]

I do wonder if this has resulted in fewer offences though. If not then it isn't keeping streets safe as suggested at all, it is merely a revenue collecting exercise. That said, no better or worse than wardens handing out tickets in that case. Would be more sympathetic is there weren't so many places where a parking restriction seems to be in operation without obvious reason. I draw my own conclusions.

[Gromit]

Unrestricted parking in towns is a very bad idea. When ambulances and fire engines get blocked and people start to die, then they might bring them back.

[ludwig]

// Unrestricted parking in towns is a very bad idea //

I agree. It's a good job that isn't what's being proposed.

[Gromit]

Type Your Answer Here...If the cameras are switched off, they will need to employ hundreds of wardens to enforce safe parking.
Except they won't because they don't have the money. So motorist will park anywhere they like because they know they won't be caught. Unrestricted in effect.

[youngmafbog]

The problem is that councils are reducing more and more the amount of free on road parking, often with no apparent reason other than revenue.

The easy way to solve this problem is for fines to go to central Government and never find it's way back to councils. Then we could be more sure it is for saftey and not for revenue which is wrong.

[vulcan42]

I'm all for stopping illegal parking, and that includes the two policemen who couldn't be bothered to drive ten yards to a car park, but as usual, common sense is being ignored.Surely there is a difference between parking and a quick stop and they should be treated differently. Councils,again as usual, are making life very difficult for the motorist and at the same time lamenting why less and less people are shopping in their towns, they cannot have it both ways.

[mikey4444]

Sorry to appear so predictable but I don't understand why there is so much opposition to these cameras, in the same way as I don't understand the fuss about speed cameras. These cameras only catch guilty people, so why do they think that they are immune from the same law that everybody else has to comply with ? If Councils are making some money from thoughtless drivers...well all the better !

My local Primary School Head Mistress is tearing her hair out about stupid and inconsiderate parking in front of her school, 90% of which are the parents who children she is trying to protect ! She has tried everything but nothing works for very long.

She would love to have a camera outside the school, 5 days a week, but the Council can't afford to protect its ratepayers children apparently.

I am expecting here to put down her megaphone and come out shooting any day now !

[emmie]

so what do cctv cameras do, catch the guilty, perhaps, but it captures everyone else, how can that ever be justified. I have never understood the retort, well if you have done nothing wrong, that is absolutely the wrong way to view spying on your citizens, more akin to the Stasi than a so called democracy. Parking charges in the capital are outrageous, and many a business has gone west because their customers, clients can't park nearby or indeed just drop a person off, i think that councils have long used the parking fines as a cash cow.

[Quizmonster]

My main concern here is whether "the black and white brigade" is the same body as "the right on brigade".

[mikey4444]

emmie...with the greatest of respect...drivel. If people park outside schools or anywhere else that is considered to be dangerous, then if they are caught by whatever means available, they are guilty. Simple as that. They should pay up and shut up, and find somewhere else to park in the future, not moan and whinge about being caught.

Your suggestion that local Councils are akin to the Stazi is ridiculous.

[emmie]

so you don't think the idea of having cctv on every street, shop, office insidious, strange. as to parking and councils, many are using the revenue as cash cows, i am not the only one who thinks that, our borough was featured recently in a documentary of parking and councils, as were any number of other London boroughs.