to dowith Parking


comes back, the car’s booted, and they have to pay $450. The booting company says they know nothing about the


calls; they are just doing what the management company tells them.Themanagement company says: “Nothing to dowith us.” Yeah, right.


But the Council can go one better ... Ruth Ducker parked her car legally in a street in Lambeth


in South London. The Council wanted to make the street “No parking,” so they towed her car away to paint the required yel- low lines. They then returned the car to the same place.Along came a warden who ticketed the now illegal parker and had it towed to the pound. We have a systemwhere when any car is towed in London,


it goes on to a central register, but it took Ducker three weeks before she could track down her car and the intervention of her MP (highly respected and not amongst those mentioned above) to get more than $3,000 in fines and charges canceled and the car returned. Ducker is still waiting for the $150 compensation that she was offered.


Is this the dumbest parking law ever? London, that is, Central London, has a problem. Parking is


in short supply, and some people parkwithout toomuch thought when they see a gap.The problemis that this can block dropped curbs provided to allow wheelchairs to cross roads or to give access to properties. This is obstruction, an offense under common law for at


least a thousand years, but enforcement is up to the police. Solu- tion:Make a new law thatmakes this a recognized offense on a municipal parking ticket. Job done. Unfortunately, someone in the Department of Transport


decided that it would be a wonderful idea if this power were granted nationwide. If your driveway is blocked, the police would respond to a


complaint and deal with it. City parking officers can issue a ticket anywhere a car blocks a dropped curb, whether there is a complaint or not. My daughter’s boyfriend, the Gerbil, often parks his car


acrossmy drivewaywhen he visits.No problem: I knowwho he is andwhere he is if Iwant to get a car out.This also leaves oth- er spaces for the people using the park across the road fromme. But as of June 1, the Gerbil risks a $120 fine. There is no


notice, nowarning and no enquiry at the house before the ticket is issued, and the government does not fear that the cities will use this power to printmoney! My Council, always at the front when it comes to a total


mess, hasmarked permitted parking bays across dropped curbs. Way to go, guys.


We is green ... I know that, in the past, JVH (a.k.a.Attila) has gone public


on the globalwarming issue and that he is not convinced.How- ever, Tesco, the UK’s biggest retailer (1 pound in every 3 spent in supermarkets here goes through a Tesco till), seems to have


reached different view. Starting with some of its London stores, they are going to start installing electric-car recharge points. NowTesco is one of the few major businesses here that has


actually increased profitability in the last year, and much as we love and respect you, John, if Tesco says it’s happening, I’m inclined to listen. Interestingly enough, “recharge points” also featured in a cou-


ple of the entrants to the BestNewCar Park category in the British ParkingAssociation awards.Maybe time to think again, John? Note from JVH: Peter, I know your tongue is firmly in cheek,


butmy guess is thatTesco is probably as good a harbinger of glob- al warming as Al Gore, Prince Charles or some third-level func- tionary at the EU offices in Brussels. (BTW, this was the coldest May in recent history in the U.S.) Can you research and see if Tesco gets any tax reduction due to its “green” status? (Another BTW, how many “electric” vehicles exist in the UK? I know there are a total of eight in the entire Cincinnati area of Ohio.)


Peter Guest is PT’s correspondent on all things European and Middle East. He can be reached at peterguestparking@hotmail.co.uk.


PT v


T R A N S P O R T A T I O N TRAFFIC ENGINEERS • TRANSPORTATION PLANNERS


DESMAN PARKING CONSULTANTS • TRAFFIC IMPACT STUDIES


• SITE ACCESS & CIRCULATION ANALYSIS • PARKING STUDIES • MICRO-SIMULATION MODELING • CORRIDOR STUDIES • MASTER TRANSPORTATION PLANS • ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ANALYSIS


New York 212.686.5360


Cleveland 216.736.7110


Chicago


312.263.8400 Boston


617.778.9882 Denver 303.740.1700


Hartford 860.563.1117


WashingtonDC 703.448.1190


Las Vegas 877.337.6260


WWW. D E S MA N . C O M JULY 2009 • PARKING TODAY • www.parkingtoday.com 47


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56