An angry Shrewsbury man has criticised the town’s parking enforcement service after he photographed one of its vehicles he claims was parked illegally for nearly half an hour.
Roy Manning said the ParkRight car was facing the wrong way to oncoming traffic at the junction of Lime Street and Longden Road in Coleham on Sunday morning for 23 minutes. He claimed it was also parked on double yellow lines.
Mr Manning said it stayed in the position as an attendant ticketed two other vehicles for breaking parking rules.
But ParkRight manager Sandy Harper said wardens were exempt from parking regulations while working.
Mr Manning, of Longden, Coleham, said: “This motor car was not only facing oncoming traffic that wanted to turn from the main road into Lime Street but was also only a couple of yards from the junction.
“At no time during its arrival at 10.50am and its leaving at 11.13am did this vehicle move from this location. It was parked illegally on double yellow lines also obstructing a road junction.
“I challenged the parking attendant on what right did he have to park this vehicle in a dangerous manner, breaking two or three by-laws, the reply was he was not breaking any law.
“I would like a full explanation on how this vehicle was legally entitled to park as it did for 23 minutes in a dangerous position?”
Mr Harper said it was vital ParkRight officials were exempt from parking laws to carry out their duties.
He said: “ParkRight staff while carrying out their duties have an exemption under Traffic Regulation Orders to park their vehicles in a restriction. It applies to parking enforcement operators throughout the whole country otherwise we couldn’t do the job.
“If we turned up at a junction and all parking bays were full, if we can’t stop and do the enforcement what’s the point?”
Mr Harper said exemptions also applied to emergency service vehicles and highways officials.
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26 Comments
Silly man! hHes forgot that theres a rule for us….and another for them!
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Utter rubbish, Sandy Harper is wrong. No legislation excuses or exempts vehicles being parked like this.
1. It is parked within 15 yards of a road junction – an offence.
2. It could be construed as being parked in a “dangerous position” (ie vehicles turning left into Lime Street from Coleham could easily collide with it)- another offence.
3. It is open to question whether Wardens are allowed to park on solid double lines – Police are not allowed to under these circumstances.
Perhaps Mr Harper could spell out chapter and verse the legislation that allows wardens to park like this.
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This is outragous!!!! Does this mean that policemen and women are exempt from abiding the law whilst they are working? from the picture is it obvious to see that if a car were to turn left into that juntion then that would be dangerous to the unsuspecting motorist!!!
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Would Roy Manning like to state chapter and verse the exemptions – and then, if in any way true, let us know how we can alter them.
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Does anyone remeber the joke about the traffic wardens having a yellow line around their hats so you can’t park on them. Well the line is now blue so next time you see one?
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exemption from parking restrictions is one thing but surely “parking” like this – the wrong side of the street, only a foot or so from the junction is plain dangerous to drivers turning in by causing an obstruction? The Highway Code has guidlines about this – this is not breaking parking restrictions this is breaking the law.
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1.It is an offence to park within 10 metres of the mouth of any junction unless in a designated parking area.
2.Whilst it could be construed that parking in such a position is dangerous that would depend largely on the view that approaching vehicles had of the parked vehicle.
3.It is almost certainly causing an unnecessary obstruction.
4.Police vehicles are only exempt from certain traffic regulations if adherence to the regulations would impede the use to which the vehicle was being put. That rarely applies to parking regulations and I have seen many Police cars get parking tickets. If the ParkRight vehicle is parked contrary to yellow lines then a prosecution should ensue as like all members of the public they should be responsible for where they park and if that means parking a little further away legally and walking so be it.
5.As enforcers of the counties parking regulations it is imperative that companies such as ParkRight are seen to be whiter than white in enforcing such legislation, if they are not to become a laughing stock.
6.Arrogant comments such as those made by Sandy Harper about parking wardens being exempt should be given the contempt they deserve and I would suggest this apparent offence needs to be tested in court. Under the new parking regulations however, the council are both judge and jury so you can expect a few more of these indiscretions to take place no doubt as it has become indeed a case of do as I say and not as I do.
The parking wardens in Shrewsbury are the “Shop Window” of parking enforcement. Their seemingly lack or care as to the way they are perceived by the public and absence of any self discipline is a disgrace and I would suggest if Mr Harper continues with this shoddy form of management then he should be replaced.
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Again one rule for them and one for us
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I don’t see what the problem is nobody is above the law of the land except – The Prime Minster, MP’s, Senior Police officers, Local council officials, Traffic wardens etc. etc. As long as you understand this there will be no problems – but if you are not in one of these groups don’t you dare step out of line – see easy
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This sad country makes me laugh
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Stuart is absolutely correct,Mr Manning should put in a formal complaint to the police, accompanied by the photographic evidence.Presumably the same rules apply as a speed camera and if the company refuses to name the offender it will face a substantial fine itself.
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So Sandy Harper and his merry men and women in blue think they are above the law. No wonder that they are becoming the most despised people to be seen, and soon to be seen in the suburbs,walking our streets. The way these traffic wardens are going about their ‘job’needs to be sorted and pretty quick.
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Whilst a number of remarks on this subject are said in jest and some in just passing “comment”, a serious issue is raised with this quite brazen offence.
If the head of the parking enforcement group does not know the law that his parking attendants have to enforce, then (and I agree with Warrington) it is time for him to quickly learn or resign.
More importantly, had a member of the public parked like this, he/she would have been “dealt with” and had they appealed, the appeal would have been denied.
Mr. Harper has covered up an offence/s by one of his staff under the wrongful assertion that they are permitted by law to park like that. They are not.
We have a right to now expect that this person will now be dealt with the same as any other member of the public and, also the same, not have the offence/s marked off “NFA”, ie any appeal upheld in favour of the Parking attendant.
Seemingly a “piffling” thing in the overall scheme of things, this raises many important issues and the offender must not be allowed to get away with it. The Star should follow this up.
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Come on Shropshire Star… get another story out of this by challanging ParkRight and the Council – get it on the front page!!!
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Stuart and Warrington you are both spot on.
Betty, no not the Police but a company employed to enforce parking lead by someone lost in the fog of legislation.
In the interest of fairness for everyone who has received a parking ticket this decision needs reviewing.
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The issue here is a police matter, and a formal complaint should be made PARKRIGHT ARE NOT ABOVE THE LAW WHEN IT COMES TO PARKING THE WRONG WAY ON A STREET ETC .
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I saw the vehicle on Sunday morning & was under the impression it wasn’t an official ParkRight vehicle but one that belonged to a local estate agent & was being used by the ParkRight employee. Come to think of it, do ParkRight have official vehicles?
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Comments by Number THREE above, Using that name, are not at all funny, and downright disgusting.
You ought to be ashamed of yourself, and I hope the paper bans your email address from any further communications.
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And if the vehicle had been struck by another vehicle, does not Mr Harper realise that the insurance of Parkright could have been INVALIDATED? And that if Mr Harper has instructed his staff to park in dangerous locations he, Mr Harper, could be liable for prosecution under the HSAWA?
Mr Harper, I suggest that you consider consulting a lawyer imediately in your own right as you seem to have possibly admitted to breaching the HSAWA.
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I fail to see the use in photographing the offender and sending it in to the Police, what do we expect them to do when i have myself witnessed police officers in marked police cars parked in disabled bays locally around the Telford area?
As many have said, it appears to be the classic “Do as i say,not as i do” syndrome.
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“If a person in charge of a vehicle causes or permits the vehicle or a trailer drawn by it to remain at rest on a road in such a position or in such condition or in such circumstances as to be likely to cause danger to other persons using the road, he is guilty of an offence” – Road Traffic Act 1988.
This is has nothing to do with parking regulations, which were decriminalised in 1991, it is an entirely different offence and the police should take action!
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I would like to thank all the people that left comments about the picture i took and my communication with the Parkright attendant. To answer Chief Ironsides comment ..The vehicle or smart car had advertizing all over it and also Shrewsbury and Atchanm council I believe that it is indeed a vehicle used by Parkright. A rapid responce vehicl no doubt..
I wish to add a comment to my conversation with this attendant. On the morning this took place I also stated to him what gives you the right to break the law ..his reply in the execution of his duties,I again asked and the reply was i am doing nothing wrong as i am loading and unloading.!!!! asking what, his reply, my camera.
That was why the tail gate was up for the twenty three minutes.!!!
Mr Harpers response in its content was quite offensive that they feel they have the right to do what they want when they want. The people responsible within the Council for enabling this sort of behavior should seriously thing about the damage they are doing, to not only the businesses in the town but residents outside the bridges. How can we be expected to have respect for officials and the law. Sadly my feelings are that whatever is said they appear to be a law unto themselves. All i am doing is banging my head against a brick wall. I also had no reply to my e-mail showing the same details as the one sent to the Shropshire Star.
Reason see Parkrights auto reply below.
Thank you for your email. This is an automated response and will not be replied to.SEE BELOW
If you are lodging an informal representation against the issue of a Penalty Charge Notice, please ensure that you have supplied a return name and opstal address in your email, quoting the Penalty Charge Notice number,as the appeal procedure can not commence until these are received. A written acknowledgement by letter will be sent to you within 10 working days.
====================================
I will in due course be writing to Mr Harper asking that under the freedom of information act he supply me with the official paperwork showing clearly that they are allowed to operate in the manner they did.
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Roy,
Loading and unloading is no defence to the offence of parking a motor vehicle in a dangerous position, neither is a period of 23 minutes acceptable, reasonable or lawful without loading or unloading physically taking place during that time.
If you wish to further this and have had no response from this company I suggest:-
You make out a comprehensive statement along the lines of, who you are, where you live, time, date, place, I was, I saw, I did,
outline the conversation that took place, identify the man you spoke to with the name he gave, attach a copy of the photo and outline details of later communications, emails etc with the company.
Take and hand this in to the Police Station, get the name of the person who took possession of it and the time and date. Keep a copy of it.
Politely/diplomatically let that person know that if no action is taken by them the matter will be made the subject of an official recordable complaint to (in the first instance), The Chief Constable, Headquarters, West Mercia Constabulary, Hindlip Hall, Worcester.
If this doesn’t get some action, you still have other options which are to lengthy to explain here but try this first of all and it may be politic to send a copy of the Statement to the company with your intention to report it to Police.
Keep trying, good luck, there is an important principle at stake here.
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Roy
If you intend to make a complaint to the Police, leaving a vehicle in a dangerous place must be considered.
SKATES ON
Leaving a vehicle in a dangerous place requires a notice of intended prosecution (NIP) to be served by the Police within 14 days on the reg keeper( or posted to arrive in that time period)
Good luck
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Skates On..wrong…provided the NIP is posted within the 14 days then that is deemed to be ’service’
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Gary
Section 1(1) (c) (11)Road traffic offenders Act 1988 states the nip must be with the registered keeper within 14 days of the offence.
has this been changed?
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