Shropshire traffic wardens to be sent out at night
Tuesday 12th July 2011, 11:14AM BST.
SHROPSHIRE TRAFFIC wardens are to be sent out at night for the first time in a new clamp down on illegal parking.
But council bosses today insisted the measure was not just a way of raising extra cash by handing out more tickets.
The night-time patrols are to be piloted in Shrewsbury but could be rolled out across the rest of the county if they are considered to be a success.
Officials say they are taking action after a rise in the number of residents complaining about motorists parking illegally outside their homes.
It comes after attendants were sent out on street patrols for an extra hour during the day for the first time this week.
David Roberts, environmental enforcement manager at Shropshire Council, today said: “We’re going to be putting in a few evening patrols to monitor and see how we can adapt our service.
“In the evening, town centre residents in most of the towns find they have cars blocking their drives or they can’t get parked so we have to look and monitor that as well.
“Shrewsbury will be the first to trial it in the near future to focus on people parking illegally in the streets and blocking driveways.
“We will have two officers working together to see if we can help people out and look after the night-time economy.
“The good thing in Shropshire is after 6pm the car parks are free so by putting our officers out in the evening people can’t say it’s to get more money.”
Mr Roberts said an extra hour of patrols each day began this week as officials try to make the attendants more visible for longer.
“We’ve adapted our patrols so we can get our teams out quicker and we’re trying to be more visible,” he said.
“We found the public were phoning us up and saying there were a lot of vehicles blocking the road that weren’t being moved.
“We’ve been listening and trying to adapt our working patrols to be in line with the public.
“This is the first week of doing it and it’s going quite well.”
By John Kirk
Most Commented
- Clampdown on Shrewsbury chuggers
- Bishop's gay marriage views do nothing to support bible teachings
- Planners ordered to stay on Newport visit bus
- Letter: Angered by close encounter of the furred kind
- Letter: Alcohol price plans annoy me
- Shrewsbury’s broadband speed one of slowest in UK
- Letter: No sense in overseas job adverts
Shropshire Star on Twitter
Keep updated with the latest breaking news and content on our Twitter feed.
Lifestyle
Interactive Dining Out map
Hundreds of reviews by the Shropshire Star and Express & Star's teams to help you decide where to eat.
Entertainment
All the film reviews
Before you plan a trip to the pictures, get our critics' verdicts on all the latest movie releases.
OUR NEW APP
Get the new Shropshire Star app
Download the Shropshire Star’s new app to your iPad or iPhone to get one week of access to our digital newspapers absolutely FREE.
shropshirestar.com
Popular sections
Useful links
Pathetic – Too may rules and regulations are causing further depression.
Many houses in shrewsbury do not have parking facilities and play cat and mouse with the wardens to avoid the extortionate parking charges.
The council obviously does not have faith in its residents so why should we have faith in them. Change the council and ridicule this new scheme. who’s with me
Report abuse
this council is fixated with parking and imposing parking restrictions as a means of making money, i have to laugh, they obviously have nothing better to do in their newly refurbished offices. Its not an offence to block a persons drive if they are trying to leave but is if they cannot access it, call the police to sort it. Would be interested if these people complaining have the legal dropped kerbs, if they dont, then legally they dont have a driveway so cant be blocked at all.
Report abuse
Of course it is a way of making extra cash. They wouldn’t send out wardens at night if it wasn’t cost effective.
How low will this council stoop? Do they not realise that the chances of wardens being attacked at night will increase,thus impacting on our already stretched police!
They really are clutching at straws now.
Report abuse
At the expense of the tax payer…
So they are going to patrol Shrewsbury town centre at night time because this is actually where the complaints are coming from…town centre residents.
So if it’s not parking meters or car park prices it’s now traffic wardens at night time putting tickets on cars.
Well good luck on Friday or Saturday nights, I will give it a week before the first warden gets a thump on the nose from a reveller who’s had a few…
What ever next, flower tax?
Report abuse
How interesting. Let’s see if they clamp down on the night time revellers who abuse the disabled car parking spaces. By that, I mean the ones who take up two spaces, never display a badge, then abuse disabled drivers who wish to park in the spaces on nights out.
In fact, one early evening as I was trying to find a space, one of the ‘Waffen SS’…er I mean Traffic wardens even commented thatnit was a bit late for ‘my kind’ to be out doors……..
Report abuse
And let’s hope too that they clamp down on Blue Badge holders who feel it’s necessary to dump their car at any available spot including double yellow lines and parent and toddler spaces.
Report abuse
Is the council going to be hiring new traffic wardens or paying overtime to current staff? Either way, can a cash strapped council afford to be doing this? I think not, actually I believe that issuing tickets to raise extra cash is their ultimate priority, using the excuse of complaining residents.
Report abuse
Well it will not cost any extra will it, you just change the hours they work start later finish later . The contract should be on the lines of 37 hrs over a 7 day working week , saturday/sunday are part of the working week .
Report abuse
UNBELIEVABLE!!!! So now all the residents in the town centre who have to wait until 6.30 to park their cars and go home, are screwed, The wardens are ticket happy a the moment, and are targeting anything that sits still for a few seconds. It wont be long till these wardens get lynched. and il be at the front of the mob.
Report abuse
Looks like it Danny, awful move by the council AGAIN, in the daytime the few spaces we have are taken by shoppers and the short amnesty we enjoyed post 6.30pm to park within 3 miles of our homes will be gone.
Report abuse
Well don’t park illegally then!!!
Park in any of the free parking spaces around town or any of the free car parks around town after 6.30 then.
Why is there such a desire to park illegally in the town centre all of a sudden?
Report abuse
This idea is crazy, how long before one or more of these men and women is badly injured.To patrol at night is asking for trouble.
Report abuse
Whats the problem here? I don’t get it?
Car parks are all free after 6pm, so why not park there? Or deisgnated on street parking where it is ok to do so after a certain time?
What the article seems to be saying is that wardens are targetting people who park illegally, such as on yellow lines and roads where parking can block access for larger vehicles and predestrians, which I think is correct personally.
And for all those town residents who are moaning about not being able to park outside their properties in the evenings, then you really should have though of that before buying a town centre property.
Report abuse
But for how long free parking after 6pm?
Report abuse
It was only brought back from 8pm to 6pm a few months ago, so I doubt that would change any time soon.
The point of this article is ILLEGAL PARKING and not changing the times in which you can park for free at night. Everyone is just jumping to silly conclusions without any sort of fact to back it up.
Report abuse
Pete, sorry but you’re wrong: the car parks are NOT free during the evening although on street parking IS free after 18.00. You mention it was brought forward from 20.00 to 18.00 ‘a few months ago’? I’ve been living in the town centre for 5 years and can’t recall it being 20.00? It’s been 18.00 all this time-I park up at that time of an evening after work.
Report abuse
I parked up in town last night and was surprised to find that Barker Street car park is in fact free after 6pm! So it is not just on street parking that is free after that time, the car parks are too.
Report abuse
Ha!! Major problem with this idea – Theyve jsut ticketd a car who belongs to one of a group of lads on the lash…….. Ambulance please! Actually, this is a good idea.
Report abuse
Ambulance please for the idiot ” on the lash ” thinks he can drink and drive…parking ticket will be the least of his problems..
Report abuse
So many negative remarks, has anyone considered the possibility that vehicle crime in these areas will fall when a uniform is in the area ? You know like the police used to do.
Report abuse
Just a minute there!!! Crime doesn’t solve itself you know!! Anyway…right..that’ll be 30 greenbacks you naughty boy…say..wanna come up and transgress my zone some time?
Report abuse
What great news, Its about time action was taken against these people who abuse the law.
Report abuse
couldnt agree more, the council have been getting away it for years
Report abuse
I assume the ‘Night Fighters’ will be equipped with ‘Litchenstein’ (night radar), ‘Naxos’ (to home in on cars), and ‘Schrage Musik’ (upward firing parking ticket dispensers). H’mmm I think I’ll fit ‘Mandrel’, ‘Monica’ and ‘Window’ to my motorcycle.
[Moderator : these are all genuine wartime aircraft night detection and counter-detection devices - please delete this note]
Report abuse
Howlate at night will these patrols go on to,do you realise these bastions of public protection are already allowed to work till 8pm already?
Report abuse
Great news send them out all year round, all through the night come rain, snow,gales, and give the summer clothes to wear and no coats. Saying all that I can imagine they will be new sport for the night time revelers if they are out to late, you better stick a sat nav on them for tracking purposes.
Report abuse
I know where I would put the sat nav on them, to stop them sitting down and drinking. tea and coffee.
Report abuse
Just another nail in Shrewsbury’s Coffin…Thanks Shropshire Council – I wonder if we can see how much extra cash the Council will make from this under the freedom of information act?
The Traffic wardens already stalk you at Dominos Pizza at 6:30pm
Report abuse
Yeah cos theres no free parking in car parks near Dominos after 6.30pm, so I must park illegally and make my car a hazard to other road users so I can get my Pizza.
Report abuse
Even better, get them to deliver!
OM NOM NOM NOM NOM
Report abuse
I don’t understand why ticket patrols (call them what you will) have only worked during daylight hours historically when you consider that laws are laws and parking illegally at night is just as bad as parking illegally by day! If you can’t park conveniently for the fast food outlet then either have it delivered or walk (If you’re a fan of fast food you’ll probably need the exercise.
Ever noted how there is 24 hours policing in this country? It’s because laws do not have closing times. Observe the signage and avoid a ticket.
To those above who oppose the nighttime plans, and for Danny 10, let’s see how funny it is when the ambulance can’t reach you because it’s blocked by illegally parked cars!
Report abuse
I think Danny 10′s point was to highlight the dangers of such work at night in the town centre rather than being funny?
Report abuse
The only people who will have anything to fear are the people that park illegally.
Report abuse
Wonder if that means that the 24/7/365 disabled bays will actually be available for disabled people and enable them to take part in the towns night life – always assuming that the council vans etc don’t park in them!
Report abuse
Thankyou fixed penalty, your correct – however gGrren, this is now enforced due to a “minimal” amount of driveways being blocked in the copthorne/porthill area – This is what they are using as an excuse so they can get out and target the town centre. I mean come on!!! this is getting beyond a joke!! we are being screwed over by the council every day.. its about time we all stood up against this. I was ticketed by a warden last week, whilst moving house, i had literally locked my door and he slapped a ticket on, laughing. There out to get you people!!!!!!
Report abuse
Hi David – I have recently heard, these evening parking wardens will be funded in the following manner:
They are payed a flat £7.50 per hour in addition for each ticket, they will receive a £35 payment, this will then be funded by an intended increase in the standard fines.
Is this true?
Michael
Report abuse