grandad wrote:
I f*****g hate that. You open up a thread and all that is there is a link. Why not just cut and paste the story!
It annoys me as well, I tend to not bother with them.
Council announces £70 fines for drivers who park 50cm from kerb Parallel parking has long been a struggle for learner drivers, as they balance edging close enough to the kerb without hitting it.
Council announces £70 fines for drivers who park 50cm from kerb
Gwynedd Council, which has begun issuing the on-the-spot fines in North Wales, said they are necessary to prevent traffic jams and make it easier for pedestrians to cross the road.
Now, however, everyday parking could become a delicate manoeuvre for even the most seasoned of motorists, after a council pledged to fine any driver £70 if their car ends up further than 20 inches (50cm) from the edge of the road.
The fines, which were introduced for the first time this week, apply to all drivers, including the disabled, and will be levied even in areas without parking restrictions.
Gwynedd Council, which has begun issuing the on-the-spot fines in North Wales, said they are necessary to prevent traffic jams and make it easier for pedestrians to cross the road.
Its parking wardens have been issued with tape measures to check cars are complying with the regulation, after a spokesman said that “they can’t just take a guess on it”.
The fines will also be levied against drivers who park across dropped kerbs, which should provide access to other drivers or pedestrians. They will be reduced to £35 if motorists pay them within a fortnight.
The council hoped the new fines would stop drivers parking “recklessly” away from kerbs, which it claimed had prevented emergency vehicles getting along roads.
It was forced into the measure by complaints about bad parking in towns such as Bangor and Caernarfon and the surrounding countryside, which is popular with holidaymakers in summer.
But local drivers have been supported by the AA in raising concerns about the clampdown.
Francis Kileen, a 52-year-old office manager from Pwllheli, said: “This is just another tax on drivers.
“It’s bad enough motorists getting booked for the most trivial of reasons but the thought of wardens now going round with tape measures and rulers kneeling down in the street and measuring how far drivers are parked from the kerb simply beggars belief.”
Caroline Anderson, a 48-year-old sales representative, said drivers would fight back by carrying their own tape measures to ensure they are close enough to the kerb.
“It is all very time consuming and very petty,” she said. “Why can’t drivers be given a break for a change?”
Luke Bosket from the AA added: “These are one of those rules that can anger motorists but seem perfectly reasonable to local authorities.
“Where there is a road safety issue and the highway is narrow then parking well out from a kerb could be obstructive and dangerous.
“What people will be worried about is that it is just another tick box for traffic wardens to hand out tickets. Common sense must be applied.”
But Coun Gareth Roberts, the council’s cabinet member for road safety, said drivers who block crossings cause difficulty for wheelchair users and parents pushing buggies.
“Dropped kerbs have been placed there to make it easier for people to cross the road safely but by parking across them drivers cause unnecessary risk as pedestrians have to manoeuvre around them and often have to step out into the road where there is poor visibility,” he said.
“These new powers are aimed at tackling thoughtless motorists who demonstrate this inconsiderate and, in some cases, reckless behaviour.”
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