Richmond Council to remove CCTV cars (From Richmond and Twickenham Times)
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Richmond Council to remove CCTV cars
2:02pm Friday 18th November 2011 in News By Paul Teed
Unpopular CCTV spy cars that illegally issued more than 18,500 parking fines are set to be taken off the road permanently.
Richmond Council, which failed to properly certify cameras in two of the vehicles, has already paid back more than £640,000 in refunds to 12,000 drivers.
Lord True, leader of Richmond Council, said: “These CCTV cars have been a menace to people for years and I for one will be glad to see the back of them.”
The council plans to axe all CCTV cars as well as introduce more flexible rules for motorists.
Drivers who return to their wrongly parked vehicles before a traffic warden has issued a ticket will be let off and delivery trucks will get a 10 minute “grace period” when dropping off goods instead of the current five minutes.
Lord True added: “Councils should not be in the business of trap now, talk later. We promised a review into these spy cars, given the importance of our fair parking agenda to bringing life back to our high streets.
“Many people see them to be an arbitrary and impersonal way of dealing with parking issues. The tactics used create the impression that councils are interested only in money.”
The council’s cabinet will discuss the plans on Thursday, November 24.
Comments(19)
lucullus
says...
3:00pm Fri 18 Nov 11
Richmond's failure to grasp the nettle of car dependency is ensuring we have ten schools near roads which produce major pollution levels, horrific congestion at many times of the day, and a whole range of areas where it's easier to get in your car to do something than to walk, talk public transport, or use a bicycle.
Perhaps Mr. Taylor has some real examples of how the council 'persecutes the motorist'? (Especially given that, under Labour and the Coalition, the overall cost of motoring has actually fallen, compared with the last years of the Thatcher and Major governments ...)
TrevorC
says...
8:15pm Fri 18 Nov 11
The Lib Dem's will not get re-elected on a policy of reversing this, or the return of the variable parking charges.
Lucullus is spitting out sour grapes, and his displeasure makes it all the more sweeter. Encouragement to walk and to use the bicycle is fine but carrots are always received more favourably than sticks, and zealous preaching.
It is hard to believe that the overall cost of motoring has fallen, with the massive hikes in insurance and fuel costs.
Twickenham resident
says...
11:04pm Fri 18 Nov 11
As Lucullus advotates everyone give up their cars and takes public transport wants to try waiting for the eluvsive buses. The service appalling and totally unreliable.
I do agree that some parents are so pathetic and lazy they can't walk their kids a quarter of a mile to school but some do actually go on to their place of work afterwards and if everyone gave up their cars, how the hell is the Government supposed to pay for road repairs, NHS, social care, social housing etc.etc. all of which MOTORISTS TAXES PAY FOR!
If Lucullus wants to target anyone for pollution, how about looking up to the sky and also the many HGVs and manky vans that take short cuts through the Borough ?
metis
says...
12:27am Sat 19 Nov 11
Well done Lord True.
JohnSoones
says...
12:43am Sat 19 Nov 11
The Spy Cars have blighted some areas and stifled economic recovery. I've been shocked by the way the operators wouldn't get out of their car to ease congestion, but instead generate a ticket which would land on a door mat days or weeks later.
The Conservatives have taken a huge step towards meeting their election promise of "humane parking enforcement" and have been utterly fair in reimbursing motorists who were fined illegally.
I take my hat off to the ethical way they have handled this shambles, which didn't seem to be of their making.
Top marks to Lord True and go to the head of the class.
Montrose
says...
1:02am Sat 19 Nov 11
Twickenham Resident is quite right – public transport needs to be greatly improved. But Lib Dem-run Richmond Council went way beyond its remit when it tried to assume in loco parentis towards an infantalised electorate by attempting to direct them to buy certain cars.
Lucullus jests about the cost of motoring falling since John Major’s government – as Trevor C also points out. I take it Lucullus hasn’t noticed how items such as food have steadily risen in price in more recent years because the soaring cost of petrol has been passed onto the consumer. 60% of the cost of petrol is taken in tax – that’s larcenous levels.
As for Lucullus being unaware of Lib Dem-run Richmond Council’s reputation as “the council that hates cars” – I would have suggested he reads an article in “The Sunday Times” of 2 September 2007, but everything is behind the Times Group’s pesky paywall. Consequently I’ll pick out some pertinent quotes:
“Richmond council’s latest weapon in its war on car owners is symptomatic of a hostile approach that is causing car owners growing unease. It is a motorised traffic spy — a Smart car with a camera attached to a periscope on its roof.”
Part of the article highlights what many would classify as double-standards when “Serge Lourie — the Liberal Democrat architect of the anti-carbon policies — emitted more carbon dioxide than a fleet of extravagant gas guzzlers when he flew to the borough’s American sister-city, Richmond, Virginia, for its 400th birthday party.” Apparently he was “chauffeured about Virginia in a black 4x4”!
And for another “real example” for Lucullus where the Lib Dem-run Richmond Council managed to both persecute motorists – and local shopkeepers – Martin Herdman, a St Margaret’s trader, took to warning local customers when a hoard of parking wardens were about to descend. Even the national press picked up the story – on 1 August 2007 – here:
http://www.dailymail
.co.uk/news/article-
472317/The-shopkeepe
r-sounds-WWII-air-ra
id-siren-traffic-war
den-spotted.html
Montrose
says...
1:02am Sat 19 Nov 11
Twickenham Resident is quite right – public transport needs to be greatly improved. But Lib Dem-run Richmond Council went way beyond its remit when it tried to assume in loco parentis towards an infantalised electorate by attempting to direct them to buy certain cars.
Lucullus jests about the cost of motoring falling since John Major’s government – as Trevor C also points out. I take it Lucullus hasn’t noticed how items such as food have steadily risen in price in more recent years because the soaring cost of petrol has been passed onto the consumer. 60% of the cost of petrol is taken in tax – that’s larcenous levels.
As for Lucullus being unaware of Lib Dem-run Richmond Council’s reputation as “the council that hates cars” – I would have suggested he reads an article in “The Sunday Times” of 2 September 2007, but everything is behind the Times Group’s pesky paywall. Consequently I’ll pick out some pertinent quotes:
“Richmond council’s latest weapon in its war on car owners is symptomatic of a hostile approach that is causing car owners growing unease. It is a motorised traffic spy — a Smart car with a camera attached to a periscope on its roof.”
Part of the article highlights what many would classify as double-standards when “Serge Lourie — the Liberal Democrat architect of the anti-carbon policies — emitted more carbon dioxide than a fleet of extravagant gas guzzlers when he flew to the borough’s American sister-city, Richmond, Virginia, for its 400th birthday party.” Apparently he was “chauffeured about Virginia in a black 4x4”!
And for another “real example” for Lucullus where the Lib Dem-run Richmond Council managed to both persecute motorists – and local shopkeepers – Martin Herdman, a St Margaret’s trader, took to warning local customers when a hoard of parking wardens were about to descend. Even the national press picked up the story – on 1 August 2007 – here:
http://www.dailymail
.co.uk/news/article-
472317/The-shopkeepe
r-sounds-WWII-air-ra
id-siren-traffic-war
den-spotted.html
lucullus
says...
9:23am Sat 19 Nov 11
Richmond borough is blighted with congestion - which is probably why the council's consultation picked it out as such a major issue. And persuading people to park more and park longer hardly seems a recipe for dealing with this.
You only need to look across the channel - or even to cities like Oxford and Cambridge - to see how councils can still help their people get around safely and quickly without the pollution and congestion that blights our borough.
TrevorC
says...
2:02pm Sat 19 Nov 11
It needs a different approach to reducing congestion and pollution. Few will support those that support CCTV cars. Lucullus should at least concede that point.
TrevorC
says...
2:03pm Sat 19 Nov 11
It needs a different approach to reducing congestion and pollution. Few will support those that support CCTV cars. Lucullus should at least concede that point.
TrevorC
says...
2:03pm Sat 19 Nov 11
It needs a different approach to reducing congestion and pollution. Few will support those that support CCTV cars. Lucullus should at least concede that point.
V 4 Vengance
says...
6:10pm Sat 19 Nov 11
You have set a high standard for other Councils to try and come up to. You are giving local businesses a much needed boost in these cash strapped times. And perhaps Lucullus would like to ponder on this, a vehicle stopped for unloading for 10 minutes produces no more pollution than a vehicle stopped for 5 minutes. Also a vehicle driving around looking for somewhere to park will produce considerably more pollution than a vehicle that is parked. The private motor car is here to stay whether it is powered by Petrol,Diesel,Electr
ic,Hydrogen or in the case of some car haters Hot Air.
Just learn to live with it.
alex twickenham
says...
6:43pm Sat 19 Nov 11
TrevorC is spot on - it's such a welcome change to see the party running our council listening to us and doing exactly what they said they would do in their manifesto. Given Lucullus and other LibDem activist's posts, I don't think they yet understand why they lost the last election - more fool them for sticking with tired old ideology. On present form they will probably lose the next one.
Alex
PS: Sensitive readers should look away now: Lucullus, under his real name, on these pages, once described my words as "dog excrement on the pavement" and rather surlily refused to apologise when proved wrong, so I'm pleased that my grandchildren don't attend the school where he is a governor - I far prefer them to develop a more liberal approach to life and know when to say sorry. Something he might like to think about?
modestproposal
says...
4:31pm Tue 22 Nov 11
Can I add that, at a time when Richmond is cutting funds to services to balance the books it is truly heart-warming to hear that at least one recipient of this unexpected bonus is planning to donate their refunded penalty fee to charity. Here come the tears- not just any charity, but a ‘dog charity’. That’s one in the eye for all those moaning minnies who claim to be struggling to meet the needs of the deprived and vulnerable residents in our generally prosperous Borough.
Poop poop
Montrose
says...
8:10pm Tue 22 Nov 11
Despite modestproposal’s sarcastic suggestion, I cannot see how returning money to motorists could then lead to turning the borough into some sort of Lefty dystopia where motorists do what they like. But it never ceases to amaze me how Lefties, and logic are often strangers.
As for modestproposal’s suggestion that the majority of motorists are “petrolheads” or awash with money – they aren’t – and that’s in spite of strenuous efforts by Lefties to paint them as such. And some Lefties are out-of-date – since the MOT became so stringent – there are no more “clapped out” cars on the road.
bandit63
says...
9:15am Fri 25 Nov 11
Gareth Roberts
says...
1:07pm Fri 25 Nov 11
Montrose
says...
8:21pm Fri 25 Nov 11
Considering Lib Dem Councillor “for the second safest ward in the borough” Roberts has always got plenty to say for himself, I am surprised he is resorting to putting words into my mouth. I shall not rise to his bait. And Cllr Roberts you never answered my question about Munira Wilson on another post.
PhillipTaylor says...
2:35pm Fri 18 Nov 11
It's time that the Council stopped persecuting the motorist.
I think Councillor True has got the balance just right with this announcement after the problems we had with the anti-car Liberal Democrats here in the past.
Phillip Taylor