This week it goes to Bristol City Council, who have combined prattery with a wee bit of ker farking ching.
Anyhoo, for why am I awarding the council this award?
Just ask Abus, a Bristol bus company, whose drivers have been issued with parking tickets for....can you guess children?
Yes, that's right, waiting in city centre bus stops!
Ker farking ching!
Abus owner, Alan Peters, told the BBC that the council agreed his buses could wait at quiet stops before picking up passengers.
However, Nanny's chums from Bristol City Council said that tickets were issued when buses were pulled up for more than five minutes due to "considerable demand" from operators.
Mr Peters said over the past two years, his drivers have been issued with an average of one parking ticket per month, the majority of which he has successfully appealed against.
"Ninety per cent of the tickets have been rescinded but I still have to write the appeal and sometimes go to a parking tribunal. It's all time-consuming."Bristol City Council gave a jobsworth meaningless response:
"We are aware of the situation with Abus and have advised them of the current situation with regards to enforcement action.Bristol City Council, well deserving Prats of The Week!
We are looking, as stated, to finding a working solution."
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A well deserved award.
ReplyDeleteSurely, the name "Bus Stop" gives a clue as to what can happen there. I wonder if Mr Peters has looked at invoicing the council for his time and efforts after all, if one wins a case, costs are usually paid by the losing party: why not here? It would make Bristol Council and other councils, think twice before issuing such silly penalties. Perhaps the costs could be take directly from the council's senior staff bonus pool: that may focus their minds somewhat.
Surely.. - but no!
ReplyDeleteYears ago my brother, a bus driver, was parked in a bus stop at the end of his route making up his waybill. A police car, speeding and showing blues and twos but apparently not chasing anyone (late for doughnuts, maybe) lost control and hit the front of his stationary bus. They attempted to convict my brother for being illegally parked! He hat to get his union involved in fighting it.
Incidentally, the attending police insisted in removing the identification from their wrecked car before seeing if my brother, who was trapped in the bus but unharmed, was all right.
A pity these jobsworths aren't so meticulous about car drivers parked at bus stops causing a real obstruction and inconvenience!
ReplyDeleteTonk: I quite agree with your ideas, but knowing what we do about local authorities, it wouldn't be the senior staff paying any fines or costs, far more likely that it would be funded by cutting front line services.
Anonymous: I'm glad they have their priorities right! Aren't our policemen wonderful?
I know that councils are responsible for the upkeep of the roads, but who exactly handed them the roads so that they can be used to raise taxes?
ReplyDeleteThe first thing that CUNT Livingstone did after he was elected as Mayor of London was to impose a congestion charge on the people that voted for him. It was decided that the roads of London, despite being there for many decades, were the personal property of the Council and could be used for revenue.
Councils all over the country do exactly the same thing by painting unnecessary yellow lines, planting parking meters everywhere and have residents only parking which must, of course, must be paid for.
The rules should be simple. By all means paint yellow lines on stretches of road where it is actually dangerous to park and tow away any cars where the driver has disregarded safety. But in all other places where it is safe to park, why have yellow lines, meters and restrictions at all?
Who actually decreed that the roads, which in most cases have been there long before those Councils were elected, and in all cases will be there long after they have gone, should be used that way?
Bristol City Council will certainly be responsible for court costs and I'm surprised that their finance department has not put a stop to these cases.
ReplyDeleteWould that be the same Bristol city council that has put red lines on all approaches to Bristol airport thus forcing users into the private car parks? Using legislation designed to cut London congestion as a way to earn money for Acpoa?
My own city High Street is designated 'local buses only' which hands Stagecoach a monopply on its use.