The Daily Mail definition of a Folk Hero

[Sheffield_Tiger]

...seems to be a habitual offender by his own admission picking up several fines, opportunist claimant, bringing the police out diverting time from investigating crimes with innocent victims

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1298412/Car-clampers-retreat-drivers-sit-protest.html

I wonder if that was a tree and the bloke was called swampy?

I fail to see what "clampers" have got to do with all this either?

 

[iamanidiot]

Seems his parking was a victimless crime. I got a parking ticket for having my wheel inches onto a double yellow on a residential street, the guy did what he had to do to stop his car being towed by jobsworths so I have sypmathy with his case. Also, I have had a couple of parking tickets and I wouldn't consider myself a 'habitual offender' - I left my car where I shouldn't for ten minutes and paid my penalties.

 

[joebingo]

Getting your car impounded is nothing short of extortion, especially for having only part of your vehicle parked illegally.

Anyway, look at his calves in the second photo - definitely a cyclist!

 

[TheDoctor]

"I only murdered part of him!!!!"
Would that fly as a defence? I suspect not.

It's like speeding. Parking illegally is a tax on stupidity, so I have no sympathy whatsoever. Bloke's an imbecile.

 

[Sheffield_Tiger]

If so many people didn't think that hazard lights were a licence to dump their car anywhere they liked and "bods to anyone else especially that old git on the mobility scooter who can't get past me as I'm only blocking half the pavement, a fit person can get past, smelly old fool should be in a care home anyway not out blocking up MY streets" then towing away of illegally parked vehicles would never have been though of as a solution to a problem that wouldn't exist.

 

[magnatom]

LOL!

The guy is considering claiming about grazing his leg! Mmm. He did it by jumping into the car as it was being lifted. His fault.

I too have no sympathy for him.

 

[BentMikey]

Several parking tickets, and not a habitual offender? Yeah right.

 

[Davidc]

Would people park cars illegally if they were automatically crushed after being removed?

Extreme but it might help reduce the number of cars on the roads.

 

[Sheffield_Tiger]

Also, I have had a couple of parking tickets and I wouldn't consider myself a 'habitual offender' - I left my car where I shouldn't for ten minutes and paid my penalties.

That is EXACTLY why councils started to impose tow-away zones. So many people viewed parking restrictions as just a more expensive car park "sod it, everywhere else is full, my need is important so I'll just obstruct the highway and pay the fine fee for parking in a restricted area". My boss does it all the time - why wouldn't he? The parking fine is put through as a company expense.

 

[RRCC]

Tosser in an urban 4x4, I'll do what I like and others suffer the consequences. If he had a sensible car it would have fitted the space.
A great example of the warped thinking of a slice of the Mail reading poplulation and a warning of the "sod you" big society we are heading for.

 

[DrSquirrel]

We should let DM have there way for a week.

Let everyone park wherever they want, and see how much of a shoot **** it will all turn into.

Maybe ban bikes for a week in London too - that would be a fun day...

I got a parking ticket for having my wheel inches onto a double yellow on a residential street, the guy did what he had to do to stop his car being towed by jobsworths so I have sypmathy with his case.

I can partially agree with your sentiment - but I/we can easily avoid all this by not parking a few inches over a line.

Sorted.

I personally think parking wardens should get bonuses (I know they get some kind of "paid on time" ratings which tends to go towards if they get overtime or not).

The only people that have problems are the people that park illegally or "only slightly over the line, boo hoo".

That is EXACTLY why councils started to impose tow-away zones. So many people viewed parking restrictions as just a more expensive car park "sod it, everywhere else is full, my need is important so I'll just obstruct the highway and pay the fine fee for parking in a restricted area". My boss does it all the time - why wouldn't he? The parking fine is put through as a company expense.

You need it really, otherwise "richer" people will just see it as a PAYG parking ticket that lets them park wherever they want, and others that know its cheaper to cop a few fines here and there to park wherever they want too than paying "properly".

 

[BrumJim]

Of course anyone who claims that their car was "only just over the line" actually parked their car at the minimum completely on the yellow lines, but adjacent to a car that was legally parked. Especially if they write to the DM.

 

[upsidedown]

[QUOTE 1144849"]
The point is that the his car should not have been towed away if he is there. Fair play on any action the car driver takes.
[/quote]


When he came out of his flat his car was in the air. I remember seeing one of those London based fly on the wall documentaries where they said that once it was in the air it was theirs. Shame they backed down really as it sends the wrong message out.

I only posted on the comments 20 minutes ago and i've got 3 reds and no greens already!

 

[Dan B]

I personally think parking wardens should get bonuses

I've no objection to wardens getting bonuses for working harder, as long as they then lose any bonus from tickets where the owner/driver appeals and wins. Perhaps if some of them were less eager to take the piss ("you were one minute into the time of operation of the CPZ, so I ticketed you") in pursuit of their cash, then drivers would also be less likely to look for loopholes in return ("ah, but you have no video evidence that you didn't observe the car for three minutes to make sure I wasn't loading it, and the yellow line's a bit faded"). Result: we'd save a pile of public and private money and many people would be a lot happier.

 

[DrSquirrel]

Aye, that works as well - as I am aware now, usually uncontested % they get rated on which is then the basis for how much overtime they can do.

I think there was a documentary, cutting edge (I think) called "confessions of a traffic warden" which showed them hiding because they have to see a car for 5 minutes, and people often park leaving it without paying somewhere they can see, and returning only if they see the warden and say "I was buying my ticket", when 99% of the time it wasn't. It also showed the pay by phone system being abused like this too - traffic warden walks up and a row of cars have been registered the minute he walked up.

And it's not the wardens looking for cash, it's the pressure on them to get tickets out.


If people parked correctly and didn't take the piss this would never be a problem anyway.


[QUOTE 1144849"]
The point is that the his car should not have been towed away if he is there. Fair play on any action the car driver takes.
[/quote]

It didn't though, and he wasn't initially there.

He is still getting the parking fine/ticket though.