North Essex Parking Partnership to trial cars mounted with cameras to stop illegal parking outside schools
4:11pm Friday 12th October 2012 in Where I Live By Katie Bamber
PLANS to introduce a hi-tech spy car to crack down on illegal parking outside schools have been met with mixed reaction.
The North Essex Parking Partnership (NEPP) has agreed to trial one of the camera-mounted cars, which will monitor double yellow and zig-zag lines at problem schools across the region for a year.
Pictures will be beamed back to the partnership's headquarters in Colchester and fines issued to offending motorists.
The partnership believes the car, which will hit roads next year, will deter illegal parkers.
Derwent Jaconelli, 49, of Manor Road, Chigwell, regularly drops his daughter Mia, nine, at Chigwell Primary School.
He also owns a courier business and has previously been fined for stopping on yellow lines to drop off deliveries in London.
"My view is quite simple. I think traffic wardens and police are there to control traffic and give you the opportunity to move along," he said.
"I think the spy cameras and the spy cars are a money-making enterprise. Highway robbery is what it is.
"From a primary school parent point of view, some parents have more than one child so they are going around maybe two or three schools."
Debra Coates-Reynolds, of Ongar Mums, walks to Chipping Ongar Primary School with her five-year-old daughter.
"Particularly in Ongar, it's probably a problem in every school," said the 42-year-old.
"From a safety point of view I think it's not a bad idea. On the other hand it could well be an easy platform for making money.
"I think it will probably be a deterrent but it will get people's goat up."
Sophia Pardalis, headteacher of Limes Farm Junior School, Chigwell, welcomed the plan.
She said: "We have a caretaker at the school who stops people coming along and parking on the zig-zag lines but unless that's happening cars do sneak in.
"I welcome having more support in passing on the message that we need to remember safety at all costs."
Partnership chairman Susan Barker said: "We are trying to keep the area safe and free of cars so everybody can get where they are going.
"We are not operating the system yet, so to gauge what it might make or what it might cost us is not yet possible."
She added a percentage from each ticket would go to the external company operating and supplying the car.
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Comments(7)
myopinioncounts
says...
5:20pm Fri 12 Oct 12
Cornbeefur
says...
10:11pm Fri 12 Oct 12
ChazFinch
says...
10:28pm Fri 12 Oct 12
postie1
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5:48am Sat 13 Oct 12
Tom Thumb wrote:Totally agree Tom. Although I have to add that there will always be an element of profiteering out of any parking enforcement scheme. I for one would like to see any profit made reinvested back into the schools they are trying to protect.
It shows just how lazy and stupid some people are that they object to the enforcement of parking restrictions outside schools, which are there for the safety of children.
It's a ridiculous myth that parking enforcement exists to make a profit. It doesn't. In any case if you want to avoid a fine don't park where you shouldn't. The biggest whingers are bone idle drivers who are too lazy to find somewhere sensible to park and prefer to inconvenience other people by parking on yellow lines.
The real problem is that fines are far too low. For parking on school markings a fine of £250 would be appropriate and would soon put an end to it.
Cornbeefur
says...
11:09am Sat 13 Oct 12
red37red
says...
12:24pm Sat 13 Oct 12
double red lines will be better
Tom Thumb says...
4:29pm Fri 12 Oct 12
It's a ridiculous myth that parking enforcement exists to make a profit. It doesn't. In any case if you want to avoid a fine don't park where you shouldn't. The biggest whingers are bone idle drivers who are too lazy to find somewhere sensible to park and prefer to inconvenience other people by parking on yellow lines.
The real problem is that fines are far too low. For parking on school markings a fine of £250 would be appropriate and would soon put an end to it.