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County-wide parking changes will see fines increase to £90 as attendants are told to dish out tickets to broken down vehicles and pregnant mothers who have flouted the rules.

The plan to decriminalise offences and put enforcement in the hands of council staff will be agreed on Thursday with the powers being rolled out across the county from October.

The changes will bring more wardens and a crackdown on misdemeanours where previously police have not been enforcing the law because of a lack of manpower.

A detailed 98-point instruction manual has been created by the newly formed parking chiefs, covering every excuse a canny motorist could think of including broken pay-and-display machines, lost keys and an extra-long visit to the doctor. The new warden’s rule book states it is reasonable to expect a driver to be with their car in the event of a flat tyre. If they are not there a fine is issued.

In the instance of a pregnant woman who has parked in the wrong place the guidelines state: “Generally pregnancy is not considered a disability and should not normally lead to the cancellation of a fine.

“If a delay is caused by the mother not allowing additional time to deal with her own condition which she is fully aware of the notice should be enforced.”

Stafford borough cabinet member for planning and regeneration Doug Davis said: “Quite rightly the police say they just haven’t got the manpower to deal with parking issues, as crime prevention is more important. Wardens will take on responsibility throughout the borough.”

He said the introduction will be dealt with sensitively and will start with a widespread education campaign to inform the public of the change.

“Wardens will not just appear banging notices on people’s cars. We won’t use Draconian methods instantly,” he added.

Fines are increasing by 50 per cent from £60 to £90 but the reduced rate for prompt payment will remain £30 and the changes will be phased in first in Staffordshire Moorlands and East Staffordshire followed by Newcastle-under-Lyme and Stafford in November.

Cannock, Tamworth and Lichfield can expect to see the changes in 2008 with South Staffordshire following suit the following year.

Council wardens currently operate only in car parks, and motorists in Staffordshire have been getting off lightly.

Former police inspector Steve Allen has left the Staffordshire force to manage the new parking department in the Stafford borough.

The changes will cost around £400,000 in Stafford alone, and will be paid for with county council cash initially but are expected to be self-funded in each area by the end of the first year.

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Speed limit sign radio interview. TV Snap Unhappy
“It has never been the rule in this country – I hope it never will be - that suspected criminal offences must automatically be the subject of prosecution” He added that there should be a prosecution: “wherever it appears that the offence or the circumstances of its commission is or are of such a character that a prosecution in respect thereof is required in the public interest”
This approach has been endorsed by Attorney General ever since 1951. CPS Code

Oh dear. We know what that means

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Prepare to be Judged

So they admit that these new measures are draconian then?

Oh, and the reason there isn't an uproar is because Satffordshire is just coming into line with the rest of the country. Most of us have suffered decriminalised parking for years.

Legalised mugging. Lovely.

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Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

I wonder when and why they will become so?

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Driving fast is for a particular time and place, I can do it I just only do it occasionally because I am a gentleman.
- James May

Just think how many parking bays could be made to make dangerous estates safer with £400,000 a year. but no it all going on parking tickets and a fat cat boss.

That £400 might as well be added to local council tax as by hook or by crook it is coming out of local pockets.

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Speed limit sign radio interview. TV Snap Unhappy
“It has never been the rule in this country – I hope it never will be - that suspected criminal offences must automatically be the subject of prosecution” He added that there should be a prosecution: “wherever it appears that the offence or the circumstances of its commission is or are of such a character that a prosecution in respect thereof is required in the public interest”
This approach has been endorsed by Attorney General ever since 1951. CPS Code

The same could be said about members of blue badge club.

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Andrew.

AS a Tamworth resident I am interested to see what happens. I have lived here for a year, and it is clear parking has not been enforced. There is a lot of illegal parking, so it does need some level of enforcement. You do seem able to park anywhere. However will it go to far the other way? We will see, no doubt I will keep you informed.

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Oct 11 Birmingham Half Marathon. I am running for the British Heart Foundation.
http://www.justgiving.com/Rob-Taylor

Why should they make parking "illegal" just to make money?
Why should "illegal" parking be enforced?
Enforced means the council make money, nothing more.

Dangerous parking should have something done about it. Allowing the council to make money from people parking somewhere where the council decided to put some lines down is wrong and doesn't help anyone. Except the council. Who also control planning permission and will be allowing building of disgusting flats without enough parking places in order to increase the parking problem.

It is a scam. They want you to believe there is a problem which can be solved by them making money but there is not.

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Andrew.

You could have a point there.
Most of the illegal parking I see is on double yellows, I have not seen anything that could be classed as dangerous, or that gets in the way of the follow of traffic. It will be interesting to see if there is an effect in the town centre, when you consider we have to retail parks with free parking (however these are less than a mile away from the town centre). It is a shame because when I first moved here I got the feeling that the town council did not seem as petty as others.

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Oct 11 Birmingham Half Marathon. I am running for the British Heart Foundation.
http://www.justgiving.com/Rob-Taylor

Trouble with double yellow lines is that blue badge club are allowed to park on them for up to 3 hours. This of course encourages more people to get their blue badge, which means more 'disabled only' restrictions because of people who don't have any disability whatsoever.

The council also park on double yellows without fear because they won't "enforce" their own vehicles.

The parking vultures have been known to park along this road too. (Their van is un-marked though). This road is usually full of the blue badge brigade.

The coastguard who is parked opposite an empty "coastguard only" bay gets ignored. This is a "restricted zone" which is like a CPZ without lines, so it is unlawful to park there.


A little bit further along from where the coastguard was we have a couple of "unlawfully" parked motorbikes. Guess who got the PCNs.

One or both of those cars also got a PCN. Note how this hasn't magically stopped the car being parked there.

Decriminalised parking enforcement at work.

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Andrew.

REE.T - just south of you certain parts of Warks have opted for legalised robbery ( decrim parking ) whilst others have had "concerns " (as the leader of NBBC said recently in a local paper) voiced and had to shelf their ideas of future income. However you may have seen in national press that the newly recruited Traffic Warden (police employee, paid for by NBBC)has broken national records in her first week - although where I fail to see . If anyone has noticed a difference in NBBC area it would be nice to see it. Suspect that this lone Warden is to try and persuade us that parking regulation is needed.

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lets bring sanity back to speed limits.
Drivers are like donkeys -they respond best to a carrot, not a stick .Road safety experts are like Asses - best kept covered up ,or sat on

I think you've been lucky. One of the classics I've found was a blue badge holder parked here. I'm obstructed by them on a daily basis.

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Smokebelching,CO2 making,child murdering planet raping,granny mugging,politically incorrect globally warming (or is it climate changing now it's getting colder?)thug.
That's what the government want you to believe of me. If they get back in I'm emigrating.

A blue badge does allow you to park on double yellows but not to cause an obstruction.

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Speed limit sign radio interview. TV Snap Unhappy
“It has never been the rule in this country – I hope it never will be - that suspected criminal offences must automatically be the subject of prosecution” He added that there should be a prosecution: “wherever it appears that the offence or the circumstances of its commission is or are of such a character that a prosecution in respect thereof is required in the public interest”
This approach has been endorsed by Attorney General ever since 1951. CPS Code

An admission that yellow line restrictions aren't there to stop obstructions.

Also, has anyone else noticed in the book "Know your traffic signs 2007" there are 24 pages on parking restriction signs?
PDF copy here.

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Andrew.

That's what I was thinking. If yellow lines were placed sensibly it wouldn't be possible to park on one without causing an obstruction.