The most detested job role

i was out on the bike on sunday doing a little 250 mile tour of north wales and noticed as we were on the A498 road up from bedgellert to capel carig in the shadow of snowdon, and im talking in the middle of nowere quite a few cars with parking tickets......madness
 
Brendan Mulachy said:
i was out on the bike on sunday doing a little 250 mile tour of north wales and noticed as we were on the A498 road up from bedgellert to capel carig in the shadow of snowdon, and im talking in the middle of nowere quite a few cars with parking tickets......madness
Click to expand...

Were they illegally parked?
 
Brendan Mulachy said:
i was out on the bike on sunday doing a little 250 mile tour of north wales and noticed as we were on the A498 road up from bedgellert to capel carig in the shadow of snowdon, and im talking in the middle of nowere quite a few cars with parking tickets......madness
Click to expand...


How?? If there's parking restrictions, they need to be adhered to. We have a Pay and Display car park ion the middle of nowhere at Loch Muick. You pays yer dues of get fined. It's well enough signed. Simple.
 
in my experience the police act with more integrity than a parking attendent.

Theres a street outside my studio that has 30 min limited parking until 6pm. What happens is you get people arriving at 5.25pm that park there and leave their cars because they figure that last 5 mins noone is going to be that much of a jobsworth to fine them. At 6pm on the dot three traffic wardons come down the street everyday and fine all the cars.
Click to expand...

In fact, you are wrong and trying to compare 2 things which are not related.

A Police officer is an independent officer appointed under the crown. Common law says he has desecration, that means he can ignore parking rules (or to be more exact, could when it was a criminal, yes thats right, criminal act!).

A Parking Attendant is a usually, but not always the employee of a private company, on contract to the council. The rules under which he is employed, and Traffic Wardens were employed under when the Police had those, is that they have no option, if they see a car breaking the rules, they have to ticket it.

Why? Simple, because in the beginning, if you lived in London, for example, and you parked on a double yellow, you usually got a ticket. If you lived in Devon, you usually didn't. Mucho public, as per usual crying and whining about how unfair life is. Result.....Everyone gets a ticket.
Same reason as they have an arbitrary line on speeding offences.

So the lesson here, is can't do the time, don't do the crime. If you get caught, stop whining and maybe some bright spark wont decide on a blanket policy.

I am not particularly keen on parking wardens, or IT, or Estate Agents, but in this case, you are blaming someone else, not those that deserve it.
 
Bernie174 said:
The rules under which he is employed, and Traffic Wardens were employed under when the Police had those, is that they have no option, if they see a car breaking the rules, they have to ticket it.
Click to expand...

Actually they don't HAVE to. Supposed to yes, but have to? NOPE.

They can decide to ignore it or not. There isn't an all seeing eye that watches them at all times and sacks them if they showed a little common sense like in the example I gave. The fact is the ones where I live seem to relish it hence why they come down at five 5.59pm in a trio to catch as many as they can that are five minutes over their time limit.

Jobsworths through and through
 
You've clearly not seen the regime they have to work under. Yes, they do HAVE to, it's a goodbye offence not too. Same as it was for Police employed traffic wardens. It may be a crud job, but it's a job, and a. pays better than the dole, and b. costs me less in tax.
In any case, no one needs to get a tickets, so it's a self imposed fine, exactly the same as traffic offences, like speeding, Failing to comply with red lights etc. We can all read, we all signed a bit of paper saying we had read and understood the highway code. End of discussion really.
The problem here isn't the reality, it's what you think it is, sorry, but the 2 things are very different.
 
CanonDjango said:
Is there anyone more detested than a parking attendent?
Click to expand...

No!

In Camden I'm quite happy to call them mutants! Occasionally even to their faces! ... because as I've said often ...

Nikon_Nick said:
Someone has to do the job, and if they enjoy their work, good for them.
Click to expand...

... It's a s*** job but no one has to do it!!

FWIW, I'm old enough to remember - certainly when I was a child being driven by my parents - that parking wardens would not only show reasonable discretion if someone needed to stop for just a couple of minutes but would even offer helpful advice where you could park nearby!

Of course, society has changed! You just have to read the posts in this thread from the same self-righteous, sanctimonious "it's the law" members of TP's community to see that!!
 
Bernie174 said:
You've clearly not seen the regime they have to work under. Yes, they do HAVE to, it's a goodbye offence not too.
Click to expand...

so how does anyone ever find out when an attendent decided not to apply a ticket exactly? Do they have a camera attached to them at all times with some kind of big brother watching?
 
Yves Geza said:
Of course, society has changed! You just have to read the posts in this thread from the same self-righteous, sanctimonious "it's the law" members of TP's community to see that!!
Click to expand...

well said!
 
Bernie174 said:
You've clearly not seen the regime they have to work under. Yes, they do HAVE to, it's a goodbye offence not too. Same as it was for Police employed traffic wardens. It may be a crud job, but it's a job, and a. pays better than the dole, and b. costs me less in tax.
In any case, no one needs to get a tickets, so it's a self imposed fine, exactly the same as traffic offences, like speeding, Failing to comply with red lights etc. We can all read, we all signed a bit of paper saying we had read and understood the highway code. End of discussion really.
The problem here isn't the reality, it's what you think it is, sorry, but the 2 things are very different.
Click to expand...

Does that mean you're alright with entrapment, Bernie? Because that's what is happening in London at least! The boroughs and their staff seek to confuse the regulations, they will hide signs or place conflicting signs directly next to each other and, often, simply lie and dissemble!

There is a funny side to it, but I doubt if you'd think it too funny if you were the person who stopped in a queue of traffic in Camden High Street and left sufficient gap to allow another car out of a sideroad ... and then found days later you were being fined for allegedly parking in the middle of the road!

Of course it was overturned. But only after the victim had fought for hours while the bureaucracy wasted your taxes and mine arguing the undefendable!

By the way, I'm surprised at your approval of traffic wardens and assorted public sector plastics. To people like me, they're another facet of the face of the state and you must know that they're a considerable part of the reason why people like me no longer want to support people like you!
 
I had to smile,
some years ago.

Imagine there is an island, some 200 yards x 10 yards. And landscaped.
With a wide road all the way around, and parking bays on said road.

The Island is surrounded in a continual loop of double yellows and no, no loading restrictions.
This was the old coach terminal, before it was pulled down and modernised.

To one end of the "island"is a concrete hard standing, with no double yellows or cross hatch or "no parking signs"
Probably large enough for 4 or 5 cars.
It was usually used by taxi's taking a break.
But again was not a designated taxi rank.

I parked there (I was working on site), nipped back to the car and a "yellow peril"
had stuck a ticket on the windscreen.
First point, I was away from the car for no more than 2 minutes.
I thought that they had to "clock you" for 5 mins. Or maybe the law had changed,
this was about 5 years or so ago.

I finished what I was doing, about half an hour or so later, and the yellow peril was still wandering about
Basically told him that I was working / loading and was actually not parked on yellow lines.
He politely told me to f'koff. (Nice!) (he was a big guy and wasn't about to "get into it" with him) You have a ticket, now pay the fine.

Second point. Well it was a firms vehicle and they covered parking fines when working anyway,
so no big deal on my part, just the arrogant arse that issued the ticket.

Third point, he was in such a rush to issue the ticket, that on closer inspection of the details,
he had written one alpha-numeric digit wrong.

As tempting as it was to go back and point this out, I decided discretion was the better part of valor.
The firm, obviously never paid, and heard nothing further :D
 
Last edited:
so how does anyone ever find out when an attendent decided not to apply a ticket exactly? Do they have a camera attached to them at all times with some kind of big brother watching?
Click to expand...

No, they have their own supervisors, and council officers checking up on them. Yes, it's big brother, but hey ho. Then of course there's the complaints they get from those who do get tickets, and see someone else not.

Jonathan

Do I agree with that? No, of course not. As for waste of tax payers money? It's pretty much self funding, the appeals service, from cash raised by boroughs. Having seen the mess though when there is no enforcement on numerous occasions, it is the lesser of 2 evils.

Face of the state? Hardly, as I said, most parking attendants are now employed by private companies, and the way the operate hasn't changed for 45 years. So it's nothing new. It's simply you have a bigger audience to bleat at.

As I said, it's in most cases very simple, the roads are marked, and the driver ought to know what the regulations say. If they don't know, it's simple to correct that, go and look on line at the Highway Code. In most cases, it's more a case of 'It's my right to do what I like, and sod anyone else'.
 
Bernie174 said:
As I said, it's in most cases very simple, the roads are marked, and the driver ought to know what the regulations say. If they don't know, it's simple to correct that, go and look on line at the Highway Code. In most cases, it's more a case of 'It's my right to do what I like, and sod anyone else'.
Click to expand...

True, but that works both ways. A enforcement officer ought to understand & enact them too. Around here (at least) they don't. Witness my 3 tickets in the last year. All overturned. Furthermore remind me what % of London tickets are overturned?
 
matty said:
it must be forum moderator.
The moderator is unpaid, gives up the time freely but has to deal with petulant children, people who cant read the rules, people that think the rules dont apply to them, people who are rude, abrasive and unfriendly to others and people who behave like a gang of feral 10 year olds when they think they have an easy victim to troll. Lucky for us we dont have any members who are like that, otherwise the mods would get smart-arse comments and replies for just doing the right thing and trying to keep the place friendly and ticking over nicely.
Click to expand...

*contemplates making a smart arse comment for ****s and giggles , remembers discretion is the better part of valour and decides not too *
 
Yves Geza said:
FWIW, I'm old enough to remember - certainly when I was a child being driven by my parents - that parking wardens would not only show reasonable discretion if someone needed to stop for just a couple of minutes but would even offer helpful advice where you could park nearby!
Click to expand...

In those days people parked with sense so wardens weren't needed. If everyone parked sensibly we wouldn't need them. If everyone parked sensibly they wouldn't be cost effective.

So why do we have traffic wardens/parking officers/people doing their job? That's right we have so many people that the rules don't apply to. The ones who say "How bad is one car?", "It was 5 minutes" etc. they keep all these people employed.

By our laziness, stupidity and arrogance and ignorance we have created thousands of jobs. You are probably old enough to remember a time before many jobs existed. Graffiti Cleaners, litter pickets on motorways and dual carriage ways, chewing gum removers and the list goes on....
 
Or to raise revenue for councils. People seem to manage just fine parking outside of controlled hours
 
Dale_tem said:
By our laziness, stupidity and arrogance and ignorance we have created thousands of jobs. You are probably old enough to remember a time before many jobs existed. Graffiti Cleaners, litter pickets on motorways and dual carriage ways, chewing gum removers and the list goes on....
Click to expand...
Fair point, well presented
(and yes I do remember, those were the days Eh? :D )
 
I wish there were more parking wardens around here, maybe there would be less morons parking in the wrong places and/or just plain badly.

It's the old don't worry if you've done nothing wrong like bernie said.
 
neil_g said:
I wish there were more parking wardens around here, maybe there would be less morons parking in the wrong places and/or just plain badly.

It's the old don't worry if you've done nothing wrong like bernie said.
Click to expand...


Unless you're in richmond, where they had to refund 18,500 tickets a couple of years ago cause they were unlawfully issued. The parking regs in many London boros are now so complicated obeying them is tricky and actually doing so is no promise you won't get a ticket.

I'm all for sensible rules, but round here, they're past sensible
 
matty said:
it must be forum moderator.
The moderator is unpaid, gives up the time freely but has to deal with petulant children, people who cant read the rules, people that think the rules dont apply to them, people who are rude, abrasive and unfriendly to others and people who behave like a gang of feral 10 year olds when they think they have an easy victim to troll. Lucky for us we dont have any members who are like that, otherwise the mods would get smart-arse comments and replies for just doing the right thing and trying to keep the place friendly and ticking over nicely.
Click to expand...
they don't have to do it Matty, just like any other job, there is always a choice.
 
fracster said:
they don't have to do it Matty, just like any other job, there is always a choice.
Click to expand...

Way to miss the point.
They choose to do it because even though it's purely voluntary.
And still half the time they're treated like sh1t.
 
boyfalldown said:
Seriously? I mean really? How do those lucky places with no parking attendents copy? & the majority of the population who never incur a debt that will involve a bailiff. Anarchy there too.
Click to expand...

If there is no one to enforce the rules what would stop people from parking anyway and causing issues, what would stop people running up huge debts if no one would chase them to pay it back???

Yeah in the wonderful world where everyone loves everyone and people self police themselves there wouldn't be any need for these types of roles but in the real world rules need enforcing. If you don't like it don't break the rules
 
pitkin2020 said:
If there is no one to enforce the rules what would stop people from parking anyway and causing issues, what would stop people running up huge debts if no one would chase them to pay it back???

Yeah in the wonderful world where everyone loves everyone and people self police themselves there wouldn't be any need for these types of roles but in the real world rules need enforcing. If you don't like it don't break the rules
Click to expand...


mmmmm - personally I pay my debts cause I have a moral obligation to do so. Most people are the same. Is the threat of bailiffs the reason you don't pay yours? Not me, or most people I'm afraid

same with parking. Most people park sensibly and within the rules as far as they're able. There isn't anarchy outside my window because parking controls finished at 6 this evening. I've never broken the rules (at least for parking.) still had 3 tickets in the last year. All overturned. Its OK to say don't break the rules, but here at least the rules are beyond the enforcement officers ability to understand. Much as I dislike using the London argument, until you've lived with the parking control here, you've no idea just how much double talk and unneeded regulation there is.
 
Last edited:
fracster said:
they don't have to do it Matty, just like any other job, there is always a choice.
Click to expand...
Indeed there is a choice, Ade :)
But we do it for free, because like 99% of the members we also love the place.
 
Cobra said:
Indeed there is a choice, Ade :)
But we do it for free, because like 99% of the members we also love the place.
Click to expand...

Exactly.
I'm sure there are plenty of other online venues for the unhappy to inhabit.
 
boyfalldown said:
mmmmm - personally I pay my debts cause I have a moral obligation to do so. Most people are the same. Is the threat of bailiffs the reason you don't pay yours? Not me, or most people I'm afraid

same with parking. Most people park sensibly and within the rules as far as they're able. There isn't anarchy outside my window because parking controls finished at 6 this evening. I've never broken the rules (at least for parking.) still had 3 tickets in the last year. All overturned. Its OK to say don't break the rules, but here at least the rules are beyond the enforcement officers ability to understand. Much as I dislike using the London argument, until you've lived with the parking control here, you've no idea just how much double talk and unneeded regulation there is.
Click to expand...

Lol I don't have debts so no moral or forced obligation to pay something I don't owe. Te point is some not all like you seem to think as we are only ever talking about a minority will take the p*** if they think thy coil get away with which has a knock on effect for those highly moral people like yourself.

Doubt there would be anarchy parking after 6pm why would there be as most people would have finished work for the day and gone home, not rocket science.

Yes most do follow the rules never stated it was a majority issue, it's always a minority that screw things for the majority.

However these people are doing the job thy are paid to do and someone has to do it. Must tell me doctor he's a jobsworth for ordering those extra tests an holding me up the other day, oh no wait you can only call someone a jobs worth if the effect is a negative one
 
pitkin2020 said:
Lol I don't have debts so no moral or forced obligation to pay something I don't owe. Te point is some not all like you seem to think as we are only ever talking about a minority will take the p*** if they think thy coil get away with which has a knock on effect for those highly moral people like yourself.
Click to expand...

well done. But you did say there would be anarchy. My point is there won't

pitkin2020 said:
Doubt there would be anarchy parking after 6pm why would there be as most people would have finished work for the day and gone home, not rocket science.
Click to expand...

I very much doubt there would be before that either. Not rocket science, no, but its actually far busier round here of an evening. There is still no anarchy.

pitkin2020 said:
Yes most do follow the rules never stated it was a majority issue, it's always a minority that screw things for the majority.
Click to expand...

again, not anarchy then.

pitkin2020 said:
However these people are doing the job thy are paid to do and someone has to do it. Must tell me doctor he's a jobsworth for ordering those extra tests an holding me up the other day, oh no wait you can only call someone a jobs worth if the effect is a negative one
Click to expand...


now I'm confused. I don't see your point. Where did your GP come into this? - we were talking about parking regulations :rolleyes:. Its a bit of a silly thing to say
 
Everyone I know who has received a parking ticket has given the same excuse, i.e. "I was only there for five minutes".

1. I'm sure it was longer.
2. How does that make any difference?


Steve.
 
I am very desperate for a job, in plenty of debt but no where will employ me (they say you're more likely to get a job if you have a degree, total rubbish!!!) Even been rejected from fast food chains, however, I haven't stooped low enough to become a parking attendant I can't bring myself to do it - haha. I'd rather have debt than be a parking attendant. haha. Especially as I break every rules in legal parking as I have a motorcycle I strongly believe that so long as it's not in the way it's fine to park on the footpath! ;) - less walking after all.
 
neil_g said:
I wish there were more parking wardens around here, maybe there would be less morons parking in the wrong places and/or just plain badly.
Click to expand...

Likewise. Especially from 4pm to 4.20pm. The amount of double parking, parking on double yellows, parking on the bus stop, parking across dropped kerbs, including the kerbs dropped for wheelchair users to cross at junctions etc. etc. etc. is incredible. But it's "only for 10 minutes" while they pick their daughters up from school, obv.
 
boyfalldown said:
well done. But you did say there would be anarchy. My point is there won't



I very much doubt there would be before that either. Not rocket science, no, but its actually far busier round here of an evening. There is still no anarchy.



again, not anarchy then.




now I'm confused. I don't see your point. Where did your GP come into this? - we were talking about parking regulations :rolleyes:. Its a bit of a silly thing to say
Click to expand...

Not really people only tend to use the jobs worth term to tragic wardens and police usually because they were in the wrong but happy to blame someone else. Either way these people are doing their job probably to the best of their ability but others who also do their job to the bet of their ability I.e the doctor, the customer service rep are never called jobs worth.

Either way if your argument was correct and no one broke the rules why do these job exist?? Surely in this society that you live in where everyone parks sensibly and doesn't double park etc etc the traffic wardens in your area must be non existent??
 
pitkin2020 said:
Not really people only tend to use the jobs worth term to tragic wardens and police usually because they were in the wrong but happy to blame someone else. Either way these people are doing their job probably to the best of their ability but others who also do their job to the bet of their ability I.e the doctor, the customer service rep are never called jobs worth.

Either way if your argument was correct and no one broke the rules why do these job exist?? Surely in this society that you live in where everyone parks sensibly and doesn't double park etc etc the traffic wardens in your area must be non existent??
Click to expand...

Sadly I wish they were non existent.

But I've repeatedly said in this thread, I personally and at least 18,500 other motorists in this London boro have been a victim of council enforcement officers not following their own rules. Its wasted a considerable amount of my time and I'd debate if they were doing the job with any sort of care or consideration. Or to a reasonable standard. Incidentally I've never, and I've not seen in this thread anyone describing the police as jobs worth. I still think your points about the doctor are somewhat specious
 
Last edited:
Yves Geza said:
By the way, I'm surprised at your approval of traffic wardens and assorted public sector plastics. To people like me, they're another facet of the face of the state and you must know that they're a considerable part of the reason why people like me no longer want to support people like you!
Click to expand...
I used to be a public sector plastic. Worked hard to bring some relief to the poor sods on sink council estates who suffered years of endless anti-social behaviour from mindless yobs. Have to say its difficult to discern who's worse, asbo candidates or those who think it's ok to break laws they believe don't apply to them, it's a close call.

Steve
 
Cobra said:
Indeed there is a choice, Ade :)
But we do it for free, because like 99% of the members we also love the place.
Click to expand...
Appreciate that Chris, but if it causes so much grief and ballache, then why bother?
 
viv1969 said:
Exactly.
I'm sure there are plenty of other online venues for the unhappy to inhabit.
Click to expand...
Thanks for your latest school mistress post.
 
I could do that. Gizza job!!

NUT!!!!!:D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top