ten minutes grace at council automobile parks – a great concept?

There’s nothing at all quite like the panic felt when rushing back to your car to attempt and beat the parking meter.

And nothing very like the anger felt when you arrive at your car a couple of minutes late only to uncover it’s already been slapped with a ticket.

All that is about to adjust though…

10 much more minutes

Drivers in England will be offered 10 minutes’ grace ahead of getting hit with a fine if they remain also lengthy in council-owned automobile parking spaces.

The government has announced the grace period will kick in later this month, along with other measures created to quit councils generating funds from parking fines.

Local authorities in England have been under fire in current years after it emerged they had been collectively producing millions of pounds in profit out of parking fines – figures from the RAC Foundation show councils in England produced a combined profit of £667million from on and off-street parking in 2103-14 alone.

The new measures contain:

• guidance for councils reminding them they are banned from “using parking to generate profit”


• a right for residents and businesses to demand – by a petition – that a council “reviews parking in their area”


• new powers for parking adjudicators so they can “hold councils to account”


• protection to cease drivers being fined following parking at out-of-order meters


• a ban on the use of CCTV “spy cars” except in no-parking places such as bus lanes and near schools.

BEEN HIT WITH A COUNCIL PARKING FINE? HERE’S HOW TO APPEAL!

Pickles’ parking strategy

Eric Pickles MP, communities secretary, announced the plans last year as part of measures created to encourage us to return to our neighborhood higher streets to do our purchasing and enhance neighborhood economies.

Mr Pickles said: “We are ending the war on drivers who basically want to go about their day-to-day enterprise. For too lengthy parking rules have created law-abiding motorists really feel like criminals, and triggered huge harm to shops and businesses.”

He added: “Slapping individuals with hefty fines is akin to criminalising shoppers and tends to make high streets or parades no-go zones for drivers. More than-zealous parking enforcement and unreasonable stealth fines by post undermine the high street.”

Safety 1st?

On the flipside, there is an argument this legislation is getting rushed by means of to curry favour with voters before the general election.

And there are fears that the choice to drop CCTV cameras from zebra crossings could compromise pedestrian safety.

Councillor David Sparks, chairman of the Local Government Association, stated: “We are concerned that government has rushed through today’s announcement and failed to totally consult councils on the detail of the regulation.”

He added: “Beyond the headlines, what is especially worrying is the detail of these proposals which could make roads much less safe for vulnerable pedestrians and inconvenience millions of motorists and commuters.”

What do YOU consider? A good notion or 1 that will be abused by motorists and affect road security? Let us know.

ten minutes grace at council automobile parks – a great concept?

10 minutes grace at council vehicle parks – a great idea?

There’s nothing at all fairly like the panic felt when rushing back to your vehicle to try and beat the parking meter.

And practically nothing very like the anger felt when you arrive at your vehicle a couple of minutes late only to uncover it’s already been slapped with a ticket.

All that is about to adjust though…

10 much more minutes

Drivers in England will be given 10 minutes’ grace just before being hit with a fine if they remain too long in council-owned automobile parking spaces.

The government has announced the grace period will kick in later this month, along with other measures designed to stop councils producing income from parking fines.

Regional authorities in England have been beneath fire in recent years right after it emerged they have been collectively creating millions of pounds in profit out of parking fines – figures from the RAC Foundation show councils in England made a combined profit of £667million from on and off-street parking in 2103-14 alone.

The new measures incorporate:

• guidance for councils reminding them they are banned from “using parking to create profit”


• a correct for residents and companies to demand – by a petition – that a council “reviews parking in their area”


• new powers for parking adjudicators so they can “hold councils to account”


• protection to stop drivers getting fined right after parking at out-of-order meters


• a ban on the use of CCTV “spy cars” except in no-parking areas such as bus lanes and close to schools.

BEEN HIT WITH A COUNCIL PARKING FINE? HERE’S HOW TO APPEAL!

Pickles’ parking plan

Eric Pickles MP, communities secretary, announced the plans final year as element of measures designed to encourage us to return to our local higher streets to do our shopping and boost neighborhood economies.

Mr Pickles mentioned: “We are ending the war on drivers who simply want to go about their every day organization. For also long parking rules have made law-abiding motorists really feel like criminals, and triggered huge harm to shops and businesses.”

He added: “Slapping folks with hefty fines is akin to criminalising shoppers and makes high streets or parades no-go zones for drivers. Over-zealous parking enforcement and unreasonable stealth fines by post undermine the high street.”

Security first?

On the flipside, there is an argument this legislation is getting rushed through to curry favour with voters prior to the basic election.

And there are fears that the decision to drop CCTV cameras from zebra crossings could compromise pedestrian security.

Councillor David Sparks, chairman of the Regional Government Association, stated: “We are concerned that government has rushed by way of today’s announcement and failed to fully seek advice from councils on the detail of the regulation.”

He added: “Beyond the headlines, what is especially worrying is the detail of these proposals which could make roads less protected for vulnerable pedestrians and inconvenience millions of motorists and commuters.”

What do YOU feel? A good thought or 1 that will be abused by motorists and affect road security? Let us know.

10 minutes grace at council vehicle parks – a great idea?

10 minutes grace at council car parks – a good idea?

There’s absolutely nothing very like the panic felt when rushing back to your vehicle to try and beat the parking meter.

And practically nothing very like the anger felt when you arrive at your vehicle a couple of minutes late only to discover it is currently been slapped with a ticket.

All that is about to modify though…

10 more minutes

Drivers in England will be provided 10 minutes’ grace before becoming hit with a fine if they keep as well long in council-owned automobile parking spaces.

The government has announced the grace period will kick in later this month, along with other measures created to quit councils generating income from parking fines.

Regional authorities in England have been beneath fire in current years after it emerged they had been collectively producing millions of pounds in profit out of parking fines – figures from the RAC Foundation show councils in England made a combined profit of £667million from on and off-street parking in 2103-14 alone.

The new measures contain:

• guidance for councils reminding them they are banned from “using parking to generate profit”


• a correct for residents and companies to demand – by a petition – that a council “reviews parking in their area”


• new powers for parking adjudicators so they can “hold councils to account”


• protection to stop drivers being fined right after parking at out-of-order meters


• a ban on the use of CCTV “spy cars” except in no-parking areas such as bus lanes and close to schools.

BEEN HIT WITH A COUNCIL PARKING FINE? HERE’S HOW TO APPEAL!

Pickles’ parking plan

Eric Pickles MP, communities secretary, announced the plans final year as portion of measures created to encourage us to return to our local high streets to do our purchasing and increase local economies.

Mr Pickles stated: “We are ending the war on drivers who merely want to go about their every day business. For also long parking rules have made law-abiding motorists feel like criminals, and caused enormous harm to shops and organizations.”

He added: “Slapping men and women with hefty fines is akin to criminalising shoppers and tends to make higher streets or parades no-go zones for drivers. More than-zealous parking enforcement and unreasonable stealth fines by post undermine the higher street.”

Safety initial?

On the flipside, there is an argument this legislation is being rushed by way of to curry favour with voters ahead of the common election.

And there are fears that the decision to drop CCTV cameras from zebra crossings could compromise pedestrian security.

Councillor David Sparks, chairman of the Neighborhood Government Association, mentioned: “We are concerned that government has rushed by means of today’s announcement and failed to fully seek the advice of councils on the detail of the regulation.”

He added: “Beyond the headlines, what is especially worrying is the detail of these proposals which could make roads significantly less secure for vulnerable pedestrians and inconvenience millions of motorists and commuters.”

What do YOU consider? A good idea or 1 that will be abused by motorists and affect road security? Let us know.

10 minutes grace at council car parks – a good idea?

Can an Electric Vehicle Genuinely Replace Central Park’s Horse-Drawn Carriages?

Comparison Tests

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Horses of Babylon: The final battle in between horse and vehicle is taking place in Central Park.

From the December 2014 issue of Vehicle and Driver

“We are as famous as the gondolas in Venice. That’s how iconic we are in this city.” So says Ian McKeever with his Irish brogue and the hyperbole that apparently affects all the horse-drawn-carriage drivers in New York City’s Central Park. “I’d say that 90 percent of the horses you see here, if they weren’t right here, they’d be dead.”

Issue is, New York’s mayor, Bill de Blasio, wants them gone. And the animal-rights activists who helped elect him final year have already created an option: a 6400-pound electric dreadnought styled to resemble brass-era motor carriages. Named the Horseless eCarriage, it’s intended to maintain all the 160-or-so existing carriage drivers—every a single a card-carrying Teamster—employed, while the 220-or-so geldings and mares presently in the tourist enterprise are retired to glistening glades exactly where they’ll uncover gentle contentment amongst self-actualized unicorns and technicolored rainbows. Or, conversely, if you believe the drivers, shipped to a rendering plant.

Cars won the war against horses far more than 100 years ago, but here’s one lingering battle. It was a all-natural for a comparison test, although it would have to be performed in the middle of site visitors in one particular of the busiest cities on earth. Except that the private Central Park Conservancy that manages the place generally despises all automobiles and doesn’t want the eCarriage in the park, considerably less a car magazine testing one. And the leaders of the pro-horse Historic Horse-Drawn Carriages of Central Park NYC wanted absolutely nothing to do with us, either. Undeterred by the challenges and unwounded by these slights, we did it anyhow.

Exploring the governance of New York City is unpleasant. But to inform this story, we need to. Gotham politics are an intramural blood sport. Practically everybody involved is a Democrat, the rhetoric is over the prime, the newspapers blast lurid headlines, celebrities stir the pot on each sides, and real estate is often lurking at the core of every concern. All New Yorkers have an opinion, though only 24 % of eligible voters turned out for the last mayoral election.

New Yorkers for Clean, Livable and Protected Streets (NYCLASS) is the animal-rights group behind the eCarriage. Founded in 2008 by Steve Nislick, a 70-ish parking-garage mogul who lives near Central Park, the group has relentlessly ­portrayed the horse-drawn-carriage owners and drivers as cruel and ­abusive to the animals. It’s also been politically savvy in backing de Blasio. According to the New York Everyday News, Nislick contributed $ 174,000 for the 2013 Democratic main, like money for attack advertisements against putative front-runner Christine Quinn that a lot of think opened the door for de Blasio’s nomi­nation. The mayor owes him and his horse-hugging cohorts.

Thinking about Nislick’s real-estate acumen, the carriage drivers read into the NYCLASS campaign not an effort to save equines, but a cynically veiled attempt to make a deal for the ridiculously valuable land beneath the stables in which their horses are housed. “I’ve by no means been interested in these properties and do not want them now,” Nislick wrote on the NYCLASS site in January, further promising to not bid on any of the 4 stables, all situated in the swiftly gentrifying west-side neighborhood of Hell’s Kitchen, need to they come up for sale.

Even though de Blasio has promised to get rid of the horse-drawn carriages, no such legislation has however produced it to the contentious 51-member city council. And the situation appears to be slipping down the mayor’s list of political priorities. NYCLASS, although, had the eCarriage prototype prepared for us to drive.

Continued…

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Can an Electric Vehicle Genuinely Replace Central Park’s Horse-Drawn Carriages?