Call Sign February 2004 - Page 24 - CALL SIGN ASKS: ARE THERE TRAFFIC WARDENS WITH ENOUGH SENSE TO ACT AS POLICE…?

Unless you live on the planet Mars, you will have heard or read about new plans to give Parking Attendants wide-ranging powers which will enable them to issue fines to motorists they consider to have broken the law. But knowing the history of wardens so far as Dial-a-Cab drivers are concerned, Call Sign has to wonder whether many of them are capable of doing anything other than issuing parking tickets? In 2000, this magazine through DaC driver Roy Martin (R42) revealed that many PCNs were being written out incorrectly by wardens who were issuing tickets, but not putting them on the vehicle’s front screen. Consequently, many DaC drivers were receiving demands for double the original amount because they hadn’t paid. But the reason they had hadn’t paid was because they had never received the ticket and by the time the new demand arrived, they couldn’t remember the original offence. So, if wardens are going to incorrectly issue tickets to that degree, what chance do we have of wardens issuing correct tickets for other offences? According to the Evening Standard when they took up Call Sign’s story in 2001, wardens had to fulfil a ‘quota’ of bookings which many couldn’t achieve without cheating, We know that there are some decent wardens, but if you read the October 2003 Call Sign regarding the performance that took place at the DaC parking	CALL SIGN ASKS: ARE THERE TRAFFIC WARDENS WITH ENOUGH SENSE TO ACT AS POLICE…?
	*Example: This warden gave a DaC driver a PCN last year while he was helping a passenger with one leg into a local shop. Will he be used as a "policeman?".* lot at the rear of Brunswick House, you’d have to ask whether that particular warden could be trusted to boil a kettle let alone be responsible for reporting a motorist who breaks the rules! Officially, the new sweeping powers will be given to Parking Attendants who are employed by councils, as against Traffic Wardens who are employed by the police but with the same job descriptions! These attendants will be able to issue drivers with £100 fines for such offences as stopping inside yellow box junctions, making illegal turns where such turns are forbidden, reversing down a one-way street or, particularly pertinent to taxi drivers, making U-turns. Can you imagine Parking Attendants fighting for pole position at the junction of Oxford Street and Poland Street on the off chance that a taxi might try to do a U-turn!	If you have been reported by an Attendant, you have the option of appealing as in normal parking offences, but with local councils keeping the fines for themselves you would probably need a super-safe excuse. Claiming that you don’t remember the incident will not count! Problems will occur when so many motorists appeal that the system will grind to a halt. The Government claim that the scheme will help to keep traffic moving and will free 550 police officers to work on other matters. It will also save an estimated £20million. CCTV cameras already in place will be joined by a new generation of hi-tech secret watching devices to make sure that the evidence against you is unarguable. Transport Secretary Alistair Darling told Call Sign that among other things, Parking Attendants would be used to help keep bus lanes clear. We’re delighted to hear that but cannot help wondering whether the bus lanes we are allowed to use will be given the same degree of priority as those we are banned from using? It was also confirmed to Call Sign that anyone receiving a fine from a Traffic Attendant will not have any points put onto their licence for the offence. The question though, is how long before that changes…?

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE CHUMPS NEED AN ALLEN TOGWELL!
The London Chamber of Commerce produce an excellent magazine called London Business Matters. Well-produced with lots of info including an up-to-date listing of forthcoming Trade Delegation "Missions" to places such as Kazakhstan (15 March). Of course, if you don’t fancy taking your own sandwiches, there is always New York (1 Feb - you may be a bit late for that one, but you can always catch the one departing May 16). How about Brazil (28 June) or Madrid (20 June)! Yes, we all know about "Trade Delegation Missions! You don’t go hungry or sleep in B&B’s! But in all seriousness, London Business Matters is a very interesting read. However, one thing they don’t have is an Allen Togwell… The cover of the January 2004 issue showed a well-taken nighttime shot of an illuminated City building and there sitting outside the front entrance was a London taxi displaying guess-who’s logo? Yup, there was Dial-a-Cab in full colour on the cover of this issue of LBM!	Someone showed a copy to DaC’s Head of Marketing, Allen Togwell, and he immediately phoned the publisher to ask if they could send him a copy – similar requests are made to Call Sign all the time. Allen Togwell takes up the story… "After asking for a copy, I was asked if I was a member of the Chamber of Commerce? I replied that I wasn’t and no sooner had I said it than a pompous voice on the other end of the phone told me "…then you have a problem, matey, they are for members only!"" Allen continued: "So then I, with an equally pompous voice, explained that	it wasn’t I that had the problem, but him, because their front cover with our logo’d taxi had been published without our permission! I then explained who I was and as quick as a flash, the person on the other end of the phone line asked me if I liked the mag? Yes, I replied, it’s rather nice…" Several microseconds elapsed before his voice responded: "Terrific, would you like a copy! "Raatherrr," said I. "Great," he said, "I’ll put one in the post immediately!"" Sadly there was no request to put Call Sign on their mailing list…!