we get to half park on our road, it's sort of un-official in the eyes of the council and they did send us a letter out warning us that it was in fact illegal and that we shouldn't rule out the possibility of getting a parking ticket at some stage but the Police actively encourage it and there have been no tickets issued.
Last year, just after the letter had been sent out and when the residents were all getting a bit tired of the traffic getting far too heavy and moving very quickly we all decided to park "legally" for a few days. Well, that slowed the traffic down but it causd virtual gridlock at peak times because the buses from the college couldn't get down the road past the parked cars.
The Police came around and asked us all to park on the pavements again.
We have a part time traffic warden in the town (I believe she only does two days a week) so we have very little enforcement. On the days she patrols, she is worse than useless and seems to spend most of her time just chatting with friends and the playtime police community support officers.
Cab drivers who seem to think that a rank for 4 cars means they can park 12 there never get a ticket, shop keepers who park their cars outside their businesses all day are left alone, van drivers who park in the loading bays near their shops seem to be able to do it without punishment. A disabled badge seems to be a permit to double or even triple park outside Barclays or the video shop. Parking here is chaotic but mostly it works because that's what everyone expects
Currently, just down the coast, due to a monumental administrative balls up Eastbourne (aoart from privately owned car parks) has no town centre parking restrictions or enforcement. Pay and display meters are covered over and no wardens are patrolling the streets. Far from being a free for all or parking anarchy, for the most part it is working well. People are parking sensibly and traffic is flowing freely.
Ironically, it's the shop keepers that are spoiling it by parking in the loading bays outside their premises. Don't these people understand, we all come shopping to go to their shops, not look at their cars?
Rob, to come back to your article, OK, we don't believe everything we read in the papers but how does "Issuing a ticket is a last resort because the priority of a parking attendant is to keep the traffic flowing" apply to tickets handed out in multi storey (not hospital) car parks?
Andy
