Campaigners have given a warning after independent adjudicator, Carl Teper, criticised Westminster council's CCTV operators as “disturbing and improper”. Two appeals from taxi drivers fined £120 for stopping on double yellow lines picking up passengers, have now been upheld.
Barrie Segal, of AppealNow, complained to the Parking and Traffic Appeals Service that council staff were deliberately “missing” the moment passengers got into taxis, by panning the camera away or zooming in on the numberplate.
He claimed it was done so the video footage would appeared to prove the drivers had parked and could be penalised.
Adjudicator Carl Teper ruled on the case of Stephen Bolton, who said he stopped in Greek Street, Soho, to pick up a pre-booked fare.
Adjudicator Carl Teper ruled on the case of Stephen Bolton, who said he stopped in Greek Street, Soho, to pick up a pre-booked fare.
Mr Teper said the camera focused on the numberplate for 37 seconds, and again a few minutes later for 24 seconds: “It is apparent that ... the camera continues to focus on the registration mark and has virtually obscured the passenger pick-up.”
Daniel Brown was penalised after picking up a passenger in Dean Street. Mr Teper said: “At the precise moment the passenger boards the vehicle the camera pans away.” Both fines were cancelled.
Hundreds of Licensed Taxis have been caught in a similar way, but Westminster denied wrongdoing and described the comments by the adjudicator as “inaccurate”.
Drivers in central London face a new army of traffic wardens as councils use money raised from parking fines to plug the gap left by government cuts.
Round-the-clock patrols will be mounted on the city's busiest roads as Westminstercouncil increases its number of attendants by 50 to 220.
Westminster, which raised £41 million last year from 686,310 tickets at about £60 a time, is the first to introduce the new inspectors but the move is expected to be copied by others.
Westminster has also been slated on radio click here to listen.
No unnecessary idling
3.3.4. Vehicles idling while parked cause unnecessary use of fuel and an increase in emissions. Idling of vehicles such as taxis, buses and coaches around transport interchanges, stands, ranks and parking areas can cause short-term high pollution levels of both NO2 and PM10. Persistent idling can also create a noisy environment, especially for residents. Currently, it is an offence to leave a vehicle engine idling unnecessarily whilst parked under the Road Traffic (Vehicle Emissions) (Fixed Penalty) (England) Regulations 2002. These regulations enable local authorities in England to issue Fixed Penalty Notices to drivers who allow their vehicle engines to run unnecessarily while the vehicle is stationary – however it is problematic to define unnecessarily and the penalty charge is fixed at £20, which is too low to be a
powerful disincentive.
3.4.9. TfL will work with boroughs and encourage the Government to improve enforcement processes and increase penalty charges. The £20 penalty for idling compares unfavourably with the £120 penalty charge issued for parking offences. The Mayor urges the Government to increase the penalty charge for idling offences, so that it is in line with that for parking offences.
3.4.11. Taxi idling, especially at rail termini and taxi ranks, is a particular issue. The current design of taxi ranks makes it difficult to prevent idling as taxis are required to move forward every few minutes and the stop-starting of engines can be worse for emissions.
(This is typical of TfL, they just haven't done their home work when it comes to the Taxi Trade. This new legislation is Boris's way to appease the Greens)
The Mayor will work with transport operators and the boroughs to address this where practical, potentially by making taxi passengers walk along the rank to the taxi rather than the taxi moving up the rank.
and working with the taxi trade and transport operators to develop better management of these areas by methods such as marshalling and fixed fare sharing. Targeted action will also be taken at the priority locations identified in Policy 3.
(Boris its easy, just inform the Taxi manufacturers to put a Hybrid engine in the vehicle or it wont get plated..."End Of" as they say.
After all the engines are not manufactured for the vehicle, they are bought in by the company. They look round for the cheapest engine available, its up to you Boris to put a stop to this...its not brain surgery its dead simple.)
More evidence that the Taxi trade will eventually become harmonized into a branch of Private Hire...
So will Westminster be issuing PCN`s to its own NSL Smart cars as they keep their engines running?? WCC were recently asked about this. Their reply......" The Smart cars have a need to idle as they have equipment on board that could run down the vehicles battery"
ReplyDeleteSo again we see one rule for them...............
Well lets not be a bunch of wimps,, all get up tee fee eel and complain to the bastards !
ReplyDeleteMr Low, The cabbies 'Friend', Fiend more like, let's pay him a visit and DEMAND a meeting.
ReplyDeleteSurely the LTDA has more principles than getting involved with this man, the marshalling money cannot have bought them off could it?
As for Boris and the TfL Agenda, well its obvious.
Harmin.......
so, how does mr lowe explain, the 1,000's of scum, parked-up EVERYWHERE with, NEVER A PCN in sight?
ReplyDeletealso,
let's have a drive-in, at mr lowe's house
Although the actions of this man have cause finical strain and hardship to the trade, even with his bias towards private hire, we feel it would be morally wrong to strike fear in lives of his relatives by demonstrating at his abode.
ReplyDeleteLet us stick to the moral high ground, let's not be dragged down to his level.
TtT
Agree TtT, let's get joined with the bikers and picket the next council meeting.
ReplyDeleteIf you or I tampered with 'evidence' like this we would be in Wormwood Scrubs.
Shocking, truly shocking!
The reason that there are thousands of scum illegally parked on the streets is simple, it's in the STaN agenda.
ReplyDeletePeter Hendy, J.Mason, Steve Burton, Ken Livingston, Ed Thompson, TFL, Metropolitan Police, Westminster Council all know what's going on as they planned it, and they will have those streets cleared at any price and any cost to the public.
Will STaN the PowerPoint presentation be in the trade press," Of course it won't" J. Mason controls the trade press.
We get 15 years as long as we do not mention STaN, THE RAPES and SEXUAL ASSAULTS.
STaN was launched in October 2002, any member of the LTDA LCDC or UNITE reading this, get on the phone and ask your trade rep 'What are they doing about the PowerPoint presentation STaN, uncovered by Austin Taxis."
If you think it's bad now, wait until next year.
The STaN agenda goes on, the Police identify a public order hotspot, and J.Mason accommodates them with another new satellite office, bye bye cab trade forget your 15 years it wouldn't matter if they gave us 5 years lifespan on a cab, it's not the age limit on a cab that will kill the cab trade it's the agenda behind STaN AND THE SATELLITE MINI-CAB OFFICES.
We're already looking at this in respect of the $camera cars ($cars) who we regularly see running their engines whilst stationary. If any of you cabbies see this we would like to know about it, as we are trying to build a dossier on Wastemonster's so called "green" credentials.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely spot on comments, why are the trade groups within the UTG remaining silent about the STaN report?
ReplyDeleteThis is the biggest threat to the cab trade ever, and yet all we get from the LTDA, Unite and LCDC is silence, WHY?
This whole episode stinks to high heaven
Evidence shows that the Police and TFL are prepared to put up with hundreds of sexual assaults and scores of rapes each year just so the streets can be cleared of drunks and trouble makers
Is this really a price worth paying? I wonder whether the victims and their families think it is?
All the evidence you need is in the 'award winning' STaN slide show, everything we have suspected of TfL, WCC, the Met & COL Police is there in black and White
Stand by for Marshalled mini cab ranks all over London and the end of our trade as we know it
Go on, ask your trade reps what they are doing about it
Just for a second,Lets forget about minicabs,Lets cocentrate on what has happened.As TRAVIS B says if you or i had tampered with evidence,we would have been up in court,This must be at least peverting the course of justice,So we should demand the operators are traced and prosecuted,And if it turns out they were working on orders whoever gave those orders must be charged,After all this is conspiricy to break the law of the land.Because they are a local council it does not mean they are above the law.We have enough people on here who claim to be ex police officers,so lets here from them about the right way of going about this.It will also be a warning to other councils we will not be used as a cash cow.to cover thier high wages.Also lets make it clear we will not accept a few resignations,we want prosecutions.This could be the can of worms we have all been waiting for.
ReplyDeleteGARYS
Well even if it is not perjury as parking tickets are civil (not criminal) matters then it's a conspiracy to defraud.
ReplyDeleteFor the ex Old bill and taxi rank lawyers out there it's sections 1-5 of The Theft Act 1969.
We need one of the drivers concerned to ask their trade org. to take it up.
The trouble is for LTDA members is the cosy relationship between Lowe and the BoM of LTDA.
Dear amin,
ReplyDeleteI know this has nothing to do with this thread,But I am hoping you can direct it to the right place.
A little while ago i wrote to my MP,about the sexual assaults and terrorist threat,caused by minicab touting and unhindered parking outside venues.I have just recieved the reply,and it goes like this.
Dear MR XXXXX
Thank you for your letter i recieved on the 23rd November, I was very interested to hear your views on this matter,and you are right to highlight the dangers posed to women from minicab touting. While transport for london [TFL] Have used a hard hitting advertising campaign to make women aware of the threats posed,I agree with you that more direct action could be taken especially in areas where touting is common.
I have written to the Mananaging Director of surface transport at TFL, Mr David Brown,to raise these concerns and those about the possibility of a terrorist attack being increased because of the distraction and traffic that touts create in busy areas.
I will right again when i recieve a reply
Emily Thornberry M.P
A fairly nice reply,and it seems something she is willing to act on,my point here is.We now have HENDY,MASON,RANGER,and DAVID BROWN,A name i have never heard of before,Just how many people are in highly paid positions,paid for by the public,that cant do the job.or if they can cant be bothered
GARYS
'Unnecessary Idling' well that puts the mrashalling mob at Padders in trouble, let alone the UTG dynamos!
ReplyDeleteGary
ReplyDeleteDavid brown is presently the MD of surface transport until April 2011 when will return to take up a position as Chief Exec with Go Ahead train and bus company where.
He leaves a salary of £271,000 with TfL for a pay hike to £1.4 million, double that of the previous Chief Exec.
Brown first worked for Go Ahead from 1998-2006 where he was in charge of its Bus operations until he was offered the position at TfL.
Thanks for that and why does it not surprise me he came from a bus background,When will someone realise that the buses and us have nothing in common,And i will lay a pound to a penny,his replacement is a bus man,HENDYS MATES springs to mind,My new years wish is somebody in power will see through this and kick out the deadwood,But then again how will they justify the PALESTRA then.
ReplyDeleteGARYS
Re Westminster CCTV Operators and their 'disturbing and improper' practices, this is surely not the first time this has happened to a driver, it looks like this is an institutionalised abuse ot authority by Westminster CCTV operators - it could also amount to Misconduct in Public Office by the individual CCTV Operators . . . do a Google search on 'Misconduct in Public Office' and take a look at the CPS Website . . . don't forget to mention this in your appeal letter to the PTAS - Good Luck . . . .
ReplyDeleteThis is an opportunity that should not be missed,but i fear,It will go the same way as every other one,A few will shout,maybe a couple will write to thier MPs but on the whole everyone will leave it to someone else.and it will be forgotten like every other opportunity.And we wonder why the trade is dying,Its dying because just like a starving pet,nobody can be bothered to feed it
ReplyDelete