Illegally parked CCTV cars

[Toobbloke]

Apologies if this has been done to death - I've looked and can't find it.

 

This is an entirely hypothetical question. I have no tickets or fines outstanding, and no axe to grind.

 

Increasingly, I see the CCTV smart cars (several London boroughs) undertaking their tasks whilst themselves positioned in an illegal parking location.

 

Question 1: Is this allowable in some way?

 

Question 2: If not, what action can be taken?

 

Question 3: If the vehicle is parked illegally, would that somehow have implications for the evidence they collect against others? Although I realise that the contravention would still be committed, it seems a little unreasonable to enforce if the only way to collect evidence of it is to contravene it themselves.

 

Just curious.

 

TB

[crem]

 

Question 1: Is this allowable in some way?

Unfortunately , Yes. I think you will find it is written into legislation that they may park "illegally" to carry out their enforcement duties

Question 2: If not, what action can be taken?

None, because it is legal under item 1.

Question 3: If the vehicle is parked illegally, would that somehow have implications for the evidence they collect against others? Although I realise that the contravention would still be committed, it seems a little unreasonable to enforce if the only way to collect evidence of it is to contravene it themselves.

They can enforce with this evidence because of item 1 again, sorry.

 

..

[patdavies]

Sorry Crem, but I think you are mistaken and possibly misled by the sometimes deliberate blurring of the issue by Councils and other quasi-authoritative bodies.

 

Vehicles used for emergency service duties are exempt from the strictures of TROs; council parking enforcement vehicles do not fall into this exemption.

 

They can either be exempted specifically in the Council's TROs or, since they are the enforcement agency with discretion as to enforcement, they are simply not enforcing against themselves.

 

The TMA says that a CEO may issue a PCN; not that he is obliged to do so.

 

The best way of dealing with these is to take pictures and get them published in the local press and shame them into parking correctly.