Clamping to be outlawed on private land

[green_and_mean]

Having never been there I may be wrong but I don't think kerb space is such an issue in Scotland which is why clamping wasn't missed as a sanction.

In areas such as London removing any form of redress for parking on private land is doomed to failure. Why would anyone pay a fiver a day to park in a Council car park and commute when they can park free in an adjacent supermarket etc. The obvious solution would be to make parking free but no income would make the land prime to be sold off as Councils are strapped for cash. They discussed this issue on BBC this morning as regards free NHS parking and it was pointed out that if parking was free patients/visitors would not be able to park as the car park would be full of shoppers etc. The solution was to have someone on the gate which sounds like a good idea until the traffic is backed up down the street due to everyone being asked to provide proof they had a valid reason to park. Is they guy on the gate really going to ring the ward to see if Mr Jones is expecting a visit from his cousin etc etc?

[buzby]

AIUI - and bear in mind this comes from debates in the Scottish Parliament (as there is no provisional document for them to vote on to create a Law, this is expected later this year or early next. The car park is not registered, it is the 'X' designated spaces within, and ONLY those designated spaces, so it would require a non-BB holder to park there before there could be a civil wrong, which answers your next point, as it is decriminalised (like most urban parking) the only time court would be involved would be in the enforcement of the debt.

 

As for identifying the driver, leaving the obligation on the RK, it appears this ill mirror the current pracktice, where if the driver is not identified, the RK becomes liable. I'll try and find the link for you - howeverI already preovided it in an earlier thread by searching for 'Disabled Parking Scotland Bill'. As for the time it has taken, it was certainly mooted under a previous parliament, but like most things, will slip as new masters take over and priorities change. It is still cheduled to be enacted before the elections next year, but anything can conspire to delay this.

[buzby]

Having never been there I may be wrong but I don't think kerb space is such an issue in Scotland which is why clamping wasn't missed as a sanction.

 

Afraid it is - we still have a limited amount of kerb, but whilst there is slightly less density of residents, there is still more than enough to cause gridlock and the same mayhem as down south in urban areas, the only measurable difference is the 'rush hours' are usually that, or 90 minutes at most. Seldom does it reach 2 hours or more as it does in London.

[scubadiver]

As an aside to clamping vehicles left on private land, the rear of our office contains a small parcel of private land giving access to our garage by crossing the public footpath.

On arriving at work I was greeted by a van parked half on our piece of land and half on the public footpath, blocking access to our garage, the local police decided as it was on private land they could not intervene. They were not bothered about it blocking our garage or the path (for which I have received parking tickets in the past). It was there all day causing all staff to use short term pay & display parking at significant cost and was finally retrieved by its owner late in the afternoon.

The reason for it being left in front of our garage – the police had arrested the owner and placed him custody the night before and didn’t want the van parked at the kerbside.

It’s a lose lose situation with no help from the authorities.

[Guest GraceCourt]

It was there all day causing all staff to use short term pay & display parking at significant cost and was finally retrieved by its owner late in the afternoon.

The reason for it being left in front of our garage – the police had arrested the owner and placed him custody the night before and didn’t want the van parked at the kerbside.

It’s a lose lose situation with no help from the authorities.

Scubadiver, you were the victim of unthinking individuals rather than of an institutional bias. Tot up all of the parking fees paid, and write to the "Officer-in-charge, Professional Standards Department" at the Headquarters address for the force area in which your office is situated. Briefly explain the situation, and identify the source of the information you already have about why the van was there (this will speed things up). Point out that you are supportive of the work in dealing with the offender, but add that the arresting officers were responsible for the DP's (detained person's) property while he was in custody, and that their decision to put the van where it was left rather than recovering it or leaving it properly parked has cost your firm money. Request repayment of those expenses.

 

PM me if you need any further assistance.