Clamping

• howard mcsweeney1

  • Location: Dover
  • Registered: 12 Mar 2008
  • Posts: 62,352
  17 August 2010     20:3265961
  #1      
  the new government has unveiled legislation to ban clamping on private property.
  we all have anecdotal evidence of the nasty tricks that cowboy clampers get up to so many drivers will be raising a glass tonight.
  
  on the other side of things what will happen to small businesses that rent off street car parking spaces for their staff and clients?
  
  just in dover alone there are little plots of land with "named" slots, warnings are posted that unauthorised cars will get clamped.
  hence no illicit parking.
  
  when this bill becomes law, probably early next year people will know that they can park off road wherever they like without any punitive measures being taken.
  
  in my view the proposed law needs amending, yes get rid of private companies gaining obscene profits but give local parking attendants more powers.
• Guest 640

  • Registered: 21 Apr 2007
  • Posts: 7,819
  18 August 2010     07:1365986
  #2      
  Howard somewhere buried in all this news yesterday was the fact that private landowners can issue parking tickets if anyone parks on their land or property. So that aspect is protected. Im sure Ive got this right although its all a bit bewildering to be honest.
  
  Nobody made clear as to how this would work though in practice, so Im not sure. If Joe Bloggs gives me a parking ticket for parking on his vacant lot I would be expected to pay it, but how this would be enforced I dont know.
  
  But I welcome the move to get rid of these rampant clamper cowboys who are penalising the motorist way too much, and they often use trickery to suck people in unawares. Ending that practice is a good thing.
  email: dover7@msn.com
• howard mcsweeney1

  • Location: Dover
  • Registered: 12 Mar 2008
  • Posts: 62,352
  18 August 2010     09:1465994
  #3      
  doubt that would work paul, the motorist could always claim he wasn't there if he gets a county court summons.
  
  the landowner would have the appropriate equipment that a council warden does.
• Sid Perkins

  • Location: Dover
  18 August 2010     09:5066003
  #4      
  Firstly, a quick shot from a mobile phone will prove the motorist was there, so end of that argument.
  Secondly, private landowners will still have right to get illegally parked vehicles towed away, so another sanction still open to them.
  Thirdly, the legislation is warmly welcomed by the formal Association of Car Towers and Parking Managers, I can't remember their formal title. They see this as a big step towards regulating the industry, which, in their view, is good for everyone concerned. They may be right.
• Jimmy Long

  • Location: Dover
  18 August 2010     11:4566009
  #5      
  HANG 'EM ALL!! clampers that is.
• Guest 703

  • Registered: 30 Jul 2010
  • Posts: 2,096
  18 August 2010     14:4466013
  #6      
  The Univ of Kent where I used to work have a parking policy with a standard £15 for all sorts of offences that applies to staff, students and visitors alike, but there are unmistakable signs at the entrance to the car parks so it's hard to plead ignorance.
  
  If you don't pay up then they are registered with the DVLA as an organisation that can request the name and address of registered keepers, and they will chase you for the fine and extra costs, even through county court if it's worth their effort. http://www.kent.ac.uk/estates/transport/parking/penalties.html
  
  They will also clamp persistent offenders, but it's not a very effective deterrent as they only had two clamps which at one point were on the same two student cars for quite a few months, we did wonder if it was an organised plot to prevent the other student cars being clamped.
• howard mcsweeney1

  • Location: Dover
  • Registered: 12 Mar 2008
  • Posts: 62,352
  18 August 2010     18:5666047
  #7      
  interesting stuff ray, maybe the students were clever enough to have a whip round get two 50 quid write offs, park them in such a way as to be clamped then freely park their own cars without fear.
• Sid Perkins

  • Location: Dover
  18 August 2010     19:4266075
  #8      
  Not the sort of behaviour Essex boys would get up to though eh Howard?
• howard mcsweeney1

  • Location: Dover
  • Registered: 12 Mar 2008
  • Posts: 62,352
  18 August 2010     19:5166089
  #9      
  quite right sid, new plates, a respray bent m.o.t and bob's your uncle, allegedly.