to think you don't resort to criminal damage (parking)?

[fanfrickintastic]

I work for the local authority. The 'town hall' e.g main office, employs around 500 people. It's a fairly residential area and we have 2 largish car parks, with approximately 120 spaces. There are also 2 pay and display car parks holding about 40 cars (but these can also be used by the public).

The car parks are permit only, which we pay for. Anyone employed by the council can get a permit, a permit doesn't guarantee a space. There are considerably more permit holders than spaces.

I have a contractual obligation to take my car to work. I go out of the office on appointments regularly (several times a day). At least 3-4 times a week I don't get a space in any of the car parks, either at the beginning of the day or when I have been out on an appointment.

So we have to park on the street. The streets closest to the town hall are resident permit only, and we can't park in them, further away (5ish minute walk) aren't so we have to park there.

Today I had to park on the street. I parked legally on a residential street, outside someone's house (the only option), partially on the pavement but with plenty of space for people, including wheelchair users, to pass and space for cars to pass in the road. My wing mirrors were in and I wasn't over a dropped curb, a driveway, disabled space or by a pedestrian gate. I wasn't on a grass verge that someone could consider 'theirs'.

I got back to my car and someone has deliberately and severely keyed my car, all down the passenger side. I'd like to say this is a one off but it isn't, we (my colleagues and I) are regularly subjected to such criminal damage. I get it's annoying not being able to park right out side your house, but we literally have no choice. Most of the houses have driveways!

AIBU to think that instead of committing criminal damage they could petition the council to make their street permit only? Or leave a note? Or just deal with it?

That's awful OP. I do agree with BigGranny that your employer needs to support you & other colleagues who are contractually obliged to use their cars throughout the day. It can't be good for productivity that you all spend time driving around looking for spaces and then hiking back to the office. It will not be popular but those who routinely have to leave the site for appointments should have allocated parking. Others can park further away, cycle or take public transport to work. You have no choice and need support. Have you spoken to HR? Are you a member of a union?

Yes, we've spoken to HR and management and the union, and they will not do anything to alleviate the problem.

Work already have a cycle to work scheme, interest free loan type things for public transport season tickets and a 'car club' (company cars you can hire by the hour). Unfortunately the unpredictable nature of my job means I can't take advantage of any of them.

There's been a lot of this recently near me, large local authority buildings, tiny car parks and near a train station so most of the local roads are permit only apart from the one i walk up.

A PCSO was telling me that it would really help them if people actually reported it, because although shes seen damaged cars its not always obvious which ones were already damaged, or what sort of time its likely to have been/how long the cars been parked there, so while she gets a few reported she can't really build up a pattern.

Is your council permit visible when you are parked by the way? might be an idea if it wasn't, I've noticed a lot of the damaged cars here have council permits in, commuters and people going to the high street seem to be getting damaged a lot less, in my very unscientific nosey cow opinion. (I walk a long way to work and back, i get bored, little mysteries entertain me)

I'd get a dash cam see if you can spot who does it.

You need to get together with your colleagues and report it to the police - every time..
It may just be that they need to get someone to knock on a few doors to make it clear that these actions won't be tolerated.
Or the dash cam idea may work.

I work in a similar in/out role and as an essential car user employer is obliged to give me use of their car parking spaces. Therefore it sits empty when I'm on a visit but I have somewhere to return to.

Colleagues who can use public transport etc make a decision whether to lay and display or park further away.

It's bonkers to me that this isn't the case for you. Those who are not essential should be the ones having to park further out.

That said, this clearly is not the case at your LA and as someone who once had their car keyed when parking for the train on a precious commute as it's shite and really frustrating. The criminal will hopefully get his/here in bad karma.

Get a dash cam and get the gits.
You have my sympathy, unfortunately even some people on here won't have sympathy for you.

Dashcam dashcam dashcam

Hopefully it'll lead to some severe problems for the scumbags if they get a conviction for criminal damage

Can employer not encourage car shares by some incentive. Put people in touch with people along the same route.

it's mad isn't it - OP our employer recently built a brand new building with NO PARKING at all - and filled it with essential car users (think social workers etc)

Yesterday I had 3 meetings off site - so had to park, leave, return, park etc

none of the meetings where walkable - one was a 4 hour round trip!

It's mad - I don't have a choice but to drive - today I had a 4 hour round trip for a 1hr meeting with a care leaver!

car sharing wouldn't work either - unless they fancied a long detor!

So this is probably a silly question... but do dash cams still work then when the engine is off? I had assumed otherwise. Happy to be corrected though...

think you should speak to your employer and tell them they will either have to provide you a parking space that is just yours or provide you with a company car and accept that it will be damaged regularly.

Yes, that will definitely work. Demanding a carpark space that doesn't exist or thousands of pounds worth of company car usually goes down a treat with cash-strapped local authorities. They'll open up the petty cash, chuck 20k and a BMW brochure at the op and say "Knock yourself out"

Have you ever actually had a job?

And where do you think a cash-strapped local authority will get the money from? The money tree or the spurious claims for

Criminal activity is not to be excused.

On the other hand if these people were preventing the council going about its business to the same extent you are lilely to be doing to those individuals living in these premises, the council would do far greater damage to them in the form of fines, clamps, tows etc to solve the problem.

So at the very least councils ought to ensure they are not crapping up other people's day by blocking them from parking where they should. It's only fair.

I'd speak to your union again. Do you have union meetings where things can be brought up in AOB or as an agenda item? Your union is there to represent you.

costal yes we do, and parking, for this reason is brought up over and over and over again. So much so that there have been separate meetings for parking issues. It's been going on years and years. They've opened another carpark but that's only open part of the year.

Of course it's unacceptable but frequently, posters advocate banging cars with buggyies or scraping them down the sides if deemed to be parked unacceptably.

I think you're on the wrong forum.

I tried to report it to the police but they weren't interested unless there was cctv, witnesses or I suspected someone specific.

Get yourself a dash cam. Someone was convicted of keying a car either last year or the year before, which was recorded and he was found guilty.

I would worry that leaving a dashcam on display in certain areas would encourage thugs to break in to nick it. I don't think most dashcams work if the engine is off.

There's been a spate of commuters cars getting keyed near us. Utterly abysmal.

I wasn't on a grass verge that someone could consider 'theirs'

NOT advocating damage at all as I would deal with it a different way, but it looks like the grass verge in front of my wall isn't mine. Except it is. And it's utterly wrecked by people parking on it

I wonder if the residents could put a sign up telling you not to park there, and have vehicles clamped for ignoring them.

That would be fantastic.

Bonus points if they copy the text of the sign from one put up by the council or just use one of their contractors

Most dash cams dont work when the engine is off.
My friend's dash cam was stolen. They smashed the window to steal it.
I take mine out when I park.

@BoysofMelody yes I have, and I have had jobs where employers do provide parking spaces for those who use their car for their jobs. Just because your experience is different doesn't entitle you to be so rude.

Donald no they couldn't, it's a public road. You can only restrict parking or clamp on private land and need a permit (which cost £1000+) to do so even on your own land.