Traffic warden app idea

[BadParkingRevenge]

Where I live there is so much terrible and dangerous parking. Across dropped kerbs, on double yellows (often meaning you can't see when turning into narrow streets, leading to dangerous reversing), on pavements where roads have been pedestrianised/paved over, cars half in the road not parked properly, diagonally in a space too small...

Most seems to be people who can't be bothered to walk a few steps to local shops or takeaways. There is space to park in the streets, just not right next to where people want.

I commented to a friend that the council could make a fortune sending a parking warden round. Friend joked there should be an app where we get a discount on council tax for taking pics and reporting these drivers. But seriously - I wouldn't even need an incentive beyond stopping selfish dangerous parking, and I think an app would be a good idea!

Knowing how people hate traffic wardens maybe I am a terrible person...

So, AIBU to think an app where the public can photograph and report terrible parking is a good idea?

Ps. I'm not actually doing market research as am not capable of designing such an app!

Ok but the point is do you seriously think the public will only upload clear cut well taken photos of clearly dangerous parking?

It doesn’t matter whether you’re not thinking of unclear obscure situations- what happens when they turn out to be 95% of the reports?

Maybe you could have only a certain number of set categories to report under and the photo has to demonstrate this clearly to reduce malicious or incorrect reports.

I.e. parked on pavement, parked on double yellow lines, parked within 10m of a junction, parked opposite a junction.

And how would I demonstrate it’s parked as opposed to just stopped?

I'd love this! There are double yellows on my street and I see cars parked on them regularly. I'd make a fortune!

Traffic wardens can’t just ticket the second you park on a double yellow. They have to give the driver a short grace period because a double yellow is not the same as a no loading or a clear way. The arsehole parents at our school know this and so park on double yellows at the corner and argue with the wardens if they ask them to move somewhere safer, in the knowledge that it will take them less than the 10 minute grace period to collect their kid and drive away.

yes I know. That’s why the app won’t work (and presumably, why it’s not already in place)

It's a good idea.

What would be even better is if the app activated a drone that flew onto the car roof and put a ticket on it.

Or even better the councuils could fly drones over the streets to identify whether there were enough badly parked cars to be worth sending the warden out.

So long as there is some way of detecting whether the car has its hazards on though, because if you activate the hazards apparently you are allowed to park like a twat.

I’d make a fortune from my own front garden.

Im all for it. An app with location on and a take photo not an attach photo to prove the car is doing wrong. Fine in the post.

Id be skipping down my street. Photo photo photo photo

Presumably an absence of a driver in the vehicle would suffice?

It should not be a fine. It should be points on your licence, no exceptions for alleged hardship. You have your day in court to repeat excuses.

Traffic wardens should be there to get evidence, nothing else.

A lot of what the OP describes would reduce if loss of licence not a fine was a consequence. I'd also require you re-take your theory test before you can drive again.

@BadParkingRevenge there's this https://www.kerby.games/

I agree. Part of the responsibility of driving a car and conditions of your licence is that you park (and drive) safely and considerately. Parking violations should absolutely be brought into the points regime.

A car and a licence are a privilege, not a right.

Right so now the photos have to be good and plentiful enough to demonstrate there is no one in the drivers seat 😆

and if they’re not… we just cancel this ticket that’s supposed to be generated ?

I mean all it would take is one clear photo. Most phones can manage that nowadays.

And of course it wouldn't issue a ticket if the photo isn't clear.

The same way Operation Snap doesn't issue NIPs to about 40% of drivers on dash cam.

If OP Snap can work, I don't see why this couldn't.

I was coming to say doesn't everyone have 'Operation Snap'.

You take photo(s) and upload, answer a few questions and, if they are deemed to be dangerous parking, then they get a ticket through the post.
It doesn't need a traffic warden to come out.
It already exists.

If it hasn't rolled out across the whole country, then that is the answer to the problem.

My council has a what’s app number for parking enforcement. You message it and if they’re free they send a man on a scooter round to ticket the cars. I used to do it outside DSs primary school where parents had parked dangerously. It only took a few tickets for the parents to get the message and park properly.

Operation snap in our area will only takes videos not photos.

Oh, how odd. You'd think it would be the same everywhere.
You can upload photos here.

People are awful when it comes to parking. I know someone who doesn't even care about getting a ticket. They just pay for the fine and keep doing the same thing again and again. They need their car taking away . Never known anyone as bad as this person .

I don’t think it’s impossible to do. In New York you can report illegally idling commercial vehicles and buses under the cities clean air act and get paid 25% of the 350 dollar fine. It has been suggested that they also have a version for illegal parking but not yet brought into law.

Illegal parking is just that.

My local Council has a parking hotline and they come round and ticket people usually within the hour.

They sound efficient ours you have to leave a message. They don't answer emails .They may call you back the following day.

This lunchtime I walked into my local town centre and there was a woman parked on the pavement, on a double yellow line, with her engine running, looking at her mobile phone and parked on the wrong side in the direction of travel.

How many laws do you want to break in one go I wonder (I know the last isn't in the UK but it should be in my view).

If there was a parking app I'd have sent a video of her to it. But if there were a parking app she wouldn't have done it, which is kind of the point.

When I go to a local town I park in a quiet residential close, as do a dozen or so others. The others all park half on the footpath. I came back to the car one day and every misparked car had a ticket. My windscreen was clear as I was on the road. So someone had been round in the 45 minutes I was away.