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Friday, January 23, 2009

By Alan W Collins on Saturday 24th January 2009 01:47 / 2 comments

Medway Messenger

Smart car is just a moneyspinner

IT was great to read in your paper that Medway Council’s CCTV Smart car is more than just a money-spinner. After all, it has only made a profit of ?185,000. So far.

I suppose I should declare that I was a supporter of the Smart car when it was first introduced, and am still fully supportive of the principles behind it. However, it has been steeped in controversy, and it is understandable why.

I am resentful of the permission the car’s drivers have received to park wherever they please, whether it be on double yellow lines, pavements ot other dangerous places.

From the evidence presented it is hard to conclude that the Smart car is anything but a money-spinner. After all, if it was really introduced to combat dangerous parking which puts lives at risk, then I’m sure it wouldn’t park in the same dangerous places and pose exactly the same risk.

In the past couple of months two of my family’s cars were involved in incidents, due to either dangerous driving or dangerous parking. But where was the Smart car? Probably parked illegally somewhere.

Perhaps it might consider swinging by Twydall Green. There are always enough cars on double yellow lines to make it worth their while.

Alan Collins
Goudhurst Road

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2 Comments

Rob says:

Tuesday 27th January 2009 at 02:01

A good letter – it seems like my views are very similar to yours on this.

One thing that I don’t like about this is that it’s snooping on people. There’s a time and a place for undrecover secret police work, and parking fines aren’t really it.

If a policing (although, it’s not the police, it’s some council people thinking they are the police) policy is unpopular, no matter how good it is, it shouldn’t be allowed to take place. Having a police officer in everyone’s homes making sure they’re never breaking the law would drastically reduce crime, but it’s not likely to be popular, so we’d never do it.

And as for parking on double yellow lines, I’m not happy about this. If you crashed into the illegally parked car, surley the fault would be of the owners of that car? If so, Medway Council might be faced with a nice insurance bill and a buckled car.

I’m surprised a reporter hasn’t been out and followed the car for one day, just to see how many laws it actually breaks. I’d be interested to find out.

If the car was always parked correctly, recorded constant video footage (so they don’t book people for individual images that don’t reveal anything) and if they also weren’t made to be over zealous to meet targets (it’s all about incentives!) then many more people would agree with it.

As someone said about the cash for honours scandal “no-one’s above the law, not even the government”. Except for Medway Council and it’s CCTV car – or so it seems, and that’s why I’m against it.
Alan Collins says:

Tuesday 27th January 2009 at 17:13

Rob – I will give you a full reply later, as I am quite tied up at the moment.

However – a reporter has been following them for a day. On the invitation of Medway Council, and so the drivers were obviously going to be on their best behaviour.

Unlike today – when the driver who passed me in the White Vulture was talking on their mobile phone!!