Finally, those people with a voice are waking up to the great parking fee scam.
Until the late 60′s, one could park antwhere that didn’t cause an obstruction, or endanger other road users.
Along came National Car Parks, from America, and Joni Mitchell’s “Big Yellow Taxi” suddenly held significance for us Brits. Since then, the mould has spread, with Multi-storey’s, parking meters and a new industry in yellow paint.
Government and Council’s embraced this blight as a means of raising revenue and cutting police manning.
To enable Government to distance itself from the rising public discontent, Laws allowed the privatisation of this tax collecting and the Denver Boot arrived to provide these privateers with a means of enforcing their tyranny.
As part of Government’s need to raise further revenue, they began the sale of access to DVLA information on registration numbers. This opened a great new opportunity to the parking privateers.
Firms sprang up with an office, a secretary (to do any work) and a supply of police-style stationary.
Cars entering car parks can now have a time stamped photo taken on entrance and exit. In many cases, motorists are unaware of the new conditions of use of what may have formerly been free parking, to encourage shoppers to visit the adjacent shop/s. A few weeks later, the unwary shopper would find a “fine” (sometimes “legitimate”, from a Council) on their doormat, demanding a sum equivalent to 10 years parking charges.
This is the worst of the various parking scams.
The second worst is the one about to be foisted on Londoners living near the Olympic stadium. Residential parking permits. Purportedly it’s to free up parking for visitors to the Olympics.
Scam! Scam! Scam!
After the Olympics, residential parking permits will remain and rates for this form of taxation will rise year by year.
The clamour is now on to boost Town Centre shopping by removing parking charges in Town centre’s.
I predict that such Town centre parking charges will be reduced (they can always be re-raised) and the demand made that all on-street parking be subject to residential parking charges to compensate Councils for the lost revenue.
Parking permits for other sites, such as workplaces, will follow (except Government and Council worker parking, of course). The collection of fees and fines will all be done by privateers but with the full backing of the Law.
I further predict that voracious Government spending will eventually cause the Taxman to cast his rheumy eye on cyclists. After all, someone must pay for all that green paint on our roads.
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Tags: Big Yellow Taxi, cycling lanes, Joni Mitchell, London Olympics 2012, parking fines, parking Lots, Parking meters, residential permits, yellow lines
This entry was posted on December 18, 2011 at 1:40 pm and is filed under comments, politics, prognostications. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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The great car park scam – the future
Finally, those people with a voice are waking up to the great parking fee scam.
Until the late 60′s, one could park antwhere that didn’t cause an obstruction, or endanger other road users.
Along came National Car Parks, from America, and Joni Mitchell’s “Big Yellow Taxi” suddenly held significance for us Brits. Since then, the mould has spread, with Multi-storey’s, parking meters and a new industry in yellow paint.
Government and Council’s embraced this blight as a means of raising revenue and cutting police manning.
To enable Government to distance itself from the rising public discontent, Laws allowed the privatisation of this tax collecting and the Denver Boot arrived to provide these privateers with a means of enforcing their tyranny.
As part of Government’s need to raise further revenue, they began the sale of access to DVLA information on registration numbers. This opened a great new opportunity to the parking privateers.
Firms sprang up with an office, a secretary (to do any work) and a supply of police-style stationary.
Cars entering car parks can now have a time stamped photo taken on entrance and exit. In many cases, motorists are unaware of the new conditions of use of what may have formerly been free parking, to encourage shoppers to visit the adjacent shop/s. A few weeks later, the unwary shopper would find a “fine” (sometimes “legitimate”, from a Council) on their doormat, demanding a sum equivalent to 10 years parking charges.
This is the worst of the various parking scams.
The second worst is the one about to be foisted on Londoners living near the Olympic stadium. Residential parking permits. Purportedly it’s to free up parking for visitors to the Olympics.
Scam! Scam! Scam!
After the Olympics, residential parking permits will remain and rates for this form of taxation will rise year by year.
The clamour is now on to boost Town Centre shopping by removing parking charges in Town centre’s.
I predict that such Town centre parking charges will be reduced (they can always be re-raised) and the demand made that all on-street parking be subject to residential parking charges to compensate Councils for the lost revenue.
Parking permits for other sites, such as workplaces, will follow (except Government and Council worker parking, of course). The collection of fees and fines will all be done by privateers but with the full backing of the Law.
I further predict that voracious Government spending will eventually cause the Taxman to cast his rheumy eye on cyclists. After all, someone must pay for all that green paint on our roads.
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Tags: Big Yellow Taxi, cycling lanes, Joni Mitchell, London Olympics 2012, parking fines, parking Lots, Parking meters, residential permits, yellow lines
This entry was posted on December 18, 2011 at 1:40 pm and is filed under comments, politics, prognostications. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.