Park patrols could bike it
Published: 20 May, 2011
• LIKE Keith McDowall, I too have wondered why two people are employed by Islington Council to sit pointlessly in a camera car parked in Market Road (Two people sit in camera car all day... what a waste, May 13).
Similarly, why do the “park police” patrol Highbury Fields in a car? Two of them, driving very slowly along the footpaths. Surely these modern-day parkkeepers should be on foot or, if they have to cover several locations, use a bicycle.
Think of how many pensioners’ lunch clubs could be saved by eliminating this inefficient use of resources.
KEVIN GRAY
Liverpool Road, N7
• KEITH McDowall says Islington Council’s traffic monitoring vehicle sits in Market Road for no obvious reason. There are two very good reasons to monitor the junction of Market Road and Caledonian Road – there is a prohibited right-turn and there is also a 7.5 tonne lorry ban.
On the west side of the borough, there are several residential roads subject to lorry bans. These roads already take a large volume of traffic as a result of the Barnsbury-wide traffic management scheme.
Residents in and around these roads regularly ask the council to make these lorry bans stick. We are committed to increasing the level of monitoring and enforcement and the council’s little camera car is part of that effort.
Unfortunately, some drivers break the law, ignoring residents’ wishes and putting road safety at risk. That is why we sometimes need the car there to act as a deterrent and punish those drivers who break the rules.
Mr McDowall suggests we should have fixed CCTV cameras at locations like this. As it happens, the council is considering this at several sensitive locations, although fixed cameras are quite expensive and they also need monitoring by someone.
Camera cars are in some cases the most cost-effective way of enforcing the road rules needed to improve safety. The cost of the vehicles and staff is covered by tickets issued to irresponsible drivers.
The camera car in Market Road isn’t there all the time but does visit several times a week for a few hours at a time – so any drivers breaking the rules along there do so at their own risk.
No one likes getting a ticket. Sadly, for as long as there are drivers who endanger residents there will be a need for road safety measures.
CLLR PAUL CONVERY
Labour executive member for planning, regeneration and transport