Off to Lewisham to accompany a Parking Attendant on his rounds. This is happening because Bob McNaughton – the Chief Exec of NCP – when he came before the first session of my Parking Enforcement Scrutiny suddenly said, “Why don’t you come and go out with a PA?” And I said “Done.”

First we had a tour of their very cramped offices and then we had a sit-down chat with the outgoing and incoming managers. It was a riveting discussion about some of the nitty gritty sent to us in evidence by unhappy Londoners. Too much to go into here – but centred on the ‘unfair’ tickets and practises. More of that later.

Then I went around for an hour or so with Michael – who has to be one of the nicest and most professional Parking Attendants in the world (well you wouldn’t expect NCP to send me out with anyone who might not present the right image). And he was so good. However, in a very short space of time we had discovered a whole raft of ‘normal’ complaints from the public.

We look at one car with a ticket and he informs me it should never have been
issued as there is an exemption badge hanging from the mirror which signals a doctor or midwife on emergency call. Michael calls up the attendant who issued it and instructs him to remove it and do the necessary paperwork back at the office. Would this have been removed if I and my two scrutiny officers had not been present? Who knows. But if not, the doctor would have had the bother and effort of writing in and so on to get it cancelled.

Then we pass a car with two wheels just an inch on the pavement. Michael informs me that he would not issue a ticket for this as there is no obstruction being caused – and that is the criterion for issuing a ticket on wheels up. I doubt whether that is the case in all boroughs – or whether all parking attendants are so balanced. We certainly have evidence from other boroughs where wheels up – you are done – obstruction or not.

Next we find a street where one side is residents only and the other is pay and display. Both lots are confused and park in each other’s parking spaces – thereby lots of tickets could be issued. They were not on this occasion and my parking attendant friend was very helpful and advised people of their error and suggested they move or they would get a ticket.

He was a role model of perfection. This was a good example of the confusion many people experience thanks to unclear signs – and indeed the confusing design of this scheme.

We then pass an unmarked police car. On the dashboard is a book showing it is actually a police car. Michael informs me that they never touch police cars. And yet, the previous week someone had gone out with Westminster Parking Attendants and they had booked five police cars during the time he was patrolling with them.

Different rules for different boroughs!

And so on. It was an interesting morning and I thank NCP for inviting me to patrol with an attendant.

The other side of the coin was the very real danger and aggression attendants face. Michael himself had had a ‘code red’ which means a physical assault.

In fact, one other thing that happened on my travels was when Michael asked a driver to move on. The driver was displaying a disabled badge and was waiting on a double yellow line for a disabled resident to come back to the car. Michael said he was not allowed to wait even with a disabled badge. The bloke said he had just two minutes ago asked another attendant who had said it was all right. Very quickly, and despite Michael’s calm tone, the driver became aggressive, saying first a warden says one thing then you tell me another…

No one seemed ultimately to know for sure whether it was or was not actually permitted.