Camera car catches 47 parking illegally
A camera car to catch people parking illegally near schools in Wolverhampton has handed out almost 50 tickets since it was launched last month.
The modified Ford Fiesta has been sent all over the city to record cases of bad parking, with fines sent out to those who park on double yellow lines and zig zags outside educational establishments and in the city centre. The vehicle has been equipped with CCTV cameras and number plate recognition for the council crackdown on parents' poor parking.
The council is spending £25,585 to set up the car this year, and £20,185 for each of the following two years to rent and maintain it.
It is expected to bring in more than £42,000 a year in fines but Wolverhampton City Council has stressed making money is not the aim.
Wolverhampton City Council spokesman Tim Clark said: "To date there have been 47 penalty charge notices given out as a result of the car.
When we launched the vehicle we had quite a high profile launch and we primarily want the car to be a deterrent and we hope that its presence will stop parents from parking outside schools."
Flouting
Among the streets the car has visited so far are Woodfield Avenue in Penn where drivers regularly flout the rules to get close to the gates of both Woodfield Infants and Junior Schools.
Other areas highlighted as problem spots include Villiers Primary School in Bilston and Compton Road near to Wolverhampton Grammar School.
Three of the city's parking wardens take it in turns to drive the car around.
The car records the journey and uses GPS tracking systems in order to identify where double yellow lines, zig zags and other restrictions are.
The camera records number plates and the information is downloaded to a computer in the Civic Centre, where footage is reviewed and an officer decides whether to issue a fine.
Fines are £70 or £35 if paid within three weeks.
