Traffic Warden
A Day in the Life of a Traffic Warden
People can sometimes be defined by their jobs – police officers, doctors, politicians – because of what they do people often make judgements about them or their lives.
Another such role is the Traffic Warden, or Civil Enforcement Officer, as they are now known. First appearing on the streets of Britain in 1960, they have become a part of our national consciousness and are often figures of either hatred or ridicule. Ever since the paper’s dubbed them ‘yellow perils’ in the 60s they have been fighting to keep a positive image for the vital role they fulfil.
We thought we’d go beyond any preconceptions and ask a South Hams enforcement officer what exactly it is they do and also how they feel about it.
Civil Enforcement Officer 4017 sits in front of me in a room in Follaton House, the base for South Hams District Council. I ask her what a typical day involves:
‘We usually work between 8am 6pm,’ she says. ‘But we can work late or early. If there is a problem in a particular place we will go there to make sure everyone is obeying the parking restrictions. We cover the whole of the South Hams, which with a team of 11 of us covering the roads and car parks is a real challenge – we cover Totnes, Kingsbridge and Salcombe, Dartmouth and Kingswear and all the way across to Ivybridge. We have to cover a lot of miles every day and have a four week rota covering seven days a week. It’s not straightforward.’
The Civil Enforcement Officers are charged with keeping our roads clear – the title was brought in after responsibility for traffic changed from the Police to the local authority in 2008. They can issue Penalty Charge Notices – or PCNs – and all of us I am sure know the sinking feeling of walking towards your car when you spot a bright yellow and black plastic wallet containing one on the windscreen. The standard charge for a parking violation is £ 50 - £25 if you pay within 14 days.
In 2009/10, the officers of South Hams District Council issued more than 11,000 tickets - and many think their purpose is income generation for the council. In actual fact the cost of running the service exceeds the income that is raised.
However the team has a job to do beyond enforcement. Whilst it is important to ensure that motorists are parked legally there is also a role to play in ensuring that our car parks are safe to use and that traffic is flowing smoothly.
The officer added: ‘If we all come back from our day not having issued a single PCN then that’s the best result – it means people are obeying the parking laws. We are here to ensure that the roads stay clear and that all the area’s car parks have working machines which people are using correctly.’
Covering more than 100 miles some days, the officers have to use their hand-held computer terminals to record each PCN and keep a detailed notebook, which will be used in case a challenge to a ticket is made.
‘Everyone makes mistakes and anyone can appeal their ticket,’ said the officer. ‘I think it’s absolutely right that people have the opportunity to do that. My background is in customer service and I like to think I have a good rapport with people, even though I’m often ticketing them. Even though I am doing a job and they have broken a rule, it doesn’t mean that we can’t respect one another. I’ve had people write into the office and complain about their ticket, but say how nice I was about it!
‘People realise that we are needed - if there was no traffic control there would be chaos on the roads and people do recognise that.
‘Every member of our team has had to deal with bad situations - I’ve been badly verbally abused a couple of times – it’s part of the job, but of course I don’t like it. We all have feelings and sometimes it can be very hurtful. I’m delighted to say we get tremendous support from our management.
‘However I tend to find that I don’t get into many situations like that, I’m a good talker and will always explain why I’m giving a ticket. If you communicate well most people will accept it and even admit they have broken the rules.’
I ask if she likes visiting Dartmouth on her rounds.
‘Dartmouth is a particularly nice place to be a Civil Enforcement Officer actually. Everyone is very nice there and seem to realise we are simply trying to help and ensure that the traffic flows properly. We are there to help and will always do our best. Sometimes people are parked blocking somewhere and we don’t have jurisdiction, but we will always call the police if this is the case.’
At the end of the day the officers return to Follaton House and download the details they have taken during the day so that they can be processed. After more than 100 miles and many difficult decisions, it must be a tough job, I comment.
‘I’m just doing my job, like anyone else,’ says Officer 4017. ‘Life’s full of rules and regulations you have to follow and we all have to obey them. There are double lines outside my house and I don’t have a parking space, so I have to obey them too! We have a pressured job, but if we can help traffic flow better then there will be no incidents of emergency vehicles being blocked in, fewer traffic jams and ultimately, it will be better to live in and visit the South Hams – surely that’s the best reason to be thankful we do our jobs!’
Interview by Phil Scoble
First Published December 2011 By The Dart