Car Park Monitoring

Retail outlets, Multi store/shopping centres, and doubtless any trade with parking that suffers from “stay time abusers”, are now the target of the latest money making scheme.

They are encouraged to pay for a monitoring company that will enforce the parking time allowance in place. An example close to home, is the Forbury Retail Park in Reading. In the good old days, I could park there and quickly walk to M&S, get what I needed and then quickly return to my car. Apart from also shopping at Staples for office supplies, I always ensured I did not abuse the allowable parking time.

Now the car park is apparently frequently nearly empty.

Parking is vital for trade, thus I am disgusted that instead of the Waitrose practice of issuing a car park ticket, allow one a couple of hours to shop in store and anywhere else in town, parking is controlled by their kiosk and not a faceless and nasty financial organisation!!

The establishment of these companies should not only be controlled by Legislation, but also by input from the retailers etc., to ensure the public are not being irresponsibly punished or are not being upset by third parties.

The use of their CCTV systems needs to be registered with the ICO, they need to be aware of their limitations if their field of view includes public areas and thus may record pictures of people who are unaware they are subject to surveillance, which is an offence

A friend of mine visited a car park she has used – and paid for – for years. A couple of weeks ago, control was handed to one of the nasties, and on her first visit when she paid, and very luckily kept the ticket, she left well before the time paid for, BUT subsequently received a parking fine of £60.

Now that disgrace has to be “appealed” by her, such is the way the nasties work! They have no interest in the public, understanding of decency, tolerance or manners and of the needs of the public.

Although we all dislike the pig-like individuals who abuse car parks, and the need to keep making space for the ever increasing population, there are ways to do things. Totally money making schemes are rife in this sad country, from cons to fraud and so on.

All being allowed by the weak government we have, incompetence and lack of interest in the daily life of people.

Mrs May, please get control – you work for the people of this country, NOT for money makers. Didn’t you say something like that at the last Election? Reg Cli on, via email