33-year-old Stacey has a surprising no-nonsense charm. Born and raised in Canning Town, East London, she patrols the streets of Stratford, just two miles north of where she grew up.
We meet in a ‘load bay only’, where Stacey has parked her gray Skoda. The signage says ‘maximum 30 minutes’. She smiles: “It’s exempt.”
Parking where others are prohibited is an ironic perk of having a job.
Stacey is what most of us call a traffic controller. And I spent a day with her to understand the work – and to unravel the secrets to avoiding fines.
Traffic wardens have a reputation as professional traffickers, endlessly patrolling the streets looking for a vehicle on which they can issue a nasty parking fine.
On patrol: our writer Toby Walne (pictured) spent a day with a traffic warden through the streets of Stratford
Last year, motorists were issued a record £962 million in parking fines by the council alone, and this year this amount is expected to exceed £1 billion.
There’s no denying that anger can erupt when a driver discovers the yellow sign is under the windshield wipers.
Stacey admits that she and her co-workers suffered verbal abuse, spitting and being chased by someone wielding a screwdriver as a weapon while doing the job. Back at the head office, letters were received containing razor blades.
So why on earth would you do it? “Not the money,” Stacey says. “The idea that we get a commission every time we issue a fine is a myth.”
She earns less than £12 an hour for an eight-hour shift, from 6am to 2pm. During this time she can issue fines to twenty motorists.
She says apologies are rarely worth it if you manage to talk to a director who is about to impose a fine. But if you have to stop somewhere with parking restrictions due to a medical emergency, she says you’re safe from fines.
It’s a good idea to leave a note on the windshield explaining the situation, but this doesn’t guarantee you won’t still get hit with a ticket. If you are fined, appeal, ideally with proof of the medical emergency.
Stacey also admits that people who have been caught driving in an embarrassing situation have also avoided getting a ticket.
This also applies to couples in love or people who sleep rough after being evicted. In these cases, Stacey tends to move quickly to the next vehicle.
Instead of hiding behind bushes to attack unexpected motorists, Stacey walks the equivalent of 25,000 steps on every patrol.
‘I love the feeling of freedom that this job brings; walking and meeting different people, being part of the community,” she says.
‘Yes, I issue tickets, but it is also my job to help motorists. It is not fair for those who do pay for their parking, or who have a disability and require a specific space, to find their parking space has been stolen.”
Fines: Last year motorists were issued a record £962 million in parking fines by councils alone, and this year this is expected to exceed £1 billion
I ask Stacey to keep me informed of the latest rules adopted by traffic controllers. Firstly, the term ‘traffic controller’ was abolished ten years ago; Stacey is a parking enforcement officer.
She is employed by a private company to patrol privately managed streets and parking garages. This is different from those employed by municipalities, who are called civil enforcement officers.
Stacey is part of a new breed of enforcers who no longer carry a notepad and a bundle of yellow tickets, but are only armed with a smartphone that can see if you have bought a ticket.
These days, many bays can only be used if you’ve signed up to pay via an app, such as JustPark, RingGo or, as on Stacey’s patch, Sippi. If you don’t have access to a smartphone or the app, it’s often just a shame: just keep driving.
Stacey’s dress code is a black fleece with a yellow ID bracelet. The look seems intentional as it allows her to blend in without being easily noticed.
She carries a cell phone with a camera that allows her to catch offenders and issue a fine without having to slap a ticket on the windshield.
Stacey says, “We want to avoid conflict situations that are more likely when people see you putting a ticket on a car.”
The process takes 30 seconds. First she enters the car’s license plate number on her smartphone, after which a computer system linked to the app immediately tells her whether the owner of the vehicle has paid for parking, has logged in to the app required for that parking space and has a ticket purchased.
However, the database doesn’t tell Stacey where a permit is about to expire (for now!), so she randomly storms the streets, randomly typing in car details to find out if a motorist has paid.
Danger: Traffic wardens have a reputation as professional day-killers, endlessly patrolling the streets looking for a vehicle on which they can issue a nasty parking fine
If not, Stacey takes a photo of the license plate, along with the front and sides of the car, to show that there is no parking permit or receipt on the dashboard. She also takes a photo of parking restriction signs.
From the moment Stacey takes that first photo, drivers have ten minutes to avoid a fine by driving away or paying for parking.
This grace period requires Stacey to wait to issue a ticket until the period has expired, giving the driver room to get a ticket or drive away.
If you’re an hour late or double-parked, don’t expect such leniency. Some private operators start the ten-minute grace period when the officer first encounters the parking violation.
So instead of immediately issuing a ticket, Stacey walks away before returning to catch her prey. It follows a new code of conduct adopted by members of the International Parking Community, the British Parking Association and by councils.
A black Range-Rover Sport with a personalized license plate is parked in a disabled parking space without the required permit. Stacey does the first checks.
Exactly ten minutes later she returns and issues a £100 fine. In five days the driver receives a letter. Speed cars like these are easy targets for law enforcement.
But if you return to your car and discover that a traffic warden has issued a ticket but has not yet presented it, plead your case politely, as it is at the discretion of the operator to decide whether to proceed or not.
If you do receive a fine, you must state any mitigating circumstances in the appeal, stating the name of the manager.
Three construction workers lean against a wall and watch as we look at the front of their van: its bumper extends beyond the parking lot markings.
But Stacey says: ‘It doesn’t cause any hindrance, so it’s fine. As long as the front of the tire is on or inside the compartment, there is no reason to issue a ticket.
‘You also have to accept that the space is not large and that the vehicle is parked as best as possible.’
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