Westminster Parking Enforcement Officers

Nicholas · 23 September 2008 16:23

Parked up this morning at around 9 am, went for a cofee then came back to check on the bike as it’s on my way to the office. For the second time this week, the cover (always cover my bike) has been removed and left half on/half off at the back of the bike. FFS.

Needless to say, I’m angry. Not only because of the outright negligence of the parking officers returning the cover, but also because of the complete disregard of the genuine purpose of the cover: to protect the bike from would-be-thieves and protection from rain/bird $hit.

Also this bike bay is backed against a solid wall so the only way to access the number plates would be to clamber over bikes or try and squeeze between them. Given bikes are packed in bays like sardines just how in the hell are PEOs doing this without damaging the bikes in the bay? Needless to say, since 01/09 my bike has collected scratches along fairing, tank and rear seat area.

Emailed Westminster with complaint.

kempo · 24 September 2008 10:14

THEY HAVE LOOKED AT YOUR TAX DISC I RECKON

josef · 25 September 2008 17:56

They are illegal bastards!

BE THERE SUNDAY 28TH SEPTEMBER, HANOVER SQUARE W1 @ 10:30AM!!! We need as much support as possible, lets protest against these charges and make people hear us, tell everyone spread the word everywhere! For more information visit http://www.notobikeparkingfees.com

oldguy · 25 September 2008 23:37

Sorry to tell you Josef, but they are no longer “illegal bastards” for uncovering plates or tax discs.

But they should return the cover to it’s original situation after they have checked.

Nicholas · 26 September 2008 11:36

Have received a response from Westminster - snippets below:

When parking your motorcycle, your Vehicle registration details should be clearly seen at all times; therefore, where a cover is in place, it is the Civil Enforcement Officer’s (CEO) duty to remove enough of the cover in order to be able to obtain the registration details.

The act of removing the cover, in order to expose the registration details of the vehicle, is perfectly acceptable under circumstances where an offence under the Vehicle Excise Act 1994 (section 43), which prohibits the covering up of a registration plate, has taken or appears to have taken place. The replacing of such a cover could, under such circumstances, be viewed as abetting the alleged offence by re-obscuring the plate details.

Furthermore, the Road Vehicles (Display of Registration Marks) Regulations 2001 state that there is a duty to display the registration plate on a vehicle in such a way that the characters of the registration mark are visible.

Given the wording of the legislation quoted above and the fact that subsection (3) includes the Borough Council and its traffic enforcement employees, it is unlikely that any consequential damage, caused by the removal of the cover, would be the liability of the Council.

This is how they are leaving the cover - quoting westminster "it is the Civil Enforcement Officer’s (CEO) duty to remove enough of the cover in order to be able to obtain the registration details. "

In addition to all the bird $hit and new scratches on the bike at the back, at exactly the same time as the cover fiasco my bike now leans over at a ridiculous angle and I’ve been informed the reason the bike tilts over so much is the sidestand bracket has buckled against the engine crankcase, which the mechanics think has cracked - there is a pool of oil leaking down the sidestand.

Anyone want to bet it’s our over zealous parking officers squeezing between bikes and has fallen/leant/squeezed on to the bike? I suspect this as there’s no way of accessing the plate from behind as it’s against a brick wall - only way through is manoevering between the bikes…

Westminster admitted CEOs have received no training on removing covers - what else has been “over looked” since the new parking rules for motorcycles and cover removal powers…