Stacey, 33, has a surprising, down-to-earth 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 at a ‘charging only dock’, where Stacey has parked her gray Skoda. Signage indicates “30 minutes maximum.” She smiles: “He is exempt.”
Parking where others are prohibited is an ironic perk of the job.
Stacey is what most of us call a traffic guard. And I joined her for a day to understand her work and discover her secrets to avoid fines.
Traffic wardens have a reputation as professional wreckers, endlessly patrolling the streets looking for a vehicle they can slap a nasty parking ticket on.
On patrol: Our writer Toby Walne (pictured) joined a traffic warden on the streets of Stratford for a day.
Last year, councils charged motorists a record £962 million in parking fines, and this year they are expected to surpass £1 billion.
There’s no denying the anger that can erupt when a driver finds that yellow notice stuck under the windshield wipers.
Stacey admits that she and her colleagues have been verbally abused, spit on and chased down the street by someone wielding a screwdriver as a weapon while doing work. Back at head office, letters have been received with razor blades stuck inside.
So why the hell do it? “Not the money,” Stacey says. “The idea that we charge a fee every time we impose a fine is a myth.”
He earns less than £12 an hour for an eight-hour shift, from 6am to 2pm. During this time, he could impose penalties on two dozen motorists.
She says excuses are rarely enough if you manage to talk to a principal about to issue a fine. But if you’re forced to stop somewhere with parking restrictions due to a medical emergency, you should be safe from fines, she says.
It’s a good idea to leave a note on the windshield to explain the situation, although this is no guarantee that you won’t be fined anyway. If you receive a fine, appeal, ideally with proof of the medical emergency.
Stacey also admits that people who have been caught in an embarrassing situation in the car have also avoided receiving a fine.
This includes couples in love or those sleeping on the street after being kicked out of their home. In these cases, Stacey tends to quickly move on to the next vehicle.
Instead of hiding behind bushes to pounce on unexpected motorists, Stacey covers the equivalent of 12 miles (25,000 steps) on each 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 fines, but my task is also to help motorists. It’s not fair to those who pay for their parking, or who have a disability and need a particular space to find their space stolen.’
Fines: Last year, councils charged motorists a record £962 million in parking fines, and this year they are expected to exceed £1 billion.
I ask Stacey to inform me about the latest rules adopted by traffic wardens. First of all, the term “traffic warden” was abolished a decade ago: Stacey is a parking enforcement officer.
She is employed by a private company to patrol streets and privately controlled parking lots. This is different from those employed by local councils, who are called civil law enforcement officers.
Stacey is part of a new generation of enforcers who no longer carry a notebook or a wad of yellow bills, but are armed only with a smartphone that can tell if you’ve bought a ticket.
Nowadays, many bays can only be used if you’ve signed up to pay through an app, such as JustPark, RingGo or, as in Stacey’s patch, Sippi. If you don’t have access to a smartphone or the app, it’s often a shame: just keep driving.
Stacey’s dress code is a black fleece with a yellow ID bracelet. Her gaze seems intentional as it allows her to blend in without being easily detected.
He carries a mobile phone with a camera that allows him to detect violators and fine them without having to put a ticket on the windshield.
Stacey says: “We want to avoid conflict situations which are more likely when people see you ticketing a car.”
The process lasts 30 seconds. First, you enter the car’s registration number into your smartphone, then a computer system linked to the app instantly tells you whether the vehicle owner paid for parking, logged into the app required for that parking space, and purchased a ticket. .
However, the database doesn’t tell Stacey where a bay permit is about to expire (for now!), so she wanders the streets at random entering car details to find out if a motorist has paid.
Threat: Traffic wardens have a reputation as professional wreckers, endlessly patrolling the streets in search of a vehicle they can slap a nasty parking ticket on.
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 the parking restriction signs.
From the moment Stacey took the first photo, drivers have ten minutes to escape a ticket by exiting or paying for parking.
This grace period requires Stacey to postpone issuing a ticket until the period has passed, giving the driver leeway to get a ticket or leave.
If you’re an hour late or double-parked, don’t expect such leniency. Some private operators initiate the ten-minute grace period at the time the officer first encounters a parking violation.
So instead of issuing a ticket right away, Stacey walks away before returning to catch her prey. It follows a new Code of Practice adopted by members of the International Parking Community, the British Parking Association and local councils.
A black Range-Rover Sport with a personalized license plate is parked in a disabled space without the required permit. Stacey does the initial checks.
Returning exactly ten minutes later, he fined her £100. In five days the driver will receive a letter. Flash cars like this one stand out as easy targets for enforcers.
But if you return to your car and discover that a traffic warden has issued you a ticket but has not yet filed it, plead your case politely, as it is at the operator’s discretion whether to proceed or not.
If you still receive a fine, you must include any mitigating circumstances in the appeal and include the name of the principal.
Three builders lean against a wall, watching as we look at the front of their truck: its bumper jutting out beyond the parking lot markings.
But Stacey says, “It doesn’t cause any obstruction, so it’s fine.” As long as the leading edge of the tire is on or in the well, there is no reason to issue a ticket.
“You also have to accept that the size of the space is not huge and that the vehicle is parked as best as possible.”
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