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Islington Tribune - by MARK BLUNDEN
Published: 10 August 2007

Drivers attack parking on Facebook

IRATE motorists are using the Facebook website to post angry rants about Islington’s parking attendants.
A discussion forum on the social networking site, called ‘War Against Islington Parking Warden/Attendants’, appears to condone confronting the wardens and stealing their digital cameras.
The group is the brainchild of City University student Abdul Mozid and the forum is filled with disgruntled drivers making expletive-packed rants against the employees of parking contractor NCP.
The firm has just extended its contract with Islington Council in a £5.7 million deal.
NCP said the Facebook group does not “bear any relation to reality” and dismissed it as “teenagers larking about”.
There are 48 members of the forum, which complains Islington Council is “extorting money from innocent motorists by using evil parking attendants”.
The preamble for the group reads: “Islington see the their (sic) parking charges as a revenue rather than traffic calming measures.”
Worringly, it seems to encourage direct action against traffic wardens, who are already under attack on a daily basis.
Every week, the NCP log book fills with complaints about abuse.
It ranges from racial slurs to spitting and physical attacks with fists and sometimes weapons.
One Facebook post discusses a meeting of angry motorists n from page 1
earlier this year urges drivers to “make away with the digital camera they use to take evidence of ‘illegal’ parking.”
One group member, Jordan Leary, writes in a posting about the attendants: “I don’t think i have ever had so much hatred towards anything.”
Another, David JW Smith, says about the group: “Therapy at last... i’ll just have to compose myself before committing anything too harsh...”.
Tim Cowen, director of communications at NCP, said: “We would normally take a firm line on anything which encourages assaults on parking attendants but this just appears to be some teenagers larking about.
“Their language leaves a little to be desired but the comments don’t really bear any relation to reality.”
A council spokeswoman added: “It’s very sad that some people think this is appropriate.”

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