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Islington Tribune - by ROISIN GADELRAB
Published: 6 March 2009

CCTV car parked on double yellows

Spy car caught on yellow lines

THEY are the scourge of drivers everywhere – Smart cars out to catch wrongdoers with their mobile CCTV cameras.
But for all the clever technology, a spy car has been spotted parking on a double yellow line – by a motorist with a mobile phone camera.
The car was snapped in Market Road, Holloway, at 3pm on a Monday.
The driver, who does not wish to be named for fear of being plagued with a rash of parking tickets, sent pictures to the Tribune this week to highlight what he describes as the hypocrisy of a system where those supposed to enforce the law are flouting it.
But the Town Hall insists that, to monitor junctions, the cars sometimes have to park on yellow lines, as they are legally allowed.
The driver said: “I passed them at around 3pm. I came back 10 minutes later and they were still there. If I did that I would get arrested or at least get a ticket.
“It’s not the first time I’ve seen this. They are just abusing their power. They’ve been told not to do it but they still do. Every time you see a story about them in the papers there’s the same response: they’ll be sent for retraining. As far as they are concerned they are above the law.”
The motorist maintained that the spy car was parked at a dangerous spot. “A bus can just get through but there’s not much room there,” he said. “There was one guy standing there watching them for a long time. I think he was telling them off. They are sitting there with ‘Islington Council’ emblazoned across the side of their car and they are blatantly flouting the law.”
But the Town Hall was unapologetic, insisting the CCTV officers had to park at the spot to do their job.
An Islington Council spokesman said: “We took over this duty from the police, who had to park in a similar location to enforce the banned right turn. We try to avoid parking on yellow lines but this is one place where, unfortunately, it’s just not possible.
“We have a legal duty to monitor junctions like this where illegal manoeuvres can cause a real danger, and are legally exempt (as are the police) from the prohibition on parking. We’re not doing anything different from other councils across the country.”

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