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METER MAID TO SMILE A LITTLE!
Parking wardens told by council to ‘be more friendly’ on their beat
IT has got to rank as one of the worst jobs in the world – and life as a parking warden is about to take a turn for the worse.
An undercover team of council officials is trailing traffic wardens around Westminster to make sure they are being more friendly.
Impoliteness will not be tolerated and bad-tempered wardens will be fined for being rude to passers-by or drivers.
They are under strict instructions to offer “a friendly smile” and serve as “civic ambassadors” performing charitable acts such as helping the elderly cross the road, giving directions and even reporting the odd missing manhole cover.
Motorists caught nipping to the shops without paying to park will be given a second chance.
Director of parking at Westminster City Council, Alastair Gilchrist, said: “We will expand their role to become the new ‘eyes and ears’ of the council and they will play an increasingly important role supporting the community in the heart of the capital.
“The role of the parking attendant has transformed over the years and attendants in Westminster are an example of how the job has evolved from enforcing parking to now also supporting the community.”
He said the council was also abolishing the use of bailiffs to recover debts, except in ?cases of serious parking offenders. The bailiffs they employ will be monitored to ensure that they are polite and friendly when they arrive on people’s doorsteps to seek payment for parking offences.
Waliur Rahman, operations manager for NCP Services, the council’s parking contractor, has warned wardens that issuing tickets should be a “last resort only”.
He said: “It’s all about the quality of our customer service.”
Traffic wardens were introduced in the capital in 1960 by the Metropolitan Police. |
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