Well very nearly, my wife is a Community Nurse and was working this weekend. In order to collect her work, patient list etc. she has to call in at her Practice. The private carpark has a barrier and she uses her mobile to call reception in order for the barrier to be raised – except today, along comes Mr Traffic Warden. He tells her that if you are parked in your car with your engine running and using a mobile phone you will be fined £60 and get 3 points on your licence. If she switches off her engine to make the call then she will be prosecuted for being illegally parked!
Has the world gone mad????

Well if it was me I would tell the Traffic warden to piss off, he has no right to give your missus a ticket for using her phone in the car, he can however give her a ticket for being parked on double yellows, perhaps he was trying to gain an exra ‘sale’.

On the first I believe the warden is correct – not that he has the power to do anything about it. On the second I believe the warden is wrong – you are not parked when you are sitting in the car you are waiting.

Waiting = Parking IIRC
** Awaits to be shot down in flames

Why is the fact she’s a nurse got anything to do with it?

Geoff – you see no parking signs and no waiting signs separately. There are place where you cannot park that you can “wait” at.

No hard facts tho – just what I think

tyger – I sympathise, but TBH, you and your missus would be better ranting at her employers. It sounds like the traffic warden was correct, even if he was being a little jobs worthy. Surely the Practice would be better putting in some sort of system where she doesn’t have to enter the building (patient records on a computer which could be emailed to you – what a wonderful idea! 😉 ) or some sort of key code / fob she could wave at the barrier for it to open.

Warden is correct and why does she need the engine running to make a phone call.

Highway Code

Mmm – the highway code isn’t exactly clear on the definitions.
I’ve always considered them the same thing. You can definitely be done for parking/wating whilst you are still in the car with or without the engine running under No Parking regs.

I thought parking = stopped in the same place for 5mins or more.

Along the edge of the carriageway
Waiting restrictions
Waiting restrictions indicated by yellow lines apply to the carriageway, pavement and verge. You
may stop to load or unload (unless there are also loading restrictions as described below) or while
passengers board or alight. Double yellow lines mean no waiting at any time, unless there are signs
that specifically indicate seasonal restrictions. The times at which the restrictions apply for other road
markings are shown on nearby plates or on entry signs to controlled parking zones. If no days are
shown on the signs, the restrictions are in force every day including Sundays and Bank Holidays.
White bay markings and upright signs (see below) indicate where parking is allowed.

Double yellow = No Waiting at any time

Really Really Really Interesting PDF – HERE

So, did she get done, then?

Is there no other way to get the barrier raised than make a call with a mobile phone? There’s normally an intercom on the barrier or some sort of swipe card? If not then it sounds like she needs to complain to her employers to resolve if it requires her to break the law.

RudeBoy = clue: very nearly 🙂

Surely mobile phone offences relate to driving! Sat stationary with engine running isnt driving in my book.
Sounds like a right to55er

If not then it sounds like she needs to complain to her employers to resolve if it requires her to break the law.

No she doesn’t engine off and she’d been fine for the use of a mobile.

IMO the traffic warden is an idiot (not really bothered if he’s right or wrong) Making a phone call to reception in order for the barrier to be raised presumably takes just a few seconds.

There’s no logical reason why the engine should be switched off. Anymore than you would turn your engine off at red lights, or if you were waiting more than a few seconds to pull out of a side road.

I’m surprised that so few punters on here seem able to grasp that.

But then again, common-sense went out of fashion quite a while ago.

There’s no logical reason why the engine should be switched off. Anymore than you would turn your engine off at red lights, or if you were waiting more than a few seconds to pull out of a side road.

Your right common sense went out the window along time ago, like those that can’t tell the difference between using a mobile phone whilst in charge of a vehicle and waiting at lights.

My thoughts exactly Ernie.

like those that can’t tell the difference between using a mobile phone whilst in charge of a vehicle and waiting at lights.

Yeah I can tell the difference.

My point is that you don’t turn off your engine if your car is stationary for just a few seconds.

What’s your point ?

OP this wouldn’t be in Darlington would it? My missus is a district nurse and despite there being a large ca park outside the office, she is not allowed to park there to get her calls, she needs to park round the back and walk down an ally way where there have been at least 2 attacks on Women. However, there are quite a few places reserved for senior management who hardly ever use them and go ballistic if anyone does use them.IMO they should have a parking permit that covers the whole town as they are looking after sick people.

Speaking to the bosses does one of 2 things :
Nothing
Gets a reputation as a trouble maker

It is all on the piss

My point is that you don’t turn off your engine if your car is stationary for just a few seconds.

Few seconds, you ever tried calling a secuirty desk on a NHS premisis, nah thought not.

He cant dish out points so its got F all to do with him. I would have ignored him and drove into the car park or drove off. Surely the ticket has to be on the car and he has to take a photgraph of it on the car for it to be paid. Traffic Warden = ****

He gave a warning by the sounds he had no intention of handing out points.

Drac you know that Mrs tyger was more than a few seconds ? Well I didn’t have that bit of information, so fair comment. Although you should have mentioned it in your first post that she had been waiting a substantial amount of time. Do you know the traffic warden in question btw ?

as i understand it the law says if your engine is running it is an offence to use a mobile even if you are not moving, texting included.
emailing patient records would be a major headache for patient confidentiality and data protection.

i would have told the warden to p off (in a polite manner)

Ernie – she only has to call reception not a security desk, it was only seconds

Drac you know that Mrs tyger was more than a few seconds ?

I’ve sat buzzing intercoms with blue light a blaze and had to wait over 5 minutes so what chance does someone on a mobile have.

she only has to call reception not a security desk, it was only seconds

And in that time a traffic warden was able to walk up and warn her, must have been a long second.

RudeBoy = clue: very nearly

Oh yeah!

Heh! I’m just not with it, today! 😆

I dunno, I’m not an aggressive chap but I would have told the parking chap to eff off and mind his own business.

I’m an aggressive little bastard, and I wooduv danced around naked save for a balaclava, a balalaika, a baklava, Michael Ballack; the Chelsea and Germany midfielder, and pink Wellington boots. Singing ‘Din’t we have a luvverly toim, the day we went to Bangor’.

Ha! That wooduv foxed him! I’d like to see him try issue a fixed penalty notice then!

You been spending the evening with your mate from the alcohol thread RudeBoy?

LOL! No, not tonight! He’s with his kids.

After dancing, I would then scuttle, crab-like, from right to left, whilst reciting my twelve-times-table, in the style of the lovely Ruth Madoc from ‘Hi-de-hi’.

Smothered in Pataks Lime Pickle (hot), with pieces of newspaper stuck to my buttocks.

Whats it matter if she was breaking the law, any law. FFS its arsewipe jobsworths, & more importantly the people who pay heed to these ****, that are **** up this country. Should have driven over the stupid parking warden knob.

You bloody well have been geezer!

And relax…..

“Whats it matter if she was breaking the law, any law. FFS its arsewipe jobsworths, & more importantly the people who pay heed to these ****, that are **** up this country.”

Well, since he can’t give out points or fines for this anyway, since he’s a traffic warden, he wasn’t being a jobsworth- sounds like he was actually just warning her that what she was doing could get her in trouble, to me… Which might still just be him being a tool, but could equally be just a friendly warning.

Rudeboy needs 999 quick!

Is he Fred Dibinah? 😀

Wibble.

Shouldn’t there be a “not” in between “nurse” and “fined” in the title?