THIS VEHICLE in Cecilia Road is one of two camera vans that slides into parking bays in Hackney to photograph motorists’ transgressions.
“The vans are sent into hotspots,” a Hackney council official tells Loving Dalston, “following resident complaints about problems caused by motorists.”
They “capture moving traffic contraventions”, acting as a deterrent to drivers and as an enforcement tool.
In Cecilia Road they film vehicles that ignore the right-turn ban. Among residents, however, the main complaint is about the noise and pollution of the vans’ engine- running for hours at a time.
The council comments that the camera equipment operates from batteries recharged by night in a council depot.
But operators have told Loving Dalston that the batteries sometimes also have to charged by running the van engine in the street. Apcoa, they said, was seeking a battery that stored more charge.
Hackney council declined to reveal how much income the vans raised for the council. That they may be connected to revenue-raising is suggested by the official’s stating: “They may also be sent to areas where the council recognises that the road network makes certain traffic offences more likely.”
Hackney council bought the vans from Ealing Borough Council and contracted their operation to Apcoa, whose parking officers patrol the borough. Apcoa, owned by Eurazeo, a French private-equity firm, also runs parking at Gatwick and Heathrow. Apcoa declined to declined to comment on its search for a longer-working battery.
David Altheer 180710
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Yes, let the borough benefit from that money. I wrote this story bcs the vans are unmarked and residents were unsure what they were and were irritated by the engine-running which, as John explains above, is potentially illegal. I was one of the campaigners years ago for the right-turn ban — it makes crossing Dalston Lane easier for children heading N to the high schools. The council has, incidentally, made a mess of the traffic flows by setting up one-way systems in streets near Cecilia Road. They funnel traffic up Cecilia Road.
well i like it – the more money raised from illegal right turns the less cuts??
No mention that the van is often parked on yellow lines or taking up a space in a residents permit parking bay! Waste of time and taxpayers money.
I once witnessed a horrible incident in which a vehicle turned right into Cecilia Road and nearly killed a guy on his push bike. Something needs fixing (probably clearer signage).
Switching off idling engines is a statutory requirement for all vehicles under the Construction and Use Regulations 1986.
An engine left on unnecessarily should be treated seriously and any reputable local authorities would issue a fixed penalty notice under Part 6 of The Road Traffic, Vehicle Emissions, and Fixed Penalty Regulations 2002.
But this is Hackney Council so … don’t hold your breath!