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A question of control
Page 28
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Everyone agrees HGV parking needs to be controlled, but should that also apply to wheel dampers and the level of charges they impose? CM's operators' panel considers this highly charged issue.
Words: Pat Hagan
If any of YOU have fallen foul of wheelclampers in the past, just spare a thought for the ambulance drivers at King's College Hospital, London.
In the space of just one year, 20 ambulances were clamped for parking infringements and each were charged £50 for their release.
Bosses at the hospital insisted drivers, who belonged to a private ambulance firm that carried non-emergency patients to hospital for treatment, had been given clear instructions on where they could park and for how long.
Whatever the justification, the story helped reaffirm a belief shared by many that clamping does little to tackle the 'real' offenders or keep traffic flowing smoothly and a lot to line the pockets of those carrying it out.
The road transport sector had its own recent bizarre example in the shape of Bob Painter, a Galashiels-based HGV driver.
Painter was working for the Dutch haulier Vos Logistics when he suffered sudden stomach cramps and urgently needed the toilet. Pulling into Knutsford Services on the M6, he found the HGV parking spaces were occupied by an array of cars, caravans, motorhomes and minibuses.
A genuine emergency
In desperation, he parked at the end of the allocated spaces and dashed to the loo. In total, he was absent for no more than seven minutes, yet by the time he returned, he had been clamped by employees from CP Plus, which enforces parking regulations at Knutsford on behalf of station operator Moto.
Despite his pleas, neither company backed down. Moto says its policy is only to allow HGVs access for emergencies and re-fuelling and drivers should use the purpose-built truck stop at Lymm just five miles away.
Painter insists his was a genuine emergency, but he still had to part with the £250 release fee himself because his employers argued it was his responsibility.
Needless to say, clamping firms are never likely to top road hauliers' Christmas cards list.
But do those on CM's operators' panel think dampers serve any useful purpose and what changes would they like to see to how clamping is regulated? Read on to find out what the industry thinks...