Spy car ‘Beast’ on target to bag £100k in a year (From Echo)
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Spy car ‘Beast’ on target to bag £100k in a year
3:00pm Tuesday 9th March 2010 in
BASILDON Council’s controversial spy-car is nabbing an average of nine motorists a day and is on target to bag £100,000 within its first year.
The CCTV Smartcar, dubbed “the Beast” by the traffic wardens who drive it, is collecting about £8,100 a month in fines from local motorists.
It has issued 1,115 tickets in its first five months. That works out at about 55 a week, or nine a day, because it does not operate on Sundays.
It uses a distinctive periscope-mounted camera on its roof to take photographs of cars parked in no-stopping zones.
Drivers then receive a £70 parking ticket through the post, which is reduced to £35 if paid within 14 days. The council has revealed it earned £40,500 between its launch on September 3 and January 31.
Of that, £26,600 has been collected and £13,900 is outstanding.
Details of fines collected in February are not available, but it is likely the £50,000 state-of-the-art vehicle has already paid for itself.
If it continues at its current rate it will generate about £100,000 for the council’s parking department in its first year.
The car, which ticketed 215 drivers in its first three weeks, has been slammed by motoring groups as being little more than a council cash cow.
It is hugely unpopular with local motorists, one of whom photographed the Smartcar itself parked illegally on a yellow line last month.
Critics claim its sole purpose is to make money as drivers are not given the five-minute grace period granted by traffic wardens because the car does not stop.
Taxi driver Gary Lynch, 65, of Great Oxcroft, Laindon, was given a fine when he stopped to help an old lady into her home, said: “I am still in the process of appealing against my ticket. I’d rather go to jail than add my hard-earned cash to its ridiculous profit margin.”
Malcolm Buckley, the council’s lead member for the environment, said all money recovered by the Smartcar is paid to Essex County Council.
Comments(11)
Rochfordangler
says...
4:13pm Tue 9 Mar 10
Burnt and rendered useless.
Trainman
says...
5:23pm Tue 9 Mar 10
They'll NEVER catch me, because I won't visit the town unless by Rail.
TheWizzard
says...
5:53pm Tue 9 Mar 10
the baldman
says...
11:17pm Tue 9 Mar 10
bytheway
says...
12:06am Wed 10 Mar 10
perini
says...
2:33am Wed 10 Mar 10
EthanEdwards
says...
9:43am Wed 10 Mar 10
Trainman wrote:I gather they simply drive by hands free whilst it's operating automatically.
DO they stop to take the photo's, or do they operate it WHILE driving? Either way, they too are commiting an offence and should be fined as well. They'll NEVER catch me, because I won't visit the town unless by Rail.
Unfortunately thats legal. Immoral sure but legal.
I'm with you Trainman. I live 3 and 3/4 miles away yet I only rarely visit Bas itself. This billhooks will make me take my cash elsewhere.
highwayrobbery
says...
2:54pm Wed 10 Mar 10
richomack360
says...
4:50pm Wed 10 Mar 10
LOL security word - fear-park
Vernon Carter
says...
5:05pm Wed 10 Mar 10
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Nebs says...
4:13pm Tue 9 Mar 10