Unsafe and irresponsible parking could soon be a thing of the past in Bournemouth as the borough council continues in its efforts to make the town’s roads safe and congestion free, particularly outside schools and at bus stops.
Bournemouth is leading the way in tackling the problems caused by dangerous and anti-social parking. It is the first local authority in Britain to adopt this innovative way of dealing with the issue. The use of on-street Civil Enforcement Officers (CEO) is extremely costly and inefficient as motorists return as soon as the CEO has moved on, so using cameras will be far more efficient, effective and economic.
Using powers arising from the 2004 Traffic Management Act, Bournemouth Borough Council has announced its purchase of a ROADflow digital mobile traffic enforcement system from West Country-based technology firm SEA Group Ltd. The system is loaded with the geographic locations, traffic regulation orders and the times of enforcement zones on the Bournemouth road network and is housed in a dedicated vehicle. The vehicle will be used to patrol the streets and automatically capture evidence packs of probable parking offences at a number of locations. The evidence will then be transferred to a dedicated ‘Review Station’ specifically developed by Imperial Civil Enforcement Solutions (ICES) for review by a specially trained member of staff for onward processing of each case.
Ashley Bijster, Managing Director of Imperial Civil Enforcement Solutions (ICES), stated that the new software solution will enable all data and video evidence from ROADflow to be processed alongside all other Penalty Charge Notices issued by the Council’s team of Civil Enforcement Officers. This has ensured the new measures will not disrupt existing enforcement activities and provides seamless enforcement processing using the ICES Parking Gateway back-office system.
Commenting on the new state of the art system James Duncan of Bournemouth Borough Council said: “Bournemouth is committed to making every effort to improve safety outside schools and to ensure that bus stops are kept clear of stopped vehicles whilst keeping the traffic moving.
This system offers proven benefits to citizens and businesses alike by reducing the number of road casualties, especially children, improving the reliability of the bus service, reducing the impact of congestion and thus improving the environment for everybody. We are delighted to be able to work in partnership with SEA and Imperial to achieve effective enforcement in these difficult areas.”
Councillor Robert Lawton, Bournemouth Council’s Portfolio Holder for Transport and Environment added: “Some may see this measure as a means of taxing the motorist, but this could not be further from the truth. We will be delighted if we issue no penalties at all as it will mean that the Traffic Regulation Orders are all being obeyed.”
Derek Lott, Managing Director of Transdev Yellow Buses, and Alex Carter, Managing Director of Wilts & Dorset Bus Company – the two principal bus operators in Bournemouth – also welcomed this initiative, saying: “We are very pleased that Bournemouth Council is taking this innovative step to keep bus stops clear of improperly parked vehicles. This is important as it will enable our buses to stop close to the kerb to make it easier for our passengers to get on and off safely.”
Paul Phillips, Managing Director of SEA, commented: “We are delighted to be providing this innovative and versatile system to Bournemouth. We believe that ROADflow sets the benchmark for traffic enforcement by Local Authorities and we are committed to meeting Bournemouth’s objectives of a safer and more efficient road network for all.”