Letters to Fleet News editor Martyn Moore.

Let’s name and shame councils

I read with interest your comments and article regarding parking in London (May 15).

As a company with around 50 vehicles within the London area, each day we receive our fair share of parking penalty charges.

How about Fleet News using information from other fleet managers to name and shame the worst councils?

I will gladly start the ball rolling by naming Westminster Council as one of the worst in my experience.

Firstly, all of its mail goes to Warrington in Cheshire.

Whenever you attempt to make representation against a penalty, it seems to be ignored.

You will then receive a larger penalty which prompts you to write again enclosing copies of all previous correspondence.

This again is ignored.

Then the court order arrives threatening you with a County Court Judgement.

This is, by the way, in Northampton County Court and not London.

This example was initially for a charge in which the driver arrived back at his vehicle one minute after the time period at a parking meter expired.

The ticket was already on the vehicle but the driver could not see a warden anywhere.

They obviously employ a time traveller as a warden.

I realise that things will not change by these letters but it may make us managers feel better to have a moan.

Or perhaps we will one day have a strong Government that will work for the public and industry instead of screwing them. My apologies, I must have been dreaming then.

MICK HOLDERNESS
Production director, Apex Lifts

Cameras are way forward

Your comment column about a 20mph speed limit in built-up areas (May 22) invites further discussion.

Is the intention really to reduce speeds to a new limit of 20mph or, as your comment might appear to suggest, to persuade speeding motorists not to speed quite so much but to drive maybe nearer to 30mph than they do now?

If, as suggested when the idea was first mooted, average speed cameras will to be used for enforcement, speeds are likely to be rather less than 20mph in these zones.

With average speed cameras, speed limits can be kept as they are, road humps can be removed and traffic speeds will drop.

If you want proof, try driving through the roadworks on the M6.

ROGER LADBURY
Managing director, Bruker BioSpin

No Government fuel subsidy for hauliers

I would like to point out an inaccuracy in a comment in your story ‘Fuel costs blamed by failing firms’ (May 22).

The haulage industry does not get a fuel subsidy from the Government – bus operators, however, do.

CHRIS COWIN
Operations director, Edmundson Haulage