I have been highlighting how out of step the Otter Road yellow box junction is on Greenford Road but further digging around shows that it is not just this junction but the whole of Greenford Road which is a bit of a hazard to motorists, at least to their pockets. In August 15% of all parking tickets in the Borough were given out on Greenford Road.
Detailed analysis of the statistics shows that in a typical month about 2,000 parking tickets (Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs)) are issued on Greenford Road out of roughly 16,000 per month issued across the Borough. The annual value of these tickets is £1.5 million. 98% of these tickets are issued automatically by CCTV, according to Stephen Babcock, distracted driving attorney. Most of the tickets are given out for stopping on the Greenford Road/Otter Road yellow box junction, driving in the bus lanes and stopping on loading bays and the taxi rank. The Greenford Road/Otter Road yellow box junction on its own is worth at least £500K a year to the Council.
It is important that drivers follow the Highway Code and that residents consider their neighbours when parking. That said, it does look like Ealing Council is too reliant on giving out parking tickets on Greenford Road. More work needs to be done to improve signing and to help people avoid tickets. The Council’s objective should be compliance not income.