London 2012 Olympics: parking fines for special lanes 'too low', councils warn

[richard]

London councils have warned that the controversial Olympic Games road lanes may be turned into a form of valet parking because the potential fines are too low.

Transport for London is looking to have fines for non-Olympic traffic using the lanes increased to £200, reduced to £100 if paid immediately. But the councils say the system could encourage a form of cheap parking for cars arriving near Games venues with four to six passengers inside.

Olympic Delivery Authority director of transport Hugh Sumner said consultation and discussions would take place with Boris Johnson, the mayor of London, and the Government after Christmas “so that everyone is comfortable with what makes sense”.

“If everyone has six people in a car and they park up, splitting the fine is not much. it is important that the message gets out that this is a car-free Olympics,” Sumner said.

Meanwhile, TfL has identified more than 20 transport hot spots that face severe overcrowding during the Games. But people wanting to plan their journeys will not be able to find out the details until next month.

Similarly businesses wanting information about night-time deliveries and the impact of road closures will have to wait until next year after seven pilot programmes are complete.

The London Assembly was told by the mayor’s deputy for transport, Isabel Dedring, that “boroughs are very nervous about residents’ reaction” to night-time delivery noise. But TfL bosses say businesses have to be patient.

Ben Plowden, the director of better routes and places for TfL, told the Assembly: “If we talk [about the hot spots] at this point it would not have much purpose.”

Overall, TfL is looking to have normal commuter traffic reduced by 30 per cent during the Games to accommodate the hundreds of thousands of Olympic visitors. But some railway and underground stations will require a much greater reduction.


Source
By Jacquelin Magnay, Olympics Editor
Telegraph.co.uk - Telegraph online, Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph - Telegraph

[richard]

It will be hellish expensive valet parking after the vehicle is towed away to a parking compound as is currently enforced in London. Do I detect an element of tax revenue generation in this argument.

Actually, think how many illegally parked US security services vehicles could be towed away to the compound

Does anyone know whether the US embassy have actually paid the huge number of outstanding parking fines and congestion charges, has the matter been resolved, or has this matter been 'brushed under the carpet' and diplomatically forgotten about?