THE sight of a traffic warden on the prowl will strike fear into any motorist, but even more so over a bank holiday weekend.
Last weekend’s Spring Bank Holiday had some Fermanagh Herald readers voicing fears that there would be more of them on the streets than usual in Enniskillen.
“There’s always more traffic wardens out on bank holidays in the town. It’s easy pickings for them because Enniskillen will be packed and people will be taking more chances to get parked,” one local driver complained.
To listen to others, you’d think the traffic wardens were out hunting in packs, but their concerns are apparently unfounded as local authorities denied this was the case.
Fermanagh and Omagh District Council oversees those working in carparks, while the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) is in charge of traffic wardens working on the streets.
Both confirmed that the traffic wardens, also known as traffic attendants, have the same working hours on a bank holiday as a normal working day and the number of them working on a bank holiday does not increase.
“The number of parking enforcement officers/parking wardens on patrol is the same for Bank Holidays as for a normal working day,” a Council spokesperson said.
“They work under the same protocols on a Bank Holiday as they work under on an ordinary working day with the exception that Council off-street car parks are non-charged on Bank Holidays.”
Similarly, the DfI said the numbers they deploy will be the same as for any other working day.
“The requirements of a traffic attendant’s job is exactly the same on a Bank or Public Holiday as any other day,” a DfI spokesperson said.
“The Department provides an enforcement service to eight local councils and, occasionally, some councils will request no enforcement of their car parks on certain Bank or Public Holidays.
“In which case, this will allow the traffic attendants in those areas to spend more time enforcing on-street restrictions.”
Both of the authorities also confirmed that the traffic wardens they employ do not have ticket targets or quotas to meet at any time.
There are around 160 traffic wardens in the North. Hopefully, you didn’t fall foul of one over the bank holiday weekend.
To read more.. Subscribe to current edition
Receive quality journalism wherever you are, on any device. Keep up to date from the comfort of your own home with a digital subscription.
Any time | Any place | Anywhere