With the fools around here
I could make a fortune, when can we start ;)
The Spanish town of Puigcerdà has come up with a novel way of rewarding those drivers who behave themselves: give them the cash which was collected in fines from those who don't. The objective of the cunning plan is, according to mayor Joan Planella, "to get people to drive better and to show residents that respecting the law …
.. because they're too lazy to run and stick the parking ticket on your car before you slow down.
This is what *really*, *really* pisses me off. Why do we get axe murderers, terrorists and rampage gunmen harm perfectly innocent people when there are so many *good* targets around?
And yes, I'm joking. At least, that's my story and I'll stick to it. No, it's pure coincidence I'm oiling that chainsaw. And sharpening that knife. And that's not my angle grinder, and .. hello? Hellooo? Where aaaaare youuu? Mwhohahahahaaa.
Anyone seen my pills? :-)
They're giving out the fines from the previous year. If there are no fines there's little reward. So what they're actually encouraging is what disgruntled yank proposes, provocation!
This actually sounds like a good idea. I didn't think governments were supposed to have those!
You didn't really understand the article, did you?
There is nothing to be funded.
If everyone behaves, you divide the proceedings from fines (0 euros) by the amount of good drivers (everyone), and pay them the resulting sum (0 euros).
Now, who will want to be the ones giving up and resume paying the fines?
Well It is indeed a cunning plan but what will happend when the number of good drivers will increase and the drivers which do not behave decreases then what State of Puigcerdà are going to do? From where they will pay these gifts? Or simply it will become a Myth after sometime.
If we get the locally elected Mayors they're muting (ie ones with actual teeth to do something) However, this will take power away from central gov, which I can't see them giving up too easily.
The other problem is that the system is rife for corrruption (don't argue, it happens, and will do as long as it continues) an uncle of mine lives in Spain and has explained all the orror stories.
On the positive side though, there is generally more GOOD that comes from this system than bad, you just need to know which is which. (example: all the unemployed in a town/village in some cases are forced to do 'comunity projects ie: cleaning the streets, repairing the area and generally making the place nicer to live in, also helps tourism... they don't get any unemployment benefit if they don't) so this seems like a good side. Wpouldn't work over here though, H&S/unions/"Human Rights" wouldn't allow it. (Oh! we can't have the likkle unemployed yobs 'just' cleaning the streets, they have to be "actively seeking work" [biggest joke ever])
Am I getting to cynical, I'm not even that old (42). I'd love someone to broach this in the Commons and see what the response is (and hopefully watch it, I love a god comedy).
Not sure what icon to go with so I'll settle for Paris, I think even she could thia as a good idea.
Anon 'cos of my Uncle
I hate the whole "motorists as persecuted group" bullshit, and in general I dislike cars and the significant twattish minority who seem to see the ability to "pop down the shops" in one as some kind of god-given right, but I hate petty bureaucracy and stealth taxes even more and would just LOVE to see UK.gov give up the gazillions they've made in fines in this way.
For the record, I believe cars should be taxed to the hilt - even more than they are now. The simple fact is there are too many of the bastarding things being used unneccessarily in this country. Sadly though, taxation doesn't even seem to work. People really are lazy and stupid enough to continue forking over wads of cash to enjoy the "freedom" of motoring whilst bemoaning their lot as a poor discriminated-against minority^H^H^H overwhelming majority.
"motorists bemoaning their lot as a poor descriminated-against minority"?????????
You dont think its possible that theres no minority issue at all, they are just moaning at the petty bureaucracy and stealth taxes?
Just like you, in fact, in your first paragraph.
You sound like a confused daily mail reader, not knowing which way to run when 2 conflicting viewpoints create a paradox that a tiny mind cannot deal with.
As a car driver I'm in complete agreement with blackworx. My car is a necessary evil which, if I could, I would do without. When I do use it I do so in compliance with the laws of the land.
I don't see any petty bureaucracy only law enforcement. and arrogance from those who think that they are entitled to drive badly and park illegally then cry foul when they are caught. I couldn't care less that technology is used as money earner, if you break the law and get caught then the means is irrelevant. The only tiny minds I see are those owned by the sort of person who bursts into tears and takes their ball home when they don't get to play the game by their own rules and aren't allowed to win.
...the bit about parking illegally. Setting aside criminally bad parking (which is self-evidently a 'bad'), I'm not even sure if parking is a civil offence. If it is, it is a very problematic one, because it consists of failing to do what an often unjust, compromised, and/or irrational local government says is an offence worthy of a huge penalty, e.g. parking for a minute too long, or in an otherwise empty town which has been yellow-lined over for reasons of revenue and/or other problematic policy.
It isn't as simple as straightforward illegality, in terms of a legal regime which might be more plainly in the interests of the population as a whole - as I see it, the act of parliament which gives local councils the powers in question is one of the nastiest bits of law ever, given how it empowers those bodies to ruin ditzy drivers for minor indiscretions, often seemingly prompted by the designs of unscrupulous local road planning departments.
I did say "unneccessarily". To my mind it's not an unneccassary car journey if you choose to live in the arse end of nowhere and have to go a serious distance to get to the supermarket. You should, however, be prepared to pay for the privilege. After all nobody's forcing you to live where you do.
Even better: Don't split it up, make it a lottery. And not just local drivers; record every numberplate going through the district, and every few months send a cheque to a randomly chosen 'good driver'.
(That does of course involve keeping records of all drivers, but I'm sure the police will be doing that soon anyway)
I thought all countries treated this revenue as a stealth tax?
It will never happen here... those floating duck islands don't come cheap you know!
Saw a mobile blood bank get a ticket last year for parking in a pedestrianised zone.
Another poor guy get a ticket for parking on double yellow lines even though his hazzards were on, the car was jacked up, a tire removed and a note on the window saying he had gone to the tire place 200 yards away to get fixed. Bastards!
Common sense like this? Not in this country
Can someone drop this bit bad news at Westminister.gov.uk council door step...
Instead of that council robbing motorists while they sleep at night and while there are no traffic problems on their roads - at least the council would far more useful serving the people that they are meant to look after.
Hang on, if the lolly is divided up among the good drivers, then, if everyone drives bad, there'll be zero people to divide between. By my maths, any number divided by zero is infinity. This means the following year EVERYBODY can have infinity Euros!!
I'm standing for Chancellor Of The Exchequer next!
... having taken the trouble to organise my life so that I *do* need a car so that I don't have to live in horible, inefficient high-density towns with sanctimonious pricks like you, why should I be penalised all the time? Believe me, my death and injury rate (zero) is significantly less than that if I lived and worked any closer to people ...