Mopeds for Blackburn and Darwen traffic wardens

7:20am Friday 5th September 2008

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By Tom Moseley »

TRAFFIC wardens in Blackburn and Darwen have been given mopeds to ride around the borough..

Council bosses said the move would allow them to tackle ‘yellow line abusers’ in communities around the borough, rather than just the town centre.

But opponents have branded the move “crazy”.

The council has purchased two £1,800 Piaggio Fly 125cc mopeds in a trail run, and is considering adding more to the fleet.

Bosses said the bikes, which will be used in out of town areas, were requested by the police and schools to crack down on nuisance parking.

It has heralded the move as “a major advance in responsiveness” - but opponents have questioned the total cost of the operation - about £8,500 - and said the money could be better spent.

So far, six traffic wardens have been given basic motorbike training, at a cost of £570, which means they have to use L plates and cannot travel faster than 30mph.

They will eventually sit their test, which could cost another £1,500 with three-day courses priced at about £250 each.

Labour leader Kate Hollern said: “You don’t just need to buy the bikes. You need to insure them, train the people using them and pay tax.

“I don’t think it’s necessary and it’s never been mentioned to me before.

“It’s another crazy idea and not a good use of resources.”

Parking ticket campaigner Barrie Segal added: “This is clearly a way of earning more money from parking tickets.

“It will cause frustration because if you see a parking attendant giving you a ticket you want to speak to them, but these guys will just buzz off on their moped to the next one.

“I don’t think it’s necessary and it’s one of those things that give parking enforcement a bad name.”

Coun Alan Cottam, executive member for regeneration and environment, said: "These new mopeds will be invaluable in dealing with 'yellow line' abusers in areas outside the town centre where frequent obstructions are taking place, particularly around schools.

“It will give us mobility to deal with the whole borough, rather than just concentrating on the town centre. The regional shopping centres, where parking restrictions are generally ignored, will also now come under the control of the civil enforcement officers."