Cynical - Southwark Council

Warning Southwark Council are using a smart car mobile parking camera to photograph drivers parking outside the royal mail sorting office on Nelson Mandela Way. I think this is a total abuse of power as cars cause no obstruction parking on a single yellow line on Saturday morning and is simply a cynical tax raising exercise during a very busy time running up to Christmas. Southwark council should not be stealing off their residents outside a sorting office not served by public transport. I will be writing to Simon Hughes and the council leader to complain about this totally unreasonable behaviour.

The sign does say no parking Monday to Saturday from 8am to 6:30pm, so I'm not sure why it is cynical to enforce it.

Are you an employee of Southwark?

I was there this morning too. It is awful. There is no way to get to the sorting office without a car when you have kids and live a long way away. People who work, like most of us, have no choice but to go there on a Saturday morning. The road is wide and parking on one side causes no issues, it's not like it's a main road.

It was awful today. I had no way of picking up a parcel and the enforcement car was just there to make money.

Perhaps the post office will oblige and open up far later and on sundays! If I have a letter or packet to collect I have to get a mini cab because there is no way I could get there otherwise.
Pity there was not enforcement cars down bartholomew street, there are coaches parked all day...they enforcement officer could get their entire quota of tickeys/fines etc., for a month in one day!

No, I don't work for Southwark, but I can see why there is a need for parking control on that street.

It goes through what is effectively an industrial estate with large numbers of people working in the area - including Saturday when the postmen and women are at work. I don't suppose the staff car parks have enough spaces for all the employees, so if parking on the street was unrestricted, then the street would likely be clogged with their parked cars. The result: inconvenience for everyone and problems for lorries getting through.

JGarcia, I think there is free parking on Page's Walk on Saturdays if you must drive, but the idea that the car is only way someone with children can get to the sorting office doesn't really make sense. The vast majority of families in this part of London don't have cars. Perhaps you could pay £1.50 to have your post redelivered to a local post office. Cheaper than a parking ticket.

James Johnston - I am all for parking restrictions in the right place for the right reasons - but you must see that this is a council revenue generating exercise. Even areas on the A3 such as Borough High Street and other BUSY roads such as Stamford Street and Southwark Street have 20 minute parking bays. Nelson Mandela Way Sorting Office is an essential service for many working people in Southwark and these restrictions only hinder those who can only get there on a Saturday morning either by car or mini-cab. I am not suggesting this should be a parking free zone for local residents or employees of local companies.

I'd love to get a response from Peter John the leader of Southwark Council....

I will look into this issue and see how things can be made a bit easier on Saturdays if possible.

Great stuff, love it when SC turn up here in a positive way.

20 minutes bays would be perfect, as previous poster said.

While they are looking at it, maybe a few bike racks too!

Problem is 20 minutes often would not be long enough !!