Transport Committee at the London Assembly – and the Association of London Government (ALG), the Leader of Islington Council, Pulp Faction and the Parking Adjudicator are all coming before me to give evidence to the Parking Enforcement scrutiny.

One of the ALG reps made it quite clear that in his view London should put up or shut up. Clearly sick of the continued innuendo from punters and papers alike that there was any question of parking controls and enforcement being about revenue raising rather than traffic and parking resolution he informed the committee that, if councils were impugned in this way, legal action could follow.

So that’s that then!

Actually, the more interesting part of the scrutiny was to do with the real heart of trying to improve the system – dealing with the confusion between signs, between boroughs and within boroughs. Why should a person paying for a pay and display ticket but accidentally buying it from the wrong machine end up with a fine? Could there be any harmonisation? Was there disproportionality between offences? Should you end up with a £100 fine for a few minutes over on a meter – and should that fine be the same as if you parked illegally on a double yellow line or in a bus lane?

We have had an overwhelming response to this scrutiny. And not as was inferred mainly from people just ‘chancing it’ or trying to get off – mostly sane, well-balanced letters with constructive suggestions as to how to improve this situation in London.

Anyway – this all now has to be analysed – and put into an Assembly report with recommendations to whomever we think appropriate.