the Scots of North Berwick are revolting against parking meters. anyone have any reports from the ground during a recent golf trip over there???
WSJ: A Mystery Avenger Escalates a War Against Scotland’s Parking Police
Officials are hunting a vandal defacing meters with super glue and expanding foam, but nobody’s talking in a town that’s fed up with parking enforcers.
NORTH BERWICK, Scotland—This seaside town is a well-heeled sort of place. Visitors come to enjoy its pretty harbor and sandy beaches. Golfers make it their base to play historic courses nearby.
Away from the ice cream cones and sunhats, trouble is afoot. Someone is venturing out at night with super glue and cans of expanding foam to tackle an unwelcome influx of invaders: parking meters.
Dozens of the black and blue pillars have been sprayed since they began sprouting earlier this year. The company contracted by the local council to install them and raise some money is baffled.
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Police say they are working on cracking the case. East Lothian Council leader Norman Hampshire points out that it’s a small town. “Some people will know who is responsible,” he said.
Don’t count on them talking.
Plenty of people here sympathize with the mystery vigilante. Businesses and residents worry the new parking regime will dissuade people from spending time in the town or shopping in its high street, which is chock-full of independent stores like butchers and bakers, even the odd candlestick maker.
“I have visions of older gentlemen going out at night and doing it in balaclavas and golf jumpers,” said Susan Oliver, who runs SO & Co., a fashion accessories and gift store in town. “But it’s a result of people being fed up with the council imposing this on the town without really asking anyone’s opinion.”
Store owners worry the new rules are needlessly confusing. There are multiple zones and it’s easy to park in the wrong place and pick up a £100 fine. Some businesses say sales are slumping. Already one clothing store has said it would close its doors in the coming weeks.
Meg Maitland has taken matters into her own hands, though legally. From her clothing store on the high street, she has distributed official-looking signage spelling out exactly where to park and for how long without risking a ticket. Throughout the day, confused shoppers pop into her store for advice.
“I think it was after the fifth meeting with the council that I thought, well if you’re not going to explain the restrictions, then I will,” said Maitland. “So far they haven’t been taken down.”
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The council, which has spent more than £1 million on the program, says it has already held public consultations and won’t change course. It says the charges are meant to speed up the turnover of spaces and benefit businesses. “We hope to see greater footfall,” it said.
It also said parking charges would pay for two enforcement officers in North Berwick to look out for anyone parking illegally, which isn’t exactly what the town was hoping for. Miles Briggs, one of the lawmakers in the parliament, expects nothing will change until the next council elections next year.
In the meantime, the vigilante is still at work. No meter is safe, it seems, especially not the one that was toppled over and left wedged between the pharmacy and an S&L.