Another sterling bit of PR for London’s traffic wardens.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4638790.stm
I mean… hello? Does anyone there have even the kernal of clue? These guys are busy trying to save a whale with much of London watching and you’re busy putting fines on their vehicles?
WTG guys!
I couldn’t tell from the article, but maybe they were in a fire zone? In that case, the fines are warranted.
First Paragraph:
my bolding.
Traffic Wardens were being jerks from the sound of it. But it was their job.
Jim
They could’ve got the bus. It’s not like they thought they were gunna give it a lift home.
I wouldn’t blame the traffic warden, who was just doing his jobs. However, if the city refuses to waive the fines, in light of the circumstances, I think that would be something to complain about.
Sounds like the Traffic Wardens could have used some common sense and discretion, but maybe not. Maybe they’re told to write the ticket no matter what.
If there’s an appeal or review process for parking tickets, then they just spend a morning waiting to explain themselves to someone that will probably drop the tickets.
The traffic wardens must have missed the “Whale Rescuer” signs that the driver put behind their windscreens.
Well, to be fair, the article says that the vehicles were labeled as Marine Emergency or Rescue vehicles, and with all the hubbub over the whale being there, it seems pretty likely that it would have been somewhat easy to guess why they were parked there.
I must admit to a few rolleyes watching the coverage of this story. Does anyone remember seeing or hearing the point made that this whale may well have come into the shallows specifically to die due to illness? I can’t, and it seemed to be the consensus of a couple of marine biologists I know. Repeated efforts like this might end up prolonging more deaths than ever do genuine good, and since they cost £100k each it might be better to let nature take its course and then blow them up (Peter Cook: In World War Two, did the Whales get together and say “Save England?”).
Of course, if the post-mortem confirms that it was just lost and not dying, I’ll hold up my hands and commend the rescuers on a justified if unsuccessful effort.
I’m confused…why do whale-rescuers get to skirt the law and park where they wish for no fee? If I’m feeding the homeless, do I also get to ignore the meter and start screaching news stories about how it’s so wrong that I’ve been fined for parking in a metered spot for 12 hours without providing the meter a quarter?
No. So why should they?
Sam
At least here in California (can’t speak for the UK), local authorities usually call in the rescue team to deal with a situation they don’t have the training or equipment to deal with, and that they’re not even paid for. Generally, they offer great support.
Let’s think about this: many California State Beaches require parking fees. If a ranger down at Half Moon Bay State Beach called me and asked for my help, then gave me a ticket for parking in the fee lot, I’d be pretty pissed off.
What about Animal Control? If someone gave the Animal Control Officer a ticket while s/he responded to a call, wouldn’t s/he have a right to be pissed off? (AFAIK, no municipality trains its animal control officers to deal with marine mammals, so sending them to deal with it wasn’t an option in this case)
Do I think London would be justified in waiving the parking fees? Yeah.
I wouldn’t have pitted it myself, but then YMMV.
As far as the usefulness of performing such rescues: It can remove a hazard/nuisance in a public area and stop all those people who ask why they’re not doing anything to help the poor thing, as well as stop those who would pester and harass the mammal during a very stressful time. There are already some places where rescues will not take place: e.g. Año Nuevo State Reserve is off-limits to rescues - let nature take its course. Places that are generally accessible to the public, though, are game for rescues and probably better off with the rescues than without.
From the original article:
Westminster Council has said it will now waive the fines.
“I guess they (traffic wardens) have got a job to do,” said Mr Knight, who was in charge of the rescue operation.
A Westminster Council spokesman said that while the parking attendants were correct in issuing the tickets, these were extraordinary circumstances and the fines will be waived.
We call this ‘a storm in a teacup’!
And in a rather British way:
The small charity, which relies on donations and volunteers, is hoping to raise funds for future rescues by auctioning a red watering can used in the rescue attempt on the internet.
I’m going to go ahead and assume you’re whooshing us here. In which case, good one! 
If not, though, in the above quote replace “whale-rescuers” with “fire-fighters” and see how ridiculous that sounds.
I agree, that does sound quite ridiculous. Since the two are completely different, attempting to draw a comparison between them is ludicrous.
i believe that the last whale seen in the Thames was about 1913. Will anyone from the small charity still be alive the next time there is a whale rescue?
‘Whale Rescuers’ have never to my knowledge been included in any traffic management order. ‘Fire fighters’ are ALWAYS included. Just as it should be.
For those not clear on the organisation: Westminster Council has it’s parking run by a private company. The traffic wardens are on a crap wage and are harried to produce a certain number of tickets each day. They most likely issued the tickets in the full knowledge that their employers would back down - but had they not issued the tickets they would have been under quota and would have been in trouble.
Errrrr, they’re not just the “Thames Whale Rescue Foundation”.
Well, the rarity you quot would probably be one good reason why they are not included in the traffic ordinace.
While the level of importance to the community is different, there is a common reason they should both be exempt: They are responding to a public emergency situation that does not afford them the luxury of time to find longer term parking. I could go either way with the wardens who gave the tickets, but the city was perfectly justified in waiving the fines.
Really? why not? Shouldn’t we have a dedicated charity? After all we have the Norwich and Norfolk Mountain Rescue 
This was my first reaction, too, but this situation is not your average feel-good enviromentalist endeavour. The Thames is a major travel and trade artery for London, and a sick whale flopping around in it presents a hazard to legitimate shipping. The animal rescue people were performing a genuine public service by trying to get it out of there, just as they would if they were trying to get a cow off of a freeway.