trackerman Posted October 29, 2009 Share Posted October 29, 2009 Please be aware that all of the Park & Ride sites around the city of Cambridge are now fitted with 2.1m height barriers. These were put in place on Monday of this week and came into operation on Tuesday. They have been introduced because of the regular invasions by "pikies" and the irony of the situation is that the latest invasion was at the Trumpington site last Sunday - the day before the erection of the barriers took place! (inside information perhaps?!?!). The situation now is that motorhomes can now only park at the Trumpington site - you have to use a separate entrance, telephone a number that is shown on the barrier and then wait for an attendant to come and let you enter. Stuart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catinou Posted October 29, 2009 Share Posted October 29, 2009 Thanks Stuart - great to get up to the minute info. - another one made more difficult for the majority by the minority.... :-| Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tracker Posted October 29, 2009 Share Posted October 29, 2009 It does seem that more councils are taking the easy option of fitting height barriers rather than, together with the Police, use the powers that already exist to 'victimise' these 'poor' travellers off of this private land in favour of us 'wealthy' types who only want to spend our wealth in their towns rather than abuse and desecrate everything in sight. Fine - sod them too - we won't be going to Cambridge again any time soon and I thank you for making us all aware. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GJH Posted October 29, 2009 Share Posted October 29, 2009 I first heard of these plans (and put the details on my web site) when I contacted Cambridgeshire County Council for an update. To be fair to the Council, they do use the powers they have. As they told me:Unfortunately we have had a large number of traveller incursions at both sites over the last few years. We are now recognised as an open site for travellers and we have 3 or 4 visits by a large number of caravans each year. Not only does this create problems for our customers but costs the Park & Ride service many thousands per year to have the travellers removed and to clear up after they have been evicted. Trumpington will still allow motor homes on request when the barriers have been erected. On arrival at the site if you ring 01223 846821 a co-ordinator will open a gate to let the motor home in. The problem is that the powers available are not strong enough to resolve the problem quickly - and it is only central government which has the ability to change that situation, not local authorities. It would be nice to see staffed barriers at all sites which could be opened as necessary (e.g. like the ones at Rawcliffe Bar at York) but there is obviously a cost to that which would have to be borne by local council tax payers - because I bet central government won't fund it. The problem will not go away until everyone in the country accepts that they cannot just set up camp anywhere they like. Graham Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazza454 Posted October 29, 2009 Share Posted October 29, 2009 Tracker - 2009-10-29 3:44 PM It does seem that more councils are taking the easy option of fitting height barriers rather than, together with the Police, use the powers that already exist to 'victimise' these 'poor' travellers off of this private land in favour of us 'wealthy' types who only want to spend our wealth in their towns rather than abuse and desecrate everything in sight. QUOTE]Come on Richard, if these so called "travellers" can take a couple of acres of green belt land and set up an illegal site over a weekend, which then takes the council years and years plus many thousands of pounds to try to evict them, do you really blame the council for erecting height barriers to try to protect the land that they can control? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tracker Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 I don't actually feel any sympathy for the local authorities or the government in what I see as the continued attempt by these control freaking jobsworths to pigeon hole us all into conformity by limiting the freedom of those of us who are law abiding honest tax paying citizens. It is simply because to do that is easier and cheaper than grasping the nettle and sorting out the law breaking irresponsible dross that persist in making a mess of our once lovely septic isle! So - yes - I do blame the council! I used to believe that laws and rules existed to protect the honest and innocent not to make it easier for the layabouts and scroungers. Welcome to Brown's Britain! Rant over!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GJH Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 But it isn't the council to blame. All councils are what are termed "creatures of statute" - i.e. they can only work within the powers given to them under stautes passed by parliament. During my career I knew many councillors and officers who would have liked to "sort out the law breaking irresponsible dross" but were unable to without breaking the law themselves. I agree totally that the nettle needs to be grasped - but it has to be grasped by central government. All that local government can try to do is persuade them to take action - and on the subject of illegal traveller encampments they certainly do that. Graham Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basil Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 Hi Graham do you, or anyone else of course, know how a motorhome that has been allowed to enter the Trumpington P&R gets back out? Do you have to contact someone to be allowed out, is there an automatic exit barrier or what, just curious as although I have never used the P&R you never know if I might in the future. Also are there time restrictions that you can enter and exit, bearing in mind you would now have to contact an attendant who may have say lunch breaks and defined hours? Thanks Bas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GJH Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 Basil - 2009-10-30 11:30 AM Hi Graham do you, or anyone else of course, know how a motorhome that has been allowed to enter the Trumpington P&R gets back out? Do you have to contact someone to be allowed out, is there an automatic exit barrier or what, just curious as although I have never used the P&R you never know if I might in the future. Also are there time restrictions that you can enter and exit, bearing in mind you would now have to contact an attendant who may have say lunch breaks and defined hours? Thanks Bas No idea Bas. I assumed there were on-site staff who would have to be called to the barrier by someone entering but would be able to be contacted on foot when you want to leave. I also assumed that there would be sufficient staff to cover for breaks during the normal site opening times. Graham Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tracker Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 Fine Graham - I hear what you say - so why don't the local authorities pressure the government to strengthen their powers? Maybe the LAs are and the government typically have their own agenda and are not listening? If this is the case why not make this public and shame Westminster into action? Or are the LAs, in reality, happy to accept the status quo and happy to avoid the confrontations that picking on a 'defenceless' and 'homeless' minority entails, together with the field day of adverse publicity that the PC and do gooder brigade would create for them. Cynical? Me? You bet yer boots I am! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayjsj Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 Great, another sensible idea (encouraging motorhome drivers to park outside busy town centres scuppered by a lawbreaking minority!) I guess if i ever go to Cambridge,which I have no plans to, I will drive into the town centre, drive around and around (annoying everybody) until I find somwhere and park wherever i can, this is what I do if I encounter Height barriers, life is too short to have to wait for some council 'Bod' to decide whether I am fit to enter his 'Locked Compound'. Sorry Graham but Councils who do this only deserve our contempt. It is us (and the poor sod who's house we have to park outside) who's liberty is being infringed. :-( Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GJH Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 Tracker - 2009-10-30 11:58 AM Fine Graham - I hear what you say - so why don't the local authorities pressure the government to strengthen their powers? Maybe the LAs are and the government typically have their own agenda and are not listening? If this is the case why not make this public and shame Westminster into action? Or are the LAs, in reality, happy to accept the status quo and happy to avoid the confrontations that picking on a 'defenceless' and 'homeless' minority entails, together with the field day of adverse publicity that the PC and do gooder brigade would create for them. Cynical? Me? You bet yer boots I am! As I said in my earlier post:All that local government can try to do is persuade them to take action - and on the subject of illegal traveller encampments they certainly do that. In my personal experience, the people in local government - officers and members - who have to deal with the problems caused by illegal camp sites are sick and tired of it. One of the main problems is the inadequacy of legislation like the Race Relations Act and Human Rights Act. They provide loopholes which are exploited by the criminal and anti-social elements who create illegal sites. Only parliament (which, in practice, means the government of the day) can change that legislation. Graham Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GJH Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 Rayjsj - 2009-10-30 12:24 PM Great, another sensible idea (encouraging motorhome drivers to park outside busy town centres scuppered by a lawbreaking minority!) I guess if i ever go to Cambridge,which I have no plans to, I will drive into the town centre, drive around and around (annoying everybody) until I find somwhere and park wherever i can, this is what I do if I encounter Height barriers, life is too short to have to wait for some council 'Bod' to decide whether I am fit to enter his 'Locked Compound'. Sorry Graham but Councils who do this only deserve our contempt. It is us (and the poor sod who's house we have to park outside) who's liberty is being infringed. :-( Ray I fully agree that it is those of us who are innocent who are suffering the effects - but, as Bazza said in one of the early posts, what are councils to do? Most people seeing their council tax bills being increased (or other services cut) to pay for the repairs and clear-up cased by illegal camp sites would demand that they be prevented in the first place. It isn't as if Cambridgeshire CC have banned motorhomes from the P&R sites completely, they have had the sense to try to reach a working compromise. If anyone can suggest any workable better way of solving the problem let's please have it and then pass it on to both local and central government. Graham Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teflon2 Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 The solution lies wth your local ruby club, The travellers parked up on recreation ground in our town a few years ago a slow stroll by with them and our dogs discussing how inflammable these caravans were and would they rollover if you leaned on them too hard led to them travelling on the next day. They have never returned, unfortunately you have to fight fire with fire nowadays the honest and good have their hands tied by the bleeding hearts. >:-) ( I don't realy advocate violence. ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wills Wagon Posted November 25, 2009 Share Posted November 25, 2009 Why use P&R at Cambridge? Cabbage Moor C&CC site has a bus stop about 250 yards from the entrance and Cherry Hinton CC site has one outside on the main road. Both have frequent services. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Leake Posted December 11, 2009 Share Posted December 11, 2009 I know it's not Cambridge but on one of the beach car parks in Norfolk round the Wash they have a splendid solution. The park is only maned untill 3 p.m.. The attendent moves the barrier to let you in. If you want to leave later you are told to check with the ice cream van as to what time he is going. Up to that time he has a key and will let you out. 8-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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