Wardens put on yellow alert

If city council chiefs get their way, parking attendants instead of police will be given the job of slapping £30 fixed penalties on rogue drivers who clog up the city centre.

The move is planned as part of a new initiative to tackle road congestion in Glasgow's centre.

It would need to be given the go-ahead by the Scottish Executive, but today Holyrood promised it would give any such proposal careful consideration.

The plan comes after a hard-hitting campaign by the Evening Times last week in which we highlighted how bus, taxi and car drivers regularly sat on the yellow box junctions - breaking the Highway Code and stopping the traffic from moving.

Yet despite our photographers catching dozens in the act every rush hour, Strathclyde Police were forced to admit they only fined 17 culprits in a whole year.

And when we asked them how many they had fined last week, they said they didn't know.

A spokeswoman said: "Due to the time it takes to collate this information... anyone requesting it is asked to obtain it through the Freedom of Information Act."

Planned measures in the new scheme include: Stripping the police of their current powers to give out penalty notices.

Allowing parking attendants to issue on-the-spot fines.

Using CCTV cameras to catch the culprits, with penalty notices automatically sent out to the vehicle's registered owner.

Councillors will be asked to rubber stamp the initiative next month, paving the way for an application to the Scottish Executive to allow a switch of powers from the police to parking attendants. NAMED AND SHAMED: CITY ROAD ROGUES LS54 RHZ WHERE: George Square WHEN: Friday 11.45am KE02 YHB WHERE: West Nile Street WHEN: Friday 6.25pm NU05 BDE WHERE: George Square WHEN: Friday 11.50am 34 AT WHERE: West Nile Street WHEN: Friday 6.20pm

Council roads boss Robert Booth said: "The police have other issues to deal with and don't have time to do it."

Mr Booth has an army of 115 parking attendants and, if the scheme gets the go-ahead, they will be charged - as part of their existing duties - to keep free the city centre's yellow blocked junctions.

If given the green light, it will be next year before new powers come into force.

They will be backed up by an expanding network of traffic-monitoring CCTV cameras which will also be trained on busy junctions.

It's likely an application by council chiefs would be granted although officials at the Scottish Executive wouldn't make a commitment today.

A spokesman said: "We have still to receive an application from Glasgow City Council. Once we do we will give it careful consideration."

The decision to seek support from the Scottish Executive follows a three-month trial last year when two traffic cops were seconded to work with the city council on traffic management issues.

During the pilot, seven bus drivers were fined for blocking junctions and seven motorists were warned for blocking pedestrian crossings.

In addition, 116 drivers were reprimanded for parking at a bus stop or driving along dedicated bus lanes.

Strathclyde Police were reluctant to discuss the proposals.

The spokeswoman added: "It would be inappropriate for us to comment on any application made by Glasgow City Council.

"I would also like to stress that people have to take responsibility for their actions and we need to work together if we are to solve this problem.

"Be assured the police are taking action."

In the past week the Evening Times has been running a series of stories on how thoughtless drivers are causing chaos on our city streets.

As well as our campaign against rogue parkers, last Wednesday we highlighted how people continue to flout the law banning the use of mobile phones while driving.

In just one hour our photographers caught a succession of motorists chatting casually on their phones while negotiating busy traffic at George Square and Charing Cross.

They drove round parked vehicles and snaked through lanes of traffic using just one hand while chatting.

Most of them were too busy talking to even notice they were being photographed.

But one man was so incensed when he spotted our photographer that he jumped out and threatened him. Support from every corner

Praise floods in for campaign to unclog Glasgow's streets THE Evening Times was today praised for highlighting the menace of thoughtless motorists.

From leading road safety campaigners to law-abiding car owners, the latest phase of our hard-hitting "Get Glasgow Moving" campaign has won widespread support.

We've highlighted how people talking on mobile phones and drivers blocking busy box junctions are causing chaos.

And hundreds of e-mails and letters have flooded in backing our efforts to make the streets safer.

The response was so great that today we publish a letters special on the issue.

Comments included disbelief at a taxi driver caught chatting on his mobile with a passenger in the rear of his cab and a demand people send the registration numbers of offenders to police.

Road safety expert Neil Greig of the IAM Motoring Trust also backed our campaign.

He said: "The Evening Times has highlighted the fact it is the small things which upset people a lot.

"It is all to do with people's selfishness, that's what is causing the problems.

"The fact that so many of your readers have responded shows how important they feel these issues are.

"Hopefully those responsible will begin to realise the error of their ways and do something about it.

"The city is always going to be busy. But if people help each other out it can be a lot better."

Dr Lesley Sawers, chief executive of Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, said: "We welcome the impact the Evening Times' campaign has had on highlighting this problem.

"I am confident that, working with Glasgow City Council and the SPT, we will be able to find a solution to this problem that keeps the wheels of industry turning.

"We need to clamp down on irresponsible motorists without penalising businesses throughout the city."

Last week we published a series of photographs of vehicles blocking busy yellow box junctions, preventing traffic moving and making it difficult for pedestrians to cross the road.

We also caused a stir by publishing photographs and vehicle registration numbers of motorists using their mobile phone while on the move.

And you can be assured there will be no let-up in our campaign to shame the irresponsible motorists who are clogging up our streets and putting lives at risk. Right to know

IT could take the Evening Times three weeks to find out how many people were fined last week for parking in yellow box junctions.

To get information under the Freedom of Information Act a query has to be put in writing.

The response comes back in writing - but it can take up to 20 days for even for the simplest of queries.

Strathclyde Police must have the figures, but they told us to obtain them through the Act.

Ironically the Act was introduced in 2005 to end secrecy in public bodies and make access to such data easier.