Paying the price

It is more difficult to sympathise with car drivers, however, when it comes to the level of parking fines imposed by Yorkshire councils in recent years. At face value, it is extraordinary that the penalties levied in a single Leeds street, namely Clarendon Road, are greater than the fines incurred in the whole of Rotherham. This could be attributed to various imponderables, such as the diligence of traffic wardens or the West Yorkshire city's greater affluence and car dependency.

Either way, there is little to excuse motorists for flouting parking rules to such an extent in a street where restrictions are clearly marked. Rather than apportioning blame on others, perhaps the miscreants concerned should consider the issue from a motoring point of view.

The reason that on-street parking rules apply is to prevent key routes becoming even more congested, particularly at busy times. And the very people who have been handed fines in recent times are, in all probability, the self-same drivers who become exasperated when their own journey is delayed by a selfish piece of parking. Perhaps it would help if those concerned resolved, in 2011, to be more considerate towards other road users.