The parking enforcement team from Ealing Council with support from the local Southall Broadway police conducted a joint night-time joint operation to clampdown on illegally parked vehicles in Southall.

The operation was carried out on Friday, 24 March 2023, from 9pm to 11pm in areas with high numbers of parking complaints, such as The Broadway, High Street, Beaconsfield Road, and Avenue Road.

Officers issued 73 penalty charge notices (PCNs) for a range of offenses, including parking on dropped kerbs that are designed to assist visually impaired people in crossing the road safely.

---

Ealing Council Leader, Councillor Peter Mason said: "There is a vibrant night-time economy in Southall, and while we welcome people to our town, we expect residents and visitors alike to treat the area with respect. Increased traffic can sometimes bring an increase in illegal car parking and anti-social behaviour."

"The council and the police will continue to take action against perpetrators of these breaches of the law. Illegal parking and anti-social behaviour are not acceptable at any time in Southall or any of our other seven towns."

"For most, receiving an £65 fine is exactly the wake-up call they need to think twice when parking."

Residents can report illegally parked cars on Ealing Council website. Why such things need to be reported baffles residents, as it is a regular and constant problem on Southall Broadway. All it requires is the presence of enforcement officers.

---

A fine of £65 is initially imposed on offenders, but if the fine is not paid within 14 days, the amount is doubled to £130.

Ealing council has issued 190 PCNs this year, during late-night patrols in Southall. That is only 2 PCNs per day. You can easily issue 6 PCNS on any occasion you happen to walk along Southall Broadway.

Ealing Council will persist in taking measures against unauthorized parking but the frequency of these operations means it will have little impact.

This was the fourth operation aimed at addressing illegal parking in Southall. The previous operation occurred on 13 January 2023, and resulted in 80 penalty charge notices being issued.

A 2 hour appearance after 10 weeks is hardly a visible deterrence. It may make good headlines but makes little difference on the streets.

An operation every 50 day, equates to 2% chance of getting caught. A £65 fine will be less than the parking fees. Hardly a fine especially considering the operations only last about 2 hours.

No one has bothered to print 50 A4 poster saying "Do not park on pavements" to place on shop windows that attract most of these anti-social people.

That way, no one case say that "I did NOT get the message". The £20 cost of printing these posters is probably too much to pay for our council and councillors.

A resident commented "Drivers now use the pavements as a car park. There are no signs to advise no parking permitted. Are you using the many cameras to penalised drivers who decide to park in the pavements? Please mark the Broadway and others roads with double red lines."

"If you can issue 70+ tickets in” 2 hours,“ you know exactly how severe the problem is in Southall and in particular, along the Broadway."

To suggest that a monthly 2 hour “patrol is good enough is insulting to the people of Southall. This nonsense does not occur in” other parts of the borough.

To say it’s better than not at all, is NOT good enough.

Ealing Council tweeted that "Illegal parking and anti-social behaviour are not acceptable in Ealing". Since it happens to be a regular daily occurrence on Southall Broadway, it must be acceptable in Southall.