It may irritate some drivers, but Medway Council’s CCTV mobile parking patrol is doing a good job enforcing the rules, especially near schools, says the council’s parking chief. Reporter Keyan Milanian climbed into the passenger seat for a ride around Medway to gauge public reaction and hear the case for the Smart car

The mother waiting for her child looks me straight in the eye and then quietly mouths a series of swear words.

I am, for 30 minutes, the enemy.

We are outside St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary, in Romany Road, Twydall, in the Smart car. It has a CCTV camera on its roof used to take photographs of offending vehicles, whose drivers then receive penalty notices. And we are parked on double yellow lines.

Last week, we revealed Medway Council had made £185,000 profit through the parking fines generated by the Smart car, or CCTV mobile enforcement vehicle, to give the car its official council designation.

For the 30 minutes we are parked on the lines we are approached by three parents who all react differently to the little car which always seems to get a big reaction.

During the first incident the mother simply mumbles that we are parked on double yellow lines then trails off into quiet expletives.

Then a man approaches the car, takes a photograph of it and begins shouting about “setting an example”. He does not stay long enough to hear parking manager Rubena Hafizi’s reasons for parking there, but waves a hand like he’s on the Jerry Springer show, says something about not caring “what the argument is” and walks away.

The third mother took a photograph of our car and then spoke, at first angrily, to Rubena . She was the only person to speak calmly to my host, for which she should be given great credit.

One of the Smart car's tasks is to monitor bad or dangerous parking near schools. Parents are often the culprits.

Rubena, of course, was lovely, although I never expected for a second the council would lumber me with a reporter-hating ogre who’d tell me they loved catching people as they got bonuses for tickets issued.

Rubena had some good points to make about the Smart car and the staff who drive it.

“The staff do take some stick. People have spat at the car, taken pictures of it and intimidated staff,” she said. “We have had staff being forced off the road by erratic drivers who then make complaints themselves. They are just doing a job. I am sure it is not their life’s ambition, but it is a job.”

She added: “Sixty per cent of the calls and letters we receive are people asking for us to come to their road.”

At the Medway Messenger office it sometimes seems as though half our mail is made up of complaints and photographs of the Smart car.

Be it a speeding driver or parking on double yellow lines, we have photographs and angry residents threatening unmentionable acts against the staff and the car.

But Ms Hafizi is quick to respond, saying all accusations are looked into thoroughly.

She said: “I can understand what people are getting at, but if the Smart car doesn’t park there (on double yellow lines) then sometimes it is impossible for them to enforce the law.

“If an officer was caught speeding we would go through the correct procedures. ”

She also revealed, following accusations and complaints, staff have been interviewed on average three times a month since the car was first introduced last April. No-one has yet faced disciplinary action following complaints.

The Smart car is exempt from certain road rules other drivers must adhere to.

The council says: “An exemption has been worked into the legal orders that enables the CCTV vehicle to park on some restrictions to enable them to carry out enforcement activities.

“The staff are, however, instructed to try to find unrestricted parking where possible, and to ensure they are parked safely and not causing an obstruction.”

Medway was the first council in the UK to gain a certificate for the use of its Smart car and CCTV device, according to the Traffic Management Act 2004. The car was first used on April 1 last year.

What do you think of the council’s Smart car? Email us at medwaymessenger@thekmgroup.co.uk or write to Medway Messenger, Medway House, Sir Thomas Longley Road, Medway City Estate, Strood, Rochester, ME2 4DU