MP in parking row
Friday, 23 July 2010
The chauffeur-driven car of Vince Cable, inset, blocks the new cycle superhighway in Keyworth Street
Business Secretary Vince Cable was at London South Bank University last week to unveil plans to make higher education “fairer”.
While the Lib Dem MP was giving interviews to the assembled press, his driver pulled up to pick him up at around 11.15am.
But the silver Honda ignored the laws of the Highway Code by stopping in one of the London Mayor’s new “cycle superhighways” in Keyworth Street, which are painted blue. It was also parked on a double yellow line.
Kennington cycle enthusiast Charlie Holland was giving a tour of the highway to a cyclist that day as part of Mayor Boris Johnson’s bid to get more Londoners cycling.
Writing about the incident on his blog, he said:
“There was a handful of photographers and placard wavers outside getting bored waiting for Vince Cable to come out from whatever he was doing in there.
“His driver was parked, engine off, waiting for him, just as I was giving a cycling lesson on one of the new Mayor’s/Barclays hire bikes to a prospective user of the Mayor’s new Cycling Superhighway 7.
“I trust the driver will be disciplined by his employer.”
Barry Mason, chairman of cycle safety campaigners Southwark Cyclists, said:
“Cars parking in cycle lanes are not helpful at all because it pushes cyclists into traffic.”
A Transport for London spokeswoman said the cycle lane, known as a “mandatory” lane, meant nobody should park there at any time.
She said: “There should not be any parking there, it’s restricted.”
Mr Cable was not sent a parking ticket by Labour-run Southwark council because wardens patrolling the area that day had not seen the car on the double yellow line.
A council spokesman said: “Regardless of who they are, Southwark council will enforce parking rules if they see a driver committing an offence.”
A London South Bank University spokeswoman said: “It had nothing to do with us. You will have to talk to his office to find out why he was instructed to be there.”
A spokeswoman for Mr Cable said:
“The car wasn’t parked there – it briefly pulled up to pick up Vince Cable who was giving a speech there.
“It certainly wasn’t parked there for long.”
Email: sam.masters@slp.co.uk
http://www.southlondonpress.co.uk/tn/news.cfm?id=26598
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