Councils get new powers to fine drivers parking in bike lanes

A

Anyone who fails to pay a council ticket will find themselves in the Magistrates Court where the local council prosecute you. It then becomes a court order to pay and failure to pay a Magistrates court fine can land you in prison. 

Note the process is very different on private land where it is a civil matter. Moral of the story, the council has way more powers for enforcement then many people realise. 

In many cases I've seen cars parked in cycle lanes there has been no need for a new law, or a solid white line, as there were already a double yellow line by the kerb. What was needed was someone to enforce it.

Good, but meaningless. The vast magority of cycle lanes are dashed line advisory, which amazingly are completely fine to park in. 

It matters not an f*** what the councils can do.  If they start to fine people, the tabloids will get hold of it, and they'll trot out the favourite right-wing fantasy of 'war on the motorist'.  There will then be an article on Mail Online, featuring a somewhat attractive, white woman in her mid-twenties, standing next to her car and holding a FPN in front of her, whilst she does her best to look put-out and upset.  Expect the article to feature the words 'fury', 'outrage' and 'cash cow' prominently.  

One of the council's Tory members will then be quoted as promising to bring this up at the next council meeting, adding, 'Motorists are already paying through the nose for their right to use the roads, and this is just another example of how the socialists in our town think that taking other people's money, is the best way to tackle inequality'. 

And so it goes.  

Only applies to fixed white line lanes which are few and far between outside of major cities. Here in Derby there are only a handful of lanes that can be enforced even though the council do have a camera car available if needed.

I can't see it making the slightest bit of difference to motorists attitudes around here.

The £25 million 'Fix Your Bike' fund.

Can I claim some of that £25 Million, if my bike gets damaged, or if I get constantly annoyed from having to ride over/through the pot holes that council never bothers to fix?
I settle for £25,000

Other than the car or driver becoming incapacitated, under what circumstances is parking a car in a particular spot "unavoidable"? Surely it is always possible to just keep moving?

Unfortunately the catch here is in the statement " With approved camera devices, it will be easier for those local authorities with civil parking enforcement powers"

So only if the/your local council has civil parking enforcement powers (apparently not all do even though police fob off pavement parking as a civil matter (nuffin to do wif me)) and then has bought these specially approved cameras and can be arsed to actually use them the status quo remains, Slough BC have a parking enforcement car with cameras on it's roof but obviously they will not pay evening or weekend rates to the driver so fairly useless.

They need to amend the law so they can accept bike/dash cam footage.

I'm almost starting to believe that the government means it this time.