Motoring public angry that’s why: traffic wardens as punching bags
I wasn’t in the least surprised that some traffic wardens have become punching bags. I don’t condone such violence. However, the wrath directed at the traffic wardens is understandable.
Why do some members of the public take it out on the traffic wardens?
LTA has outsourced traffic enforcement to security firms. These traffic wardens I’ve witnessed many times are very inflexible and obsessed with issuing summonses.
They know the best time to book motorists for illegal parking. Whenever I spot them it’s always illegal parking that they are interested in.
Lunch and dinner hours are their favourite hunting times. They are focused on just one thing: issuing summonses.
Another favourite hunting time is at night when motorists think the traffic wardens are no longer on
duty. I’ve seen them even at 10 pm at such a remote place like Punggol Point, believe it or not.
I’ve seen them time and time again swooping down like vultures in Killiney Road, Sengkang (outside Compasspoint and Kopitiam opposite) and elsewhere. Even backlanes in Sin Min are not spared.
Once I saw how a van driver drove off on seeing a Traffic Warden but she whipped out a camera and snapped a picture of his vehicle. They even go after motorbikes parked on the grass verge or pavement outside coffee shops in Yishun and Sengkang.
Once they have issued a summons, they’d speed off, job done, money in the bag. This is why members of the public are fed up and angry.
This begs the question: why are they so hardworking when even the Traffic Police are rarely seen in
carrying out enforcement duties?
The security firms deny that there’s a quota. This may be true but its advertisement for traffic wardens lists profit sharing as one of the incentives of the job. I leave it to your imagination what this means.
What’s wrong with people dropping by at a shop to buy bread or a meal for the family as long as they don’t cause obstruction or inconvenience to other vehicles?
LTA has certainly hit on a brilliant scheme. Outsource traffic duties and be assured of a constant revenue stream.
When it comes to squeezing money from Singaporeans, the authorities can conjure up creative schemes to make money. Brilliant.
Traffic warden in action during dinner time outside a coffee shop.
11 Responses to “Motoring public angry that’s why: traffic wardens as punching bags”
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SpotlightOnSingapore 
This article is ludicrous! It’s illegal parking, plain and simple. What is there to argue regardless of the time and venue the offence is committed. Illegal is illegal, you want to take that risk, be prepared to pay the price. Don’t take it out on enforcement officers.
Three Blind Mice - September 24, 2012 at 2:01 pm
Hope that your friend, relative or you yourself get fine and summon by the same nonsense you dish out. Don’t give nonsense if you yourself can’t live by them.
AhBoy - September 24, 2012 at 5:02 pm
“Prior to year 2000, the term ‘white horse’ was used to identify sons of influential persons to ensure such enlistees were not given preferential treatment. And their medical classification and vocation assignments are scrupulously fair.”…Thus advertisement for traffic wardens lists profit sharing as one of the incentives of the job to ensure there’s no quota 🙂
Tan Ah Kow - September 24, 2012 at 4:14 pm
@Three Blind Mice — i guess you are one of the intolerant people who are responsible for the lack of life and innovation in this country. The creative tend to break rules. While i do not condone beating up traffic wardens though I would love to sometimes, a rule follower like you may want to bear in mind the PM’s call for allowing a little messiness in our society.
No doubt the beating up of wardens is due to more than just a parking fine. It’s due to intolerance, impatience and being generally pretty pissed off with the way things are going in this country. People are seething over Many things. One day, soon, the boil will burst.
nadir - September 24, 2012 at 5:20 pm
Calling for a little innovative messiness is quite a far cry from illegal parking, I would think. I play by the rules and if I get fined for misparking, so be it. I took a gamble and it didn’t pay off. But to consider clamping down on illegal parking is rigid, I would postulate that the guilty ones have blatant disregard for the rules of the road. If one is unable to live with it, one shouldn’t drive.
Three Blind Mice - September 24, 2012 at 8:29 pm
The real issue here is the high-handedness of the traffic wardens.
Laws are not cast in stone, and not meant to be followed blindly. Laws should be tempered with compassion and common sense.
Illegal parking that causes obstruction to other road users is unacceptable, and rightly should be fined.
In all the incidents I witnessed not a single instance of obstruction caused. You drop by, pick up your take away food, bread etc and you are on your way. Why can’t they be more flexible and understanding?
With a big car population, limited parking and a stressful working day a little understanding and common sense would go a long way to making society a happier place.
I don’t condone violence against traffic wardens. On the other hand, their high-handedness has created a lot of resentment. Hence, the applause at the coffee shop.
It’s churlish to say that if you are unwilling to pay then don’t drive. Then if you don’t like the school to cut your child’s hair, don’t send him or her to school? I’d be grateful for better suggestions than this.
rogerpoh - September 24, 2012 at 9:08 pm
Fine lor, if you can catch me with my pants down. For crying out loud, if you kenna caught, maybe your stealth skills need some bucking up.
Three Blind Mice - September 24, 2012 at 8:31 pm
Why not just provide your car number here so anyone who caught your car park illegally , the public can report it to the traffic wardens ? Otherwise how can we prove that we caught you with pants down ?
AhBoy - September 24, 2012 at 10:33 pm
If the traffic wardens are supposed to follow the book, then why they don’t seem to issue a single traffic summons to those Malay motorists illegally parking their cars along busy roads besides their mosques when they go for their Friday prayers.
Is it because many traffic wardens happen to be Malays, so they simply choose to close one eye for their brothers ? Or are they exempted from breaking the law ?
Alan - September 24, 2012 at 10:46 pm
I wish the writer can persuade some drivers at a coffeshop near my house to be considerate and not block the bus lane when they stop by for their favourite bak cho noodles. If not, I will be calling the LTA. Do not whine when you are penalised for commiting traffic offence which will inconvenienced others. I actually wanted to snap photos of such traffic offenders and send them to LTA. Traffic wardens are doing their job, period.
Will - September 25, 2012 at 8:58 am
O
I agree with the comment that it’s bootlicking blind ass like you with the law is the law mindset and that if you don’t like it, get out, that’s causing so many problems in our society.
Maybe three blind monkeys is more appropriate?
rogerpoh - September 25, 2012 at 10:28 am