Traffic Wardens - Just Another Day BBC John Pitman 1984

Here's a lovely quintessentially London Documentary from 1984 "Just Another Day" Traffic Wardens from the celebrated documentary maker John Pitman Shown on BBC 2
Actually the Traffic Warden Service hated this programme at the time,with traffic wardens being shown arguing with the motorists which wasn't how we were trained, I was not always a complete saint myself I will admit motorists can be very aggressive,and staying calm under fire is not always easy,but I would never argue with them or swear at them.We were trained to see the bigger picture and to realise that the angry motorist was really barking at authority rather than you as an individual.
I served as a member of the London Metropolitan Police Traffic Warden Service for about 3 and a half years from 1983 onwards I was stationed in Chelsea Traffic Warden unit in Yeomans Row SW3 not far from Harrods. It was a job you were best not taking too seriously.I was very strict for the first year until I saw the light and realised oneday what a sham /parking regulations were,and that honey is sweeter than vinegar,and a blind eye can be a beautiful thing to keep you out of trouble. Watching this wonderful documentary brings it all back. During my time doing a job that had its lovely moments and the occasional horrid moment.I met a few motorists who were horrors,but most of them were very kind and knew we traffic wardens were there to do a job and try even if it was in vain to keep the traffic moving. I have many happy memories of my friends and colleagues at Chelsea Traffic Warden unit,and I would love to hear from any that remember me.Please do drop me a line so we can share a few memories and catch up
[e-mail]
Apologies I have had to mute the last minute or two of this documentary to avoid youtube's complete muting of the sound for copyright reasons.
Kind Regards
Jim Clark

[@sallychanning3723]

I was in this video as I was a traffic warden and I remember John Pitman and his crew coming to the traffic warden centre, it was lovely to see all my old colleagues again.

[@videocurios]

hi sally its sad to think so many of our old mates will be dead by now the young man is dead apparently who was married to the girl getting thev abuse from horror of a lorry driver. i was tw8736 at BCW chelsea unit from 1983 to about 86 when i had had enough. i saw harrods get blown up and i met michael winner when he was checking the first police memorial.was you a TW long. apparently the tw service was wound up around 2012 and the act of law changed.

[@videocurios]

john pitman died if memory serves me right earlier this year.

[@videocurios]

The Met police office hated this documentary and would never let their tw service be filmed soup close and personal ever again i was a csu branch secretary

[@sallychanning3723]

Hi there videocurious I was a traffic warden from 1977 to 1989 I think, can't quite remember when I quit. I was TW6874, I too, experienced a couple of horrors while I was in the job, I remember when PC yvonne Fletcher was shot dead outside the Libyan Embassy, also the Hyde Park Bombings, I used to patrol Hyde Park and I remember seeing the blood in the road from where the 4 horses died, it was so awful!. Gosh the person you mentioned who died has shocked me! I remember him well, he would of been so young, he was a lovely and funny chap and I'm sad about that. I wanted to see the old building where we were based when I visited the west end quite a few years back and I was shocked to see it being knocked down! I had no idea the traffic warden service had been gotten rid of. If there is any person reading this who was at CDW the same time as me and reading this, would love to hear from you and thanks videocurious for posting this as it was great to see this again! Ah memories lol.

[@sallychanning3723]

Do you know how the chap died that you spoke about? (I won't mention his name out of privacy and respect).

[@jackkruese4258]

Every time I see one of these videos I always wonder where they are now

[@selbino]

Back in the days where the BBC programming was top notch.

[@dermot51]

BBC isn't fit for purpose they don't serve the public anymore and the programming is beyond risible no wonder people are cancelling their licence fee in droves

[@dermot51]

Always watched BBC in the 70s and 80s now I won't even turn it on full of woke shite

[@jonnymaddog6474]

BBC =💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩

[@tonydevern3742]

I would have these wardens back in a heartbeat compared to the clowns we have today.

[@zeddeka]

Interesting to think that some of the older people in the video would have been born in the 1920s or 30s. Easy to forget how so much of any era is formed by people who were born many decades earlier.

[@nathaniliescutotherescue6047]

I love watching old documentaries and think this all the time!

[@ajs41]

My dad was born in 1940 and is still working full time today! Useless fact. Most people think he's about 65 because he's always looked after his health over the years.

[@johnclark7065]

London those days good days civilised people and time when people had respect and cared now the whole of the UK is gone to the sewer.

[@DPG214]

In the days when traffic wardens were articulate and intelligent, and feisty. I am an ex-Met Pol police officer, and we had great times working with our wardens.

[@nathaniliescutotherescue6047]

intelligent, some of these people sound quite simple and the teeth are awful.

[@warrickpinder6750]

brilliant documentary series. narrater john pitman was fantastic great voice.

[@mistofoles]

I wonder what Miss King had done wrong ? Always ominous when your boss asks to see you before you start work !

[@videocurios]

After parade when traffic wardens were issued their beat and instructions for the day sometimes a supervisor would ask you to stay behind to sort out annual leave,or tell you about a training course so it wasn't always bad news 😀

[@dermot51]

Yeah! Wondered about that maybe wasnt slapping enough tickets on windscreens

[@ajs41]

First shown 22nd March 1983, so probably filmed in 1982.

[@RavingMadJock]

Early 1982 ~ she'd put ticket on car @ 22:25 Tax Disk (Expires) 30/04/82 !

[@robtyman4281]

So why does it say '1984' at the top???!!

[@spottydog4477]

Now the fines are almost a weeks wage for some people........

[@leegreen1802]

It was funny seeing this flim and the faces and the wardens and one's that had my dad a few times I have this photo of this traffic warden with a big smile on her face with my dad walking down the steps on Westminster pier

[@darkworld5026]

I remember this. I was a security guard in London back then. Knew a few traffic wardens too.

[@ajs41]

What sort of properties did you guard?

[@shazumia1911]

Why don’t we get sexy female traffic wardens anymore

[@Merseysiderful]

22:27 This documentary was made early 1982.

[@videocurios]

Yes it was made a short while before I joined the traffic wardens in 1983. My recording was a repeat showing in 1984,and the year i gave was probably taken from my labelling of the vhs tape box. I still have all my vhs tapes.

[@Traveller69]

"Nobody would swear at a Policeman" ....we really haven't improved as a society since 1982 have we! ☹

[@videocurios]

The public are much more abusive to the police these days

[@annother3350]

I parked in a gap where it was the only place in a street they hadnt managed to paint yellow lines but still got a ticket. I appealed but they went and painted yellow lines there and tried to prosecute. Luckily I'd got photo evidence before they painted the yellow lines and got off the fine!!

[@videocurios]

the yellow perils have all gone its council wardens only now and they are out to raise revenue parking comes second. you should always take pictures on your phone if a parking issue occurs something not possible when this was filmed.

[@nathaniliescutotherescue6047]

What recently or back then?

[@mikemanners1069]

Honest British people earning a decent days wage....not like these scroungers we have now...

[@AlanTaylorCRSmusicproduction]

What no Africans!

[@ajs41]

Except in Brixton.

[@travis9062856]

I think she’s from the Caribbean judging from her accent

[@jeremyfielding2333]

Great documentary, but that bee music was unbearable.

[@robtyman4281]

Did Traffic wardens back then work for the Met Police?? ....or were they the responsibility of the GLC?

[@videocurios]

Yes they were Metropolitan Police civil staff

[@Prieze868]

Colin wigger Sydney Ranger sent me this

[@retrorambles517]

Should traffic wardens be armed ?

[@videocurios]

Yes with bazookas 🤣🤣

[@michaelmcginley7930]

Nuclear weapons se am appropriate

[@Keithbarber]

£10 parking fine? - even in the 1980s, it wasn't that expensive

[@videocurios]

Shortly after this documentary was the standard parking ticket a "Fixed Penalty Notice" went up to £12 and £18 if not paid in within months. In those days before everything was computerised 2/3rds of the tickets never got paid as DVLC info was poorly maintained,and today's bailiff led enforcement of non paid tickets rarely if ever happened.

[@Keithbarber]

Councils put plenty of resources into parking enforcement where with police it wasn't a top priority

[@videocurios]

The Police traffic wardens were supposed to be concerned with keeping traffic flowing Councils use parking fines for revenue.

[@Keithbarber]

So the urban legend would have you think, but council civil enforcement officers do NOT have the same powers that traffic wardens used to have - but with the 1000 tickets issued by the police that day - councils would have earnt well - plus the council's used to collect parking meter revenue in the days of parking enforcement by traffic wardens

[@videocurios]

Keith I was a Met Police TW.The councils only got revenue from ECN's the yellow Excess Charge Notice from overstay on meters. To pacify the councils we were sent out on ECN patrols to write only ECN's. In my capacity as a CSU Union rep I visited the central ticket office near Putney Bridge and was told that only about a third of FPN's (Fixed penalty notices the main parking ticket were ever paid. The only other authority Police TW's had from today's council wardens was to control traffic.

[@amandajane8227]

So much nicer in the west end now with the toll for entering central london.

[@johnwaller2886]

If the ladies were allowed to wear lovely knee boots- why not police women?.

[@seanwheeldon9315]

Where they on commission or a wage

[@videocurios]

the Met Police Traffic Wardens ran at a considerable loss in those day's only a 3rd of tickets ever got paid. Today's council, run wardens are just revenue agents backed up by bailiffs. .

[@seanwheeldon9315]

@@videocurios very intresting thank you