Bravo! Lambeth Council crushes Ice Creaminals

I think we're much less likely to see Ice Cream vans trading while parked on Westminster Bridge in the cycle lane, bus lane and red route.

Above are Lambeth Councillors Jack Hopkins and Pete Robbins standing by an ice cream van that's about to become this:

Lambeth Council reports:

Lambeth Council has scored a major court victory against illegal street traders who operate on London’s South Bank.

The council went to the High Court to seek injunctions against two street traders who had persistently set up ice cream vans to trade illegally along the South Bank around Westminster Bridge.

Street trading at the tourist hotspot is closely regulated to ensure that tourists and other visitors don’t end up being ripped off or sold potentially harmful food or other items.

However, with millions of tourists visitors visiting the area every year, the area attracts unlicensed hawkers keen to make a quick profit.

Cllr Jack Hopkins, Lambeth Council Cabinet Member for Public Protection, said: “The Southbank is one of London’s most popular tourist destinations and we’re determined to do everything in our powers to tackle cowboy traders who try to operate there. I hope this sends a clear message that we are prepared to use all legal powers at our disposal to protect the public and crack down on unlicensed traders who clearly believe they are above the law.”

Working closely with the South Bank Employers’ Group, the council took the unusual step of seeking injunctions against Ms Elma Sanli and Mr Ndue Meli after it became clear that they were prepared to ignore the threat of fines and on the spot penalties. Despite being taken to Magistrates’ Courts on a number of previous occasions by Lambeth Council for street trading offences, the financial penalties issued by the courts were often not sufficient to deter a hard core group of illegal traders from regularly visiting the South Bank area.

On the 13 June applications for interim injunctions were heard against both of the defendants Ms Sanli and Mr Meli. The defendants chose not to dispute the injunction applications; they instead sought to provide the court with an ‘undertaking’ with regard to their future behaviour.

However, the Judge accepted the council’s view that the injunction orders were essential in tackling unlicensed street traders who continue to flout street trading regulations. The interim injunctions prohibit Ms Sanli and Mr Meli from trading anywhere on the South Bank and if they breach these orders, they could face a fine or imprisonment.

Ice Creaminals queuing up for lucrative pitches

You may remember that in February I questioned whether it was fair that the South Bank Employers Group gave the Piccadilly Whip ice-cream company a prime pavement pitch by County Hall on Westminster Bridge. It appeared strange to me that a company that routinely traded while parked on the red-route, bus lane and cycle lane should be allocated a proper pitch.

It would appear that another company, which has routinely flouted the parking regulations in order to trade, reckons that if they continue to contravene the rules they'll be rewarded with a legitimate pitch too. (I'm assuming, quite possibly wrongly, that the vans are unrelated to Piccadilly Whip)

Here's the first of the vans on the bridge the other day

and here's the second, just by the Piccadilly Whip on-pavement stall

I wonder if TfL could arrange for one of Boris's new Routemaster replacements to undergo a crash test here?

A practical solution to Westminster Bridge Ice Creaminals, but is if fair?

Readers of this blog over the past couple of years will know that I've marvelled at the inability of the authorities to stop Ice Cream vans parking and trading on the red route in the cycle lane in the bus lane on Westminster Bridge, part of the the high security zone around Parliament.

I'm delighted that a seemingly sensible solution has been found, given the clear demand to purchase ice cream at this spot. A stall has been erected on the pavement at the base of the Coade stone lion.

I want to be reassured however that the decision to award the contract to Piccadilly Whip followed a fair and reasonable process and that they're paying through the nose for the pitch.

If you look at the photos of the ice cream vans trading where they shouldn't park you'll see one company time and time and time again. That's right, Piccadilly Whip.

I doubt any competitor in a tender process could more accurately judge the potential income from the site than the company that has parked in breach of the regulations to trade there over many years. That's assuming there was a tender process rather than Lambeth or TfL just striking a convenient deal with the culprits.

I can't help but wonder whether Piccadilly Whip will have the gall to add a van or two on sunny days that have the tourists out by the million. Watch this space!

UPDATE
South Bank Employers Group (SBEG) have let me know they are responsible for the pitch on Westminster Bridge.  They say,

"The pitch is one of four and is part of a pilot project to reduce illegal trading in the South Bank by licensing a small number of pitches in trading hotspots.  We have not yet completed the evaluation of the pilot, but at this stage, as you point out in your blog, it seems to have been successful in reducing the problem of ice cream vans pulling up on the Bridge and blocking the cycle lane, which I know you have a particular interest in.
I can assure you that the selection process for the pilot was transparent and fair.  We interviewed a number of different traders and selected the two that best met the assessment criteria.
Once the pilot is complete in March I can be clearer about whether we will seek to extend the scheme, but it would not be appropriate to speculate on that yet as this is a matter for the SBEG board."

UK Uncut to target Ice Creaminals?

The Guardian today reports that "More than a dozen separate UK Uncut groups from around the country will head to Oxford Street at 2pm, where they will stage 14 separate protests before descending on a new, as yet unannounced, target at 3.30pm. Actor Sam West and comedians Josie Long and Mark Thomas will be joining in the protests."

Those bastions of trading where they should not be, thieving trade from local business rate paying businesses are back in force on Westminster Bridge flouting the bus and cycle lane on the red route (above today, as every day this week).

The police are attempting to move them on but seem still to be losing the battle.

Maybe UK Uncut could kettle the vans?

WOW what a great ride and visit

Pedal Power Kennington had been looking forward to today's ride for months, ever since I'd found out it is possible for a group to go up the 334 steps of the Palace of Westminster Clock Tower and see Big Ben strike the hour!

It's something very few people get the chance to do....and it's free at the moment (though an entrance charge is in the offing)! You have to write a letter of request to your MP and they can ask the authorities to arrange the visit for up to 16 people (a big thanks to Kate Hoey, our MP. You then send your list of people and other details about them to the authorities two weeks before the visit to get police clearance, and roll up at the appointed time on the day.

The tour is brilliant, but you're not allowed to take photos so you'll have to book your own tour (or, for a sub-prime experience, watch it online ) .

What made the trip even better for our group is that most of us live or go to school within sound of the bells, plus about half the group were born in St Thomas' Hospital directly opposite - the first photo of my daughter has the clock face in the background.

We had a quick practice ride, then set off as it started to rain. We went over Lambeth Bridge and, being in good time, went along the Mall to Buckingham Palace before cycling to Parliament Square and parking our bikes on the racks outside Portcullis House.

After the tour it was straight over Westminster Bridge (past the first Ice Cream van of the year parked and trading in the bus and cycle lane on the red route) and back to Kennington. Not a long ride but a great afternoon out that we'll remember for a long time to come.

Saturday afternoon on the South Bank

Outside the former Aquarium and the Eye, clearly too congested at this time to cycle, so people with bikes will get off and push them. Pass under Westminster Bridge so you're opposite Parliament and the situation at the same time on a Saturday afternoon is entirely different

Plenty of room for people to pootle on their Boris Bikes - a perfect Londoner and tourist use of the Thames Path that local politicians and employers aim to ban. (Catch up on Thames Path blog posts here)

The powers don't talk of providing an alternative traffic-free cycle route along the Thames with views of Parliament, yet this road in St Thomas' Hospital grounds is clearly perfect for that role. You can follow it around to the entrance of St Thomas' and then straight across the Toucan to Belvedere Road.

The joy about pootling along the Thames on a bike is that a few quiet minutes later you're halfway to Battersea, able to look back where you came from.

Finally, an iconic view of Westminster Bridge and Parliament, with the obligatory two ice cream vans trading while parked on the red route, bus lane and cycle lane. (Catch up on the Ice Cream war here)

Hundreds and thousands stick to Ice Creaminals

What would a permit cost for two ice cream van pitches on Westminster Bridge, twixt the London Eye and the Houses of Parliament, for several hours a day during the summer holidays?

A hefty amount I'll bet, not to mention being charged the on-costs of altering a Traffic Management Order and re-routing a red route, bus lane and cycle lane.

But what did it actually cost the owners of the two ice-cream vans routinely flouting the red route, bus lane and cycle lane this summer?

TfL reported to a local Councillor that 20 Fixed Penalty Notices (Traffic Offence) and 17 Penalty Charge Notices (Refusal to Move - Obstruction) were issued over a 53 day period covering half of July and all of August. One arrest was apparently made but I bet that no charges were made.

TfL don't say what the penalty charges are on their website but, from a Google, I believe the FPNs would be £50 each and the PCNs would be £120 (reduced to £60 if paid within 14 days).

That's £2020, or £38 a day between two vans.

So the going rate for a top London pitch, with no requirement to pay council tax on it, is £19 a van a day.

That's a very attractive proposition. I wonder how much ice cream vans cost and whether the competition are aggressively protective of their dodgy pitches?

Ice Cream vans in Future Cars Challenge

I've 'borrowed' this lovely image from the wonderful London SE1 and hope they don't mind. Here's a splendid promo photo of some of the vehicles taking part in the Future Cars Challenge this coming Saturday. As the shot is taken on Westminster Bridge it's no surprise to see two Ice Cream vans included.

The challenge is to get the vans to stop trading in the bus lane, red route, cycle lane and I fear that the overstretched Met lack the resources to be able to tackle this kind of organised crime. Given this dire enforcement on our roads it's no wonder some cyclists prefer the mellow safety of the pavement.

Ice Cream Van Riddle

In the absence of authorative action from the authorities over ten years, I've been mulling over more effective ways than parking tickets to get rid of the Ice Cream criminals from the bus lane/cycle lane/red route on Westminster Bridge. The vans were, of course, there again this afternoon as I passed.

Kate Hoey, MP for Vauxhall, is the Chairman of the Countryside Alliance (pro fox-hunting etc.) headquartered in Kennington Road. The Alliance has a wide range of campaigning merchandise and I wonder whether our local MP could be persuaded to donate some of their car stickers for some campaigners to sneakily affix all over the ice-cream vans.

Given that Westminster is a high security zone there must be a chance of some trigger-happy officials riddling these vans.

Shooting Fish in a Barrel

Central London's bridges are complete crap for cyclists yet London's traffic authorities have an astounding disinterest in improving conditions.

Transport for London and the Metropolitan Police's incompetence cannot be shown more simply than their failure to stop the blatant day-in, day-out trading by the same ice-cream criminals in the red route, bus lane and cycle lane on Westminster Bridge.

TfL yet to lick Ice Cream vendors or Waterloo Cars

Last Friday was a damp, autumnal day - but not something to deter the illegal traders on the red route/bus lane/cycle lane on Westminster Bridge. I'd been noticing them continue to trade over the previous several days and so it was time for another quick photo.

And, given the abject failure by Transparking for London to block these organised criminals, I thought I'd better have a look at the new Superficial Highway which was always parked on by Waterloo Cars when it was a green cycle route, and now it's blue... it's still always parked on by the LICENSED minicab drivers.


The two pedal police I spoke to who were lurking by the junction today told me they were there to catch cyclists jumping the red lights and, of course, parking by 'professional' drivers in a mandatory cycle lane on a yellow line was not the sort of crime that concerned them.

What good's a rule if you can't enforce it?

The draft South Bank and Waterloo Cycling Strategy's Summary of Recommendations includes:
"River Walk policy
• Private landowners Southbank Centre and Coin Street Community Builders to support enforcement of no cycling rule on the River Walk between Oxo Tower Wharf and London Eye.

Should no enforcement support be agreed with police, landowners to support signage plan in (b) below if funded by external agencies

Lambeth Council to support educative methods and signage to encourage cyclists to use designated routes away from the River Walk (between Westminster and Lambeth Bridges), with no enforcement of cycling ban."

Thank goodness for a dose of reality.

We know that illegal trading on a regular basis shouldn't be possible in central London from a parked vehicle (big enough to have enough Semtex to make a real mess) in a major security zone, within a bus lane, and a cycle lane on a red-route . It breaks so many laws it's not true.

Indeed, enforcement against these ice-cream van traders on Westminster Bridge is a priority of TfL. Yet today the organised criminals were out in force yet again - while a police support officer looked on powerlessly. Half an hour later (12.30 - 1pm) and no ticket had been issued, no request to move on made, no arrests.

Whether the authorities wish to enforce considerate cycling or no cycling makes no difference to the reality that either option requires resources.

Without resources there's no point in putting up signs banning cycling because they'll be ignored by the type of person who talks on their phone while driving. Law abiding, considerate cyclists will however feel compelled to mix it with the HGVs on Belvedere Road.

What kind of result is that?

And, if resources can be found for enforcement, surely enforcing considerate behaviour by all space users should be the priority!

Licked on Westminster Bridge? Maybe not yet.

Transport for London wrote to me on the 16th saying 'In light of your comments regarding this location, we will continue to monitor this area to ensure maximum levels of compliance.'
I was entertained by the use of the word 'continue'.

However, yesterday, just after I spotted the usual pair of vans trading on Westminster Bridge's red route, cycle lane and bus lane, a traffic warden arrived, issued a ticket and asked the driver to move on.

Nope, they decided, too much money to be made breaking the law.


So the Traffic Warden called the police to this high security zone and a mere 15 minutes later a fit Constable arrives, having run all the way from Trafalgar Square. The drivers see him walking towards them and drive off. Then a police car arrives.


I suspect the culprits won't get away with it for long.

Ice Cream Wars

It is ludicrous that two ice cream vans (one pictured) can regularly and blatantly sell ice-cream on Westminster Bridge in the bus and cycle lane on the red route in, I believe, the Bishops Ward, Lambeth part of the bridge.

Please TfL re parking or, if Lambeth has the jurisdiction on illegal trading, act on this.

Better still both.


There must be security cameras, Palace of Westminster Marksmen in need of practice, and even some traffic wardens who could do something every time the vans stop on the bridge never mind set up shop. Surely the South Bank Employers Group have security staff who could radio in when they appear.

I would hope that I never see them there again from a week's time. Otherwise I'll have to suspect someone's being paid a large sum of money to turn a blind eye.

By the way, googling the van's registration number I found http://london.mybikelane.com/map/plate/7084