The Lib Dems on Lambeth Council have tried that one too! Unfortunately
the rate of appeals against tickets (as a percentage of tickets issued)
went through the roof in Lambeth as soon as the new contract was
signed. This is a clear sign that it as the number of tickets went up,
the quality of the tickets nose-dived.

Your argument (and the practice of setting an arbitrary target) also
ignores the possibility of deterrent. Any logical system would expect
better enforcement to result in a decreasing number of parking
violations, as people realise they won't get away with it. The 200,
000 figure is set in stone for 4 years!

It's hard to believe I know, but the traffic warden didn't turn up
after the guy had been taken away, he gave the given AT THE SAME TIME
as the guy was being put in the ambulance. People were remonstrating
with him as he did it. That's how the papers found out. This ticket
actually won the 2004 "worst ticket in the world" on the appealnow.com
website.

As for your comment about me whinging because I got a ticket...sorry
mate...I don't even own a car! Good parking enforcment keeps the roads
clear and safe, a bad parking enforcement system (like the one in
Lambeth) undermines the whole system. You can have a very effective
system, as they do in many other local authorities, which doesn't have
financial incentives in the contract. I think you having trouble
seeing the wood for the trees!