Mountain bikes just the ticket for wardens

Parking wardens in Lambeth are switching from cars to bicycles in a bid to cut carbon emissions.

A tenth of the borough's 100-strong team now travel around the borough on mountain bikes, each covering about seven to 10 miles a day.

The attendants usually use mopeds or cars.

Lambeth hopes its move will prompt other London boroughs to follow suit.

The council introduced five bicycling parking wardens last year but this week the number was doubled to 10. While the proportion is still low, the aim is to get as many staff as possible on to bicycles.

Martin Paterson, manager for the Lambeth's parking service, said today: "Bikes are the perfect form of transport for the role.

"It keeps our parking attendants healthy, makes them more accessible to the public and, of course, helps reduce Lambeth's carbon emissions.

He added: "With all the work that Lambeth council has undertaken in improving routes for cyclists, cycling is also becoming a great deal safer. Bicycles are also a great way of beating traffic and reducing congestion."

The wardens undergo cycle confidence training as part of a programme of subsidised sessions that are available to anyone who lives, works or studies in the borough.

A council spokesman said: " Obviously it would be ideal if all of them could switch to bicycles but for operational reasons that's not possible. Lambeth is a big borough and some of the distances are just too large to cover on a bike.

"But we're making a good start and the response from the wardens and the public has been encouraging."

As well as its environmental benefits, the move appears to have smoothed relations between wardens and drivers.

The spokesman added: "Evidence so far suggests the public react more favourably to parking attendants who are on bikes, rather than in cars or mopeds. They are seen as more friendly, open and approachable."

Other "green" initiatives by the council include an electric car for staff, a pool bike scheme so employees can cycle between offices for meetings, more support for car sharing and the conversion of 70 per cent of the authority's vehicles to run on LPG fuel.

Lambeth has also boosted its recycling rates over the past year, exceeding government targets.