Shocking behaviour, bury them, etc etc.
But ...
Does this mean I can park anywhere I like in the EU (in a UK-registered car) and they can't touch me?
Nope.
I was bewildered as an EU citizen as well, why can't we be fined if we break UK traffic rules in the UK?
Then I read the article, and the complaints are not because EU drivers can't get off on a technicality. It's because the UK system is a mess, and instead of using the existing legal frameworks, they made up some shitty company that's against the law here. Also, they fined a ton of people in compliant vehicles, either totally randomly or because they didn't follow some rule that they made up just for EU vehicles.
I'm all for the ULEZ, but UK, please get your shit together and issue fines as an adult.
Also, they fined a ton of people in compliant vehicles, either totally randomly or because they didn’t follow some rule that they made up just for EU vehicles.
The issue is that if a numberplate isn't registered in the UK then the system has no idea if it's a compliant vehicle or not. The choices here are either hire a bunch of people to go through the videos, identify the car make, age, and petrol type, then decide from that whether they are compliant OR they let the automated system send the letter and if your car is compliant then you tell them. You can avoid the whole shebang if you just register your car before you travel.
The issue is that the UK government (or city of London) outsourced law enforcement to a shady company from the US which doesn't care about data protection and obtained EU citizen information through illegal channels.
This is much more serious than issuing bogus fines to foreign blokes.
It’s because the UK system is a mess
That's true enough. But I actually did read the article. Even if we had the best system imaginable, it would not be legally possible to obtain EU data for civil offences. And that law must work both ways, so I'm pretty sure I could get away with committing non-criminal driving offences in the EU because they can't legally access our data to track me down.
No they will just stop you at the border and make you pay up. The Swiss do this already and I can totally see the Netherlands also putting up an Vehicle Plate Scanner at the Border checking if there are any traffic tickets still pending for your car
The Dutch system is actually super invasive. They do everything they can to find you, and then use their SWIFT access from the Belgians to get the funds directly from your account if you don't comply.
Yeah, but let's say they start to build a dossier on you and then they randomly stop you for a check on the road?
Prepare your anus
Please don't make rape 'jokes'. I'm not a bloke but it'd be no more acceptable if I was.
Would have never thought this could be remotely connected to a rape joke. I mean your anus is a metaphor for your wallet. Sorry
I'm not sure if English is your first language (if not, you write it very well). Direct translations can cause all sorts of misunderstandings. For a native English speaker, that is a rape joke.
Hi, no english is not my first language, thank you for the compliment tho.
Anyway, another word that I could have used would have been "prepare to get fucked" still sexual; is it still "rapey" ?
Weirdly enough, that wouldn't come across as a rape joke. I know, it makes no sense.
Lol.
So if someone is eating a really spicy chili and I say "Prepare your anus".
Is it a rape joke ?
Not a native speaker either but I feel presenting the original comment as a rape joke is a stretch.
Context matters.
Also breaking news, plenty of Police forces and prison guards are able to kindly ask you to "prepare your anus" and in a very much legal manner. This is how I understood the original comment.
In the context of eating spicy food, it is fine.
In the context of law enforcement, it is 100% a rape joke.
How is it a rape if it's legal and the person consents to it ?
Oh well whatever. This is pointless.
Oh, you're a troll. Fuck off.
This whole conversation has really derailed at some point...
This is the best summary I could come up with:
The Guardian can reveal Transport for London (TfL) has been accused by five EU countries of illegally obtaining the names and addresses of their citizens in order to issue the fines, with more than 320,000 penalties, some totalling thousands of euros, sent out since 2021.
Transport authorities in Belgium, Spain, Germany and the Netherlands have confirmed to the Guardian that driver data cannot be shared with the UK for enforcement of London’s ultra-low emission zone (Ulez), and claim registered keeper details were obtained illegally by agents acting for TfL’s contractor Euro Parking Collection.
TfL said that despite an absence of individual data-sharing agreements with EU countries, “local laws” allowed authorities to share vehicle owner information with the UK for the enforcement of traffic regulations.
The firm is owned by the US transport technology group Verra Mobility, which is listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange and headed by the former Bank of America Merrill Lynch executive David Roberts.
In October, the Belgian government ordered a criminal investigation after a court bailiff was accused of illegally passing the details of 20,000 drivers to Euro Parking for Ulez enforcement.
“Euro Parking obtained the data through unlawful use of an EU directive to facilitate the cross-border exchange of information about traffic offences that endanger road safety,” a KBA spokesperson said.
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