History Main / TrafficWardens

* When Sergeant Colon and Corporal Nobbs found themselves in charge of the ''{{Discworld}}''-equivalent of this department, the over-zealous clamping policy went so far as to include ''buildings'' as targets, including the Opera House and the Patrician's Palace. It ''could'' be argued that buildings do impede the flow of traffic somewhat.... Of course, Colon is a reasonable man and recognizes that Vetinari was parked on business.\\\

* ''TheTomorrowPeople'' story ''The Doomsday Men'' featured a traffic warden as a RunningGag. In his first appearance, he tries to put a parking ticket on a van belonging to a friend of the [=TPs=], only for the van to teleport away before he has a chance. He later gets fired after trying to prove to his boss that there ''is'' a disappearing van, and in his final appearance, he [[DrivenToSuicide jumps in a river]].

* In ''TheWorldIsNotEnough'', JamesBond splashes two wardens (played by those featured in ''Clampers'') in a tight turn with the Q-Boat. Many cinema audiences in the UK cheered at this scene.

* In the ''RedDwarf'' episode "Camille", Lister tries to break Kryten's programming and teach him to lie. Succeeding, Kryten describes a banana as a "small, off-duty Czechoslovak traffic warden", which was inexplicably changed to Tasmanian in the Czech dub.

----

* One of the few sympathetic portrayals of traffic wardens was in the JulianSymons novel ''A Three Pipe Problem''. Needing eyes on the streets, the hero Sheridan Hayes recruits the local traffic wardens: they know the streets, are out every day, and no-one pays them any attention.

* That Mitchell and Webb Sound had a sketch about traffic wardens, which unusually is supportive of them. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O33hDb8kIDA]]

This sentiment has not been helped by the fact that the job is now outsourced to private companies. "[[UrbanLegends Horror stories]]" such as vehicles involved in traffic accidents and ambulances picking up critically injured patients being ticketed are commonplace.

An European job, being civilian staff employed by the police to enforce parking laws. Their handiwork can be seen if you ever park on a double yellow line in a British city.

* ''Parking Wars'', which follows meter maids as the subject, is one of A&E's most popular RealityShows.

Having acquired a reputation for [[ObstructiveBureaucrat petty-mindedness and inflexibility]] (ticketing people attending a funeral, for example), traffic wardens have become AcceptableProfessionalTargets in the United Kingdom and France.

* A recent [=McDonalds=] advert in the UK featured a traffic warden trying to put ticket on the windscreen of a monster truck.

* One episode of ''CandidCamera'' featured a car with a loose windscreen, which fell in and smashed when the traffic warden tried to attach a ticket.

* In ''GoodOmens'' the angel and demon protagonists both come upon a traffic warden writing a ticket, and both assume traffic wardens were created by the other's faction.

[[AC:Advertising]]

[[AC:Comics]]
* GastonLagaffe's longtime foe [[TheLongtarin Longtarin]], who lives only to give parking tickets. Their rivalry somtimes reaches [[EscalatingWar escalating prank war]] proportions.

[[AC:Film]]

* ''LockStockAndTwoSmokingBarrels'' has a traffic warden held prisoner by the criminals and beaten up, then recovered by the heroes - who can't resist beating him up themselves.
--> '''Eddie''': I fucking hate traffic wardens.
--> ''[The gang proceed to beat said traffic warden senseless]''

[[AC:{{Literature}}]]

* When Sergeant Colon and Corporal Nobbs found themselves in charge of the ''{{Discworld}}''-equivalent of this department, the over-zealous clamping policy went so far as to include ''buildings'' as targets, including the Opera House and the Patrician's Palace. It ''could'' be argued that buildings do impede the flow of traffic somewhat...
** Of course, Colon is a reasonable man and recognizes that Vetinari was parked on business.
** He's also willing to overlook the offense if the accused presents credible evidence of a free pint or meal.
** Possibly the best trick they pulled (subsequently busted by Vetinari) was for Nobby to disguise himself as an old woman and cross the road extremely slowly in front of oncoming traffic, getting people to stop long enough that Colon could ticket them.

* One of the few sympathetic portrayals of traffic wardens was in the JulianSymons novel ''A Three Pipe Problem''. Needing eyes on the streets, the hero Sheridan Hayes recruits the local traffic wardens: they know the streets, are out every day, and no one pays them any attention.

[[AC:LiveActionTV]]

* One sketch/bit on TriggerHappyTV featured a prank where the actor disguised as a Traffic Warden approaches a man either stopped at a red light or stop sign to tell him he can't park there. When the driver insists he's just stopped and not parked, the warden warns him not to get belligerent and starts writing up a fake ticket.

[[AC:Music]]
* [[TheBeatles Lovely Rita, Meter Maid]]

[[AC:Radio]]

<<|BritishMediaTropes|>>
<<|UsefulNotes/{{Britain}}|>>

* GastonLagaffe's longtime foe [[TheLongtarin Longtarin]], who lives only to give parking tickets. Their rivalry somtimes reaches EscalatingPrankWar proportions.

** Eddie: I fucking hate traffic wardens. *''The gang proceed to beat said traffic warden senseless''*

A British job, being civilian staff employed by the police to enforce parking laws. Their handiwork can be seen if you ever park on a double yellow line in a British city.

* A [[TheBBC BBC]] {{docusoap}}, ''Clampers'', followed about a bunch of traffic wardens.

Having acquired a reputation for [[ObstructiveBureaucrat petty-mindedness and inflexibility]] (ticketing people attending a funeral, for example), traffic wardens have become AcceptableTargets in the United Kingdom and France.

* ''LockStockAndTwoSmokingBarrels'' has a traffic warden held prisoner by the criminals and beaten up.
** Then recovered by the heroes, who can't resist beating him up themselves.

Having acquired a reputation for petty-mindedness and inflexibility (ticketing people attending a funeral, for example), traffic wardens have become AcceptableTargets in the United Kingdom and France.

* In the ''RedDwarf'' episode "Camille", Lister tries to break Kryten's programming and teach him to lie. Succeeding, Kryten describes a banana as a "small, off-duty Czechoslovak traffic warden", which was changed to Tasmanian in the Czech dub for some reason.