History Main / TrafficWardens

* ''Wolf in Shadow'' takes the problems with privatizing this position to its natural extreme: the rights to ticketing cars in one neighborhood are purchased by the local crime boss, who turns it into an outright extortion racket.

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. Other stories include the disabled and elderly people's cars having photographs deliberately taken from angles that won't show the Disabled Pass. This happens because Traffic Wardens work on commission.

* In the season three opener of ''{{Primeval}}'', a traffic warden gets killed.

!!Examples

[[folder:Comics -- Books]]

* In ''MsTree'', the title character originally worked as a parking attendant who met her future husband when she ticketed him. Furthermore, she was frustrated enough being relegated to that position that she accepted his offer to work for him instead.

* In the Creator/TomHolt novel ''Who's Afraid of Beowulf?'', the heroes find their vehicle has been clamped while they were in the museum. The king responds to this by drawing his sword and cutting the clamps off. All bystanders cheer.

* The BBC nuclear holocaust drama ''{{Film/Threads}}'' famously used a picture of [[http://www.electronicsunset.org/sites/electronicsunset.org/files/images/Threads-Radio-Times-Doublethink.jpg an armed and injured traffic warden]] for its publicity stills to suitably chilling effect.

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

* ''Series/ParkingWars'' is an A&E RealityShow about meter maids.

* ''ParkingWars'' is an A&E RealityShow about meter maids.
* In ''TopGear'', Jeremy Clarkson takes a [[AcceptableTargets lot of shots]] at them.
* A skit where LennyHenry is the next DoctorWho has him escaping the Cybermen only to find the TARDIS has been wheel-clamped. Fortunately his companion has a DisintegratorRay.

* George Roper from ''GeorgeAndMildred'' was employed as a traffic warden for a time (in keeping with his ButtMonkey status).

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

* ''HarryAndPaul'' features Parking Pataweyo, a cross between PostmanPat and a traffic warden, who lies in wait to issue people with tickets the second their parking permit runs out. In Pataweyo's last sketch his colleague gives him a parking ticket on his day off.

* In ''Film/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. Amusingly, the wardens were ''not'' told just how wet they were going to get (a small reservoir worth of water soaks them).

* In the 2000 film version of ''Film/{{Bedazzled 2000}}'', the Devil, in a EvilIsPetty moment, used her powers to make some parking meters expire early and then, as a meter maid, gave the cars tickets.

* GastonLagaffe's longtime foe [[MeddlesomePatrolman Longtarin]], who lives only to give parking tickets. Their rivalry sometimes reaches [[EscalatingWar escalating prank war]] proportions.

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

* AcceptableTargets for Creator/JasperCarrott (and many other stand-up comics). "Some people, you give them a peaked cap and they start ''[[GodwinsLaw building camps]]!''

* In the 1990's spy comedy ''The Piglet Files'' the MI5 protagonists realise their target is on the move and [[SpiesInAVan start their van]] to chase after them, only to discover they've been wheel-clamped.

* A certain phone company has a Traffic Warden go around and putting tickets on people that really shouldn't be getting tickets. Like right after they've parked. During all the scream and pleading they open up the ticket to reveal money...or at least something nice.

* 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.

* AcceptableTargets for JasperCarrott (and many other stand-up comics). "Some people, you give them a peaked cap and they start ''[[GodwinsLaw building camps]]!''

* Music/TheBeatles: "Lovely Rita, Meter Maid"

* In the 2000 film version of ''Film/{{Bedazzled 2000}}'', the Devil, in a EvilIsPetty moment, used her powers to make some parking meters expire early and as a meter maid then gave the cars tickets.

* When Sergeant Colon and Corporal Nobbs found themselves in charge of the ''Literature/{{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.

* In ''Film/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 TomHolt novel ''Who's Afraid of Beowulf?'', the heroes find their vehicle has been clamped while they were in the museum. The king responds to this by drawing his sword and cutting the clamps off. All bystanders cheer.

* In the ''Series/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.

* ''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.

* In the 2000 film version of ''{{Bedazzled}}'', the Devil, in a EvilIsPetty moment, used her powers to make some parking meters expire early and as a meter maid then gave the cars tickets.

* TheBeatles: "Lovely Rita, Meter Maid"

-> ''Oh look, it's the traffic wombles!''
->- '''Jeremy Clarkson'''

* In ''TopGear'', Jeremy Clarkson takes a [[AcceptableTargets lot of shots]] at them, referring to them as "Traffic wombles" for their love of shutting down several lanes of traffic to find a single wing-mirror.