Line #103 Main/TrafficWardens


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5	[[quoteright:350:[[WesternAnimation/{{Zootopia}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/julie_meter_maid_6.png]]]]
6	[[caption-width-right:350:Your [[{{Pun}} park]] is worse than your plight.]]
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11
12	->'''Mildred''': Traffic warden? Mmm, well, you've been turned down for worse jobs. I suppose being turned down for this one is a step in the right direction.\
13	'''George''': Oi, they might not turn me down. I've got all the qualifications.\
14	'''Mildred''': What ''qualifications'' are needed?\
15	'''George''': None.\
16	'''Mildred''': Right, you've got it.
17	-->-- ''Series/GeorgeAndMildred'', "Just the Job"
18
19	Traffic wardens are civilian staff employed by the police to enforce parking laws. Their handiwork can be seen if you ever [[ParkingProblems park in a prohibited area]] or let your meter run out for just one... damn... second!
20
21	The name "traffic warden" is most common in the United Kingdom. In America, the typical disparaging term is "meter maid" (used for either gender), though their official name in their municipality might be something like "parking enforcement officer."
22
23	Since the job is entirely limited to handing out tickets for breaking minor laws that most people feel immune to, they've acquired a reputation for being [[ObstructiveBureaucrat burdensome, petty and obnoxious]], providing little benefit to society and generally just making things worse for everyone. Because of the hate, they're typically portrayed negatively. Of course, this is often shown to create a ViciousCycle, where traffic wardens quickly become aggressive and mean because of the way they're treated by the public.
24
25	If a traffic warden shows up in media, expect tempers to be lost and arguments to follow.
26
27	Contrast with MeddlesomePatrolman.
28
29	----
30	!!Examples:
31
32	[[foldercontrol]]
33
34	[[folder:Advertising]]
35	* A [=McDonalds=] advert in the UK featured a traffic warden trying to put ticket on the windscreen of a monster truck.
36	* 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.
37	* An Australian lotto ad featured a traffic warden about to ticket a car as the owner rushes up only for a dog to urinate on the wheel washing of the chalk mark on the tyre.
38	[[/folder]]
39
40	[[folder:Comedy]]
41	* Constant targets for Creator/JasperCarrott (and many other stand-up comics). "Some people, you give them a peaked cap and they start ''[[GodwinsLaw building camps]]!''"
42	* On sketch starts with a man in the street who sees a cop writing a ticket for a car with an expired meter in front of City Hall.
43	-->"I'm not paying that."\
44	"Say what?"\
45	"I'm not paying a cent of that fine."\
46	"No?"\
47	The cop finishes writing up the ticket, then starts a new one.\
48	"Then how about one for the broken tail light?"\
49	"Nope."\
50	"The tires are worn."\
51	"Don't care."\
52	"The license plate is dirty!"\
53	"Fine by me."\
54	Finally the cop runs out of faults to find (and tickets) and smugly looks at the man, who shrugs and walks away. Then the mayor comes out of city hall with his car keys in hand to find his windshield covered in tickets...
55	[[/folder]]
56
57	[[folder:Comic Books]]
58	* ''ComicBook/GastonLagaffe'':
59	** Gaston's (who interprets No Parking Allowed signs as parking spots no-one ever occupies) longtime foe [[MeddlesomePatrolman Longtarin]], who while an actual cop, seemingly lives only to give parking tickets. Their rivalry sometimes reaches [[EscalatingWar escalating prank war]] proportions.
60	** A one-panel gag shows Gaston having crashed his car into a parking meter... and putting a coin in it anyway, under Longtarin's glare.
61	** One strip has Gaston deploy a robot with a buzzsaw that starts cutting down the meter. When Longtarin confiscates it, Gaston retaliates with a dog-shaped robot that pees on the meter. Revolted by its sheer tastelessness, Longtarin turns his back on it, so he doesn't see the dog is little more than a four-legged reservoir of concentrated acid.
62	** One strip has Longtarin lying in wait for the meter to expire with seconds left to go... then Gaston's gull flaps down with a coin in its beak, inserts it, and flies off, reducing Longtarin to tears.
63	** Longtarin has a CatchPhrase: "[[CantYouReadTheSign Is that a traffic sign or a giant lollipop?]]" Naturally, Gaston [[InstantlyProvenWrong uses it against him.]]
64	** Gaston leaves a gas reservoir in his car but forgets to close it. Longtarin approaches to write it up... and the car lifts off in front of him, driving him a to a nervous breakdown.
65	** Gaston parks under a tree in front of a No Parking sign, [[RefugeInAudacity right under Longtarin's nose]]. As the patrolman readies his notebook, Gaston reassures him, hooks the car's roof to a chain dangling from the tree, then hauls it straight up, revealing he'd installed a pulley system on the tree.
66	--->'''Police Chief:''' How ''high up'' does a No Parking zone go? Are you feeling well, officer Longtarin?
67	** Longtarin once set up a parking meter on a No Parking sign, hitting Gaston with two tickets at once.
68	* In ''ComicBook/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.
69	[[/folder]]
70
71	[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
72	* This is Judy Hopps' first posting as a police officer in ''WesternAnimation/{{Zootopia}}.'' Being a rabbit, she uses her naturally sharp hearing to ticket vehicles within seconds of their meter expiring. Unfortunately, SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome takes hold and by the the next day, Judy finds herself swamped with complaints from the citizenry for her zealousness in ticketing them.
73	[[/folder]]
74
75	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
76	* In ''Film/TheWorldIsNotEnough'', Film/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).
77	* ''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.
78	-->'''Eddie:''' I fucking hate traffic wardens.\
79	''(the gang proceed to beat said traffic warden senseless)''
80	* 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.
81	* 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.
82	* The film ''Film/MurderParty'' stars Chris Hawley, a lonely loser and ExtremeDoormat who admits (under TruthSerum) that he works as a traffic warden, makes less than $30,000 a year, and spends each day making people's days worse.
83	* ''Film/TheOutlawsIsComing'': As part of the AnachronismStew, the WildWest town of Caspar, Wyoming has parking limits. A meter maid in a buggy passes by, marking all of the wagon wheels and legs of the horses parked along the street. As soon as she is gone, all of the cowboys run out of the saloon and wiped the paint of their horses' legs.
84	[[/folder]]
85
86	[[folder:Literature]]
87	* In ''Literature/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.
88	* When Sergeant Colon and Corporal Nobbs found themselves in charge of the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}''-equivalent of this department ("A chance to be 'self-financing' and not be shot at"), 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, a free meal, and/or information. 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.
89	* In the Creator/TomHolt novel ''Literature/WhosAfraidOfBeowulf'', 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.
90	* One of the few sympathetic portrayals of traffic wardens was in the JulianSymons novel ''[[Literature/SherlockHolmes 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 [[BeneathNotice no-one pays them any attention]].
91	* ''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. At one point they clamp the car of one of the heroes, despite it clearly being labeled a police vehicle. Said hero beats the clampers to a pulp with his bare hands, to the general cheers of all witnesses.
92	[[/folder]]
93
94	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
95	* A [[Creator/TheBBC BBC]] {{docusoap}}, ''Series/{{Clampers}}'', followed about a bunch of traffic wardens.
96	* ''Series/TheTomorrowPeople1973'' 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]].
97	* In the season three opener of ''Series/{{Primeval}}'', a traffic warden gets killed.
98	* Parodied in ''Series/TheChasersWarOnEverything'', where Julian Morrow, as the "Citizen's Infringement Officer" went around giving tickets for things such as stupid baby names instead.
99	* Jocelyn Jee Esien played the character of an officious traffic warden who issues tickets for increasingly ridiculous "offences", such as being in a road accident or taking a nap in the car.
100	* ''Series/RedDwarf'':
101	** In the episode "Camille", Lister tries to break Kryten's programming and teach him to lie. Succeeding, Kryten describes a banana as a "small, off-duty Czechoslovakian traffic warden", which was changed to Tasmanian in the Czech dub, perhaps because that country does not have them.
102	** In the episode "Back to Reality", the crew wake up to find that Red Dwarf was a virtual reality program. Kryten's real identity turns out to be "Agent [[AwesomeMcCoolname Jack Bullit]] of cybernautics". He assumes that he must be a CowboyCop, but Rimmer counters that maybe he's just a traffic warden with a ridiculously macho name. The latter option is later confirmed when they run into a real cop (of the fascist police state they're in).
103	* One episode of ''Series/CandidCamera'' featured a car with a loose windscreen, which fell in and smashed when the traffic warden tried to attach a ticket.
104	* One sketch/bit on ''Series/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.
105	* ''Series/HarryAndPaul'' features Parking Pataweyo, a cross between WesternAnimation/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.
106	* ''Series/ParkingWars'' is an A&E RealityShow about parking enforcement, which shows their side of the story.
107	* In ''Series/TopGear'', Jeremy Clarkson takes a lot of shots at them.
108	* A skit where Creator/LennyHenry is the next Series/DoctorWho has him escaping the Cybermen only to find the TARDIS has been wheel-clamped. Fortunately his companion has a DisintegratorRay.
109	* In the 1990's spy comedy ''Series/ThePigletFiles'' 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.
110	* George Roper from ''Series/GeorgeAndMildred'' was employed as a traffic warden for a time (in keeping with his ButtMonkey status).
111	* ''Series/LondonsBurning'': A traffic warden is unwise enough to wheel-clamp a vehicle driven by three tough-guy types, who don't take it very well and leave him chained to some nearby railings with three of his own clamps, as well as clamping ''his'' van and throwing the keys down a nearby drain for good measure. Neither the men of Blue Watch nor the police officer who initially responded bother to hide their amusement.
112	* One sketch on ''Series/TheBennyHillShow'' features a war between the traffic wardens and the street sweepers. Hill's character is a sweeper who is winning the war for his side when he notices that one of the wardens is a pretty girl, so he negotiates a truce.
113	* [[Series/MisterRogersNeighborhood Mister Rogers]] once got ticketed because a traffic cop showed up while he was getting change for the meter. He then turned it into an episode where [[TheTroubleWithTickets he went to traffic court]].
114	[[/folder]]
115
116	[[folder:Music]]
117	* Music/TheBeatles: "Lovely Rita, Meter Maid" - written by Music/PaulMcCartney when he got ticketed and was gentlemanly enough to accept it without a fuss. He use the term "Meter Maid" because they heard the phrase in America and thought it sounded far more romantic than 'traffic warden'.
118	[[/folder]]
119
120	[[folder:Radio]]
121	* ''Radio/ThatMitchellAndWebbSound'' had a series of sketches called "Old Lady Job Justification Hearings," in which people have to explain what they do and "how it ''helps''" before a panel of kind but firm old ladies. These include a snotty futures trader, a snotty PR guy, and [[SelfDeprecation the two comedians themselves]], who are all gradually brought to realize that their careers are a waste of time. [[SubvertedTrope However]], the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O33hDb8kIDA one]] about a traffic warden has him start off as depressed because everyone's so down on traffic wardens, until the old ladies' questions give him a chance to explain that the rules he enforces are necessary and known to all drivers and that parking tickets provide a lot of revenue to the city. They declare his job a good one and [[IWasToldThereWouldBeCake reward him with cake]].
122	* One of Denis Norden's monologues on ''Radio/MyWord'' has him meeting an old girlfriend who is now "walking the streets", by which he turns out to mean she's a traffic warden. The reveal that he still carries a packet of the Curiously Strong Peppermints that were a part of their courtship encourages her to overlook that he's overrun his parking meter. He doesn't tell her that he's been feeding them ''into'' the meter, because they happen to be the same size as a 10p coin.
123	[[/folder]]
124
125	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
126	* There is a board game dedicated to this very topic: ''TabletopGame/BeatTheTrafficWarden''.
127	[[/folder]]
128
129	[[folder:Video Games]]
130	* One sidequest in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsFromZero'' has the main characters (who are cops) checking parking registrations and ticketing illegally parked vehicles.
131	* The appropriately-named Meter Maid, one of the playable drivers in ''VideoGame/TwistedMetal 4''. In her ending, she doesn't claim her wish from Sweet Tooth, but reveals that she entered the tournament just so she could issue him the fine for the ''massive'' amount of damage the [[DeadlyGame Twisted Metal competition]] has caused.
132	[[/folder]]

Context Main / TrafficWardens