A traffic warden is a member of civilian staff employed by a British police force to assist in regulating the flow of traffic. Traffic Wardens issue non-endorsable and sometimes, endorsable Fixed Penalty Notices. The number of Traffic Wardens in Great Britain has dropped significantly over the past ten years because the Road Traffic Act 1991 gave local authorities the option to apply for Decriminalised Parking Enforcement powers, under which they can employ civil parking attendants to monitor parking regulations. In general, traffic wardens do not listen to reasonable defence, instead relying on their own [often faulty] perception of the situation. Being completely inflexible is a common trait amongst these people. They issue non-endorsable Fixed Penalty Notices to vehicles that are breaching certain parking regulations, which may include stopping on a Red route, exceeding the time limit in a free parking bay, or parking on yellow lines, which indicate that a waiting and/or loading restriction is in force. They also issue Endorsable Fixed Penalty Notices for parking offences such as parking in a dangerous position or parking on the crossing area in the approach to a pedestrian crossing. The Metropolitan Police has recently merged the roles of Traffic Warden and Police Community Support Officer to create the Traffic Police Community Support Officer role. These people have the powers of both a Police Community Support Officer and a Traffic Warden.
