A traffic warden is a non-warranted officer employed by a statutory authority in jurisdictions such as the United Kingdom, Hong Kong and Ireland, to assist in regulating the flow of traffic.
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In the Republic of Ireland, traffic wardens are employed by councils to enforce laws relating to the parking and stopping of motor vehicles. They were introduced by the Local Authorities (Traffic Wardens) Act 1975. Under the Road Traffic Acts, traffic wardens are empowered to issue on the spot parking tickets and fines for non-display for a tax disk. It is an offence to refuse to provide your name and address when demanded to do so by a traffic warden.
Traffic wardens were introduced to Britain under the Road Traffic Act 1960.[1] Besides their stated duty of "issuing [penalty] tickets for parking offences", their role also included "offering advice to motorists".[1]
Traffic wardens 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 or loading restriction is in force. Wardens 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 number of traffic wardens in Great Britain has dropped significantly since 1991, when the Road Traffic Act gave local authorities the option to apply for Decriminalised Parking Enforcement powers, under which they can employ civil enforcement officers to monitor parking regulations.
The Metropolitan Police has merged the roles of traffic warden and Police Community Support Officer to create the Traffic Police Community Support Officer role.[2] These officers have the powers of both a Community Support Officer and a Traffic Warden .
In Hong Kong, traffic wardens take up minor tasks such as issuing parking tickets.