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The Debate Around Private Parking Fines in The UK
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Not many drivers enjoy receiving a fine from a parking company, and apparently, this sentiment is becoming apparent when it comes to the payment. According to research, 66% of drivers claim they are too aggressive when collecting fines and 84% believe fines are disproportionate to the offense.

But perhaps the situation is set to change. The RAC states that 93% of drivers are backing a new bill to enforce regulations on private parking firms that issue fine. Furthermore, the Daily Mirror has also reported that millions of parking tickets are illegal, and many drivers also have the right to fight for a refund, according to the RAC. Professor Stephen Glaister, RAC Foundation director, comments: “We estimate that in 2013 alone drivers might have been overcharged by some £100 million.” Here to explore the issue and how it could affect drivers in the UK is Vindis — specialists in Audi servicing specialists.

Car parking fines in the UK

A total cost of £94 million was spent on parking fines for UK drivers in 2017, with some cities issuing more than 500,000 penalties in the past three years! According to UK Carline, Brent, Croydon and Bristol were the cities that drivers were most likely to be hit with a parking fine — all three cities had given out more than 250,000 fines in 2016. Brent, in particular, soared ahead of other cities across the UK, issuing 537,128 fines across the three-year period. Here are the top councils with the greatest number of issued parking fines:
Rank City No. parking fines issued (over three years)
1 Brent 537,128
2 Croydon 339,121
3 Bristol 267,913
4 Ealing 236,733
5 Newcastle 221,659
6 Enfield 189,619
7 Sheffield 155,552
8 Leicester 147,358
9 Bradford 141,692
10 Plymouth 121,429
In the course of the past three years, 2,752,900 penalty charges were given out to motorists — and 941,888 were issued in 2016 alone. Taken as fact that each penalty was £100 per offence (the maximum offence), these penalty charges could be costing motorists £275,290,000 per year! And further figures from the RAC suggest these numbers continued to rise in the month running up to Christmas 2017 — with statistics that suggested there was a 10% increase in the number of tickets issued when compared to 2016’s figures (around 17,137 tickets issued every day). Furthermore, ParkingEye Ltd was found to have requested the largest amount of data from the DVLA, with more than 533,000 records obtained in the most recent quarter, at a cost of £2.50 a record. To look deeper into the issue, it’s worth trying to find out why fines are issued. RAC Foundation director, Steve Gooding, says the data suggests that private parking firms are “looking to maximise their profits from drivers out and about doing their festive shopping”. 72% of drivers say that parking terms and conditions notices are often hard to read or hidden in car parks. But, another 69% claim that parking charges were simply too high. According to UK Carline, some days of the week are more dangerous than others for motorists who wish to avoid paying a parking fine. Its research revealed that Saturday was the day most drivers were issued with a parking fine, while Sunday was the least likely. Figures show that just 235,584 tickets were issued on Sundays — a figure which still looks high but is significantly lower than the 430,035 tickets that were issued on Saturdays over the three-year period. Are drivers better behaved on Sundays? Or are parking firms more lenient? But, do we know how things will change if the new bill gets the green light? The RAC suggests that there are a number of areas which need to be addressed within the newly proposed bill in order for it to be a wide success, shifting driver attitudes towards a more positive consumer confidence in private parking firms. “Importantly, this bill will facilitate a set of national guidelines which we hope will make the appeals’ process simpler, tighten access to the DVLA database and bring higher standards to a sector which clearly has a poor reputation among motorists,” said road policy spokesman for the RAC, Nicholas Lyes. With regard to reputation, this does indeed need improving, as 81% of drivers feel firms have a bad standing. The proposed Parking (Code of Practice) Bill from former Conservative minister, Sir Greg Knight, was heard by the House of Commons for a second time in February 2018, but has yet to make an impact for UK motorists. The proposed new code of practice hoped to ensure fair treatment of motorists and parking firms alike — a practice that is clearly needed following data that shows ticketing has reached epidemic proportions. The RAC was pleased that the code of practice would mean that firms that did not comply with the new code would be blocked from accessing motorist’ information via the DVLA. The ‘war against motorists’ — coined by a Conservative MP — is expected to become a growing point of concern for local authorities and councils. Reportedly, permits and car parking rates are expected to go up by 45% in certain areas of the UK. This includes the introduction of Sunday parking charges. With councils already racking up a huge £819 million in parking fines, fees, and permits during 2016/17, how much are they anticipating to receive if charges increase by 45%? Motorists will not be happy, however, perhaps this is an incentive to fight more in support of a bill to regulate private parking. Could we see the right changes being made in the future, now that the government is involved in the debate?

Sources

https://www.mirror.co.uk/money/worst-places-parking-fines-england-10562783 https://www.mirror.co.uk/money/millions-parking-tickets-illegal—5199090 https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/news/motoring-news/inconceivable-number-of-drivers-hit-by-private-parking-fines/ https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/news/motoring-news/93-of-drivers-back-bill-to-regulate-private-parking/ https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/cars/811013/parking-fines-UK-hotspots-map-charge-notice https://www.aol.co.uk/money/2017/06/20/the-uks-biggest-ever-parking-fines/ https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/news/motoring-news/plans-for-45-increased-parking-charges-in-england/  Dredd-Parking-Fines-Dailycarblog
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