There’s nothing at all quite like the panic felt when rushing back to your car to attempt and beat the parking meter.
And nothing very like the anger felt when you arrive at your car a couple of minutes late only to uncover it’s already been slapped with a ticket.
All that is about to adjust though…
10 much more minutes
Drivers in England will be offered 10 minutes’ grace ahead of getting hit with a fine if they remain also lengthy in council-owned automobile parking spaces.
The government has announced the grace period will kick in later this month, along with other measures created to quit councils generating funds from parking fines.
Local authorities in England have been under fire in current years after it emerged they had been collectively producing millions of pounds in profit out of parking fines – figures from the RAC Foundation show councils in England produced a combined profit of £667million from on and off-street parking in 2103-14 alone.
The new measures contain:
- guidance for councils reminding them they are banned from “using parking to generate profit”
- a right for residents and businesses to demand – by a petition – that a council “reviews parking in their area”
- new powers for parking adjudicators so they can “hold councils to account”
- protection to cease drivers being fined following parking at out-of-order meters
- a ban on the use of CCTV “spy cars” except in no-parking places such as bus lanes and near schools.
BEEN HIT WITH A COUNCIL PARKING FINE? HERE’S HOW TO APPEAL!
Pickles’ parking strategy
Eric Pickles MP, communities secretary, announced the plans last year as part of measures created to encourage us to return to our neighborhood higher streets to do our purchasing and enhance neighborhood economies.
Mr Pickles said: “We are ending the war on drivers who basically want to go about their day-to-day enterprise. For too lengthy parking rules have created law-abiding motorists really feel like criminals, and triggered huge harm to shops and businesses.”
He added: “Slapping individuals with hefty fines is akin to criminalising shoppers and tends to make high streets or parades no-go zones for drivers. More than-zealous parking enforcement and unreasonable stealth fines by post undermine the high street.”
Safety 1st?
On the flipside, there is an argument this legislation is getting rushed by means of to curry favour with voters before the general election.
And there are fears that the choice to drop CCTV cameras from zebra crossings could compromise pedestrian safety.
Councillor David Sparks, chairman of the Local Government Association, stated: “We are concerned that government has rushed through today’s announcement and failed to totally consult councils on the detail of the regulation.”
He added: “Beyond the headlines, what is especially worrying is the detail of these proposals which could make roads much less safe for vulnerable pedestrians and inconvenience millions of motorists and commuters.”
What do YOU consider? A good notion or 1 that will be abused by motorists and affect road security? Let us know.
ten minutes grace at council automobile parks – a great concept?
