Motorists across the UK remain “frustrated” that legislation enforcing a private parking code of practice is still not in force, more than five years after it became law.
British automotive services company RAC said on Friday that 84 percent of motorists agreed it is “not right” that the code has not been enforced by the government.
The government code proposed halving the capping fines and offered a 50 percent discount for fines paid within two weeks. It was due to come into force by the end of 2023 and would ban the use of aggressive language on tickets.
However, after several parking firms launched two legal challenges against the government’s code, it was temporarily withdrawn in June 2022.
A poll by RAC found that more than half (55 percent) of surveyed motorists agreed that the parking companies’ “enforcement policies are too heavy-handed.” It also reported that just 18 percent of drivers believed the operators are “necessary to stop a parking free-for-all.”
RAC Head of Policy Simon Williams said that drivers are concerned with the way private parking companies operate.
Industry Disagreements
Private parking operators are not subject to a statutory regulator. The British Parking Association (BPA) and the International Parking Community, which represent private parking operators, introduced their own single code of practice in June.The code includes a set of rules, such as allowing a 10-minute grace period before handing out fines to drivers and capping parking charges at £100 and reducing them to £60 if paid within 14 days. It also created an “appeals charter” and provisions for clear signage to help drivers navigate parking on private land.
Commenting on the industry’s own code of practice, Williams said that it’s “unlikely to be enough.” It is also unlikely to be worded in the interests of drivers and is not backed by law, he added.
“We feel only the introduction of the real, government-backed code will bring much-needed fairness to the entire private parking sector,” Williams said.
The BPA defended the industry code and said it is clear about parking charge caps and includes sanctions for non-compliant operators.
Isaac Occhipinti, head of external affairs for the BPA, said: “Motoring groups like the RAC seem to have a disparaging comment every time parking is mentioned but never a constructive one.
“Their rhetoric is about reducing the level of the deterrent which will only help motorists that break the rules, and will lead to worse outcomes for the 99.7 percent of motorists who don’t get a parking charge, who just want to be able to find a convenient and well-managed parking space and not see priority parking bays blocked by unauthorised motorists.”
Costs and New Code
According to analysis by the PA news agency and RAC, some 3.8 million tickets were handed out to motorists between July and September.The average of more than 41,000 parking tickets a day by private companies could drive the daily cost to drivers up to £4.1 million.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government reiterated the government’s commitment to protecting drivers.
“We know how much of an issue this is for drivers, which is why we will set out further details on the private parking code of practice as soon as possible,” the spokesperson said.
