Council's parking crackdown nets £500,000

Coventry Observer

10 May 2006-->

THE decriminalisation of parking in Coventry has netted the city council's coffers nearly £500,000 since its introduction a year ago.
Figures released this week revealed the council's new team of parking attendants issued over 23,000 tickets to motorists parked illegally in the city from April 1, 2005, when the council took over the enforcement of parking restrictions from the police.
By the end of April of this year 23,709 tickets had been issued, of which 12,389 were paid within a fortnight at the £30 rate and 1,674 were paid at the £60 rate.
Payments for 9,646 tickets remain outstanding, though some were issued recently and others were being challenged by the driver or had been cancelled by the council.
Jackie Dooley, the council's traffic and network manager, said the council's first year in charge of enforcing parking restrictions in the city had been a success.
"It's still relatively early and the parking attendants are getting more familiar with the areas outside the city centre," she added."We have responded to enforcement requests from the public and ward members, and now have a vehicle to enable a more rapid response to complaints"
Mrs Dooley said the enforcement action had made a clear impact on easing the flow of traffic within the city, making it safer for both drivers and pedestrians.
She added all the cash raised from parking fines was ploughed back into the department.