RAC Foundation Welcomes New Parking Guidance
Car Pages
12th July 06
Cars clamped on the public highway could become a rare sight if the Government’s advice in a consultation on parking guidance issued today (12th July) is adapted. The consultation has been welcomed by the RAC Foundation, which has been campaigning on this and other parking issues over the last ten years.
The RAC Foundation sees the guidance as a long-overdue package of measures which will should help cut through the confusion of local authority red tape and could free motorists from over-zealous enforcement and unfair fines.
RAC Foundation has been calling for:
Wheel clamping to only be used as a last resort and for persistent offenders who refuse to pay their fines.
The need to replace the 1995 Statutory Guidance to local authorities with an updated version which not only builds upon 11 years of experience, but which also incorporates changes arising from the Traffic Management Act 2004.
The emphasis on the importance of consistency, fairness and transparency, including clear performance standards, in all aspects of the enforcement process. The Foundation would like to see the abolition of all ticket targets for parking attendants and the removal of targets from contractors with parking contractors.
The importance placed on clear regulations and signing, including lines on the road.
The importance of recruitment, training and remuneration polices to ensure a professional parking service throughout the country.
The importance of making the process for challenging penalty charge notices [informal and formal representations and appeals] as transparent and user friendly as possible, including proposals to ensure that the 14 day, 50% discount is not jeopardised as a result of a motorist making representations to the local authority about the validity of the parking ticket.
The need for a more user-friendly appeals service and efforts to raise the profile and increase the impact of the parking adjudication services [PATAS and NPAS].
The Foundation would also like to see the advice on clamping extended to govern wheel clamping on private land where despite licensing there is still widespread abuse. The Foundation is regularly contacted by distressed motorists who have been forced to pay up to £500 to retrieve their cars after parking in good faith on private land and falling victim to unscrupulous wheel-clampers.
Edmund King, Executive Director of the RAC Foundation, said, "Motorists will welcome restrictions on wheel clamping as the punishment rarely fits the crime. Clamping a car for over-staying on a meter makes no sense, as the parking place is then blocked for a longer period. Clamping, both on-street and off-street, should only be used to target persistent offenders as a last resort. Clamping is a crude activity, which should have been outlawed at the time of Dick Turpin.
" Over-zealous enforcement, confusing signs and lines, and the belief that councils are using parking fines to raise revenue rather than keep the traffic moving are all issues that motorists raise with us. We hope that this guidance will lead to a fairer regime."
12th July 06
Cars clamped on the public highway could become a rare sight if the Government’s advice in a consultation on parking guidance issued today (12th July) is adapted. The consultation has been welcomed by the RAC Foundation, which has been campaigning on this and other parking issues over the last ten years.
The RAC Foundation sees the guidance as a long-overdue package of measures which will should help cut through the confusion of local authority red tape and could free motorists from over-zealous enforcement and unfair fines.
RAC Foundation has been calling for:
Wheel clamping to only be used as a last resort and for persistent offenders who refuse to pay their fines.
The need to replace the 1995 Statutory Guidance to local authorities with an updated version which not only builds upon 11 years of experience, but which also incorporates changes arising from the Traffic Management Act 2004.
The emphasis on the importance of consistency, fairness and transparency, including clear performance standards, in all aspects of the enforcement process. The Foundation would like to see the abolition of all ticket targets for parking attendants and the removal of targets from contractors with parking contractors.
The importance placed on clear regulations and signing, including lines on the road.
The importance of recruitment, training and remuneration polices to ensure a professional parking service throughout the country.
The importance of making the process for challenging penalty charge notices [informal and formal representations and appeals] as transparent and user friendly as possible, including proposals to ensure that the 14 day, 50% discount is not jeopardised as a result of a motorist making representations to the local authority about the validity of the parking ticket.
The need for a more user-friendly appeals service and efforts to raise the profile and increase the impact of the parking adjudication services [PATAS and NPAS].
The Foundation would also like to see the advice on clamping extended to govern wheel clamping on private land where despite licensing there is still widespread abuse. The Foundation is regularly contacted by distressed motorists who have been forced to pay up to £500 to retrieve their cars after parking in good faith on private land and falling victim to unscrupulous wheel-clampers.
Edmund King, Executive Director of the RAC Foundation, said, "Motorists will welcome restrictions on wheel clamping as the punishment rarely fits the crime. Clamping a car for over-staying on a meter makes no sense, as the parking place is then blocked for a longer period. Clamping, both on-street and off-street, should only be used to target persistent offenders as a last resort. Clamping is a crude activity, which should have been outlawed at the time of Dick Turpin.
" Over-zealous enforcement, confusing signs and lines, and the belief that councils are using parking fines to raise revenue rather than keep the traffic moving are all issues that motorists raise with us. We hope that this guidance will lead to a fairer regime."
posted by Neil Herron at 11:44 AM
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