Drivers to see major changes impact parking nationwide with five-minute payment window axed – ‘Long-overdue’
Motorists are set to benefit from more time to pay for parking after a series of incidents has forced private parking firms to issue urgent reviews of its policies.
It comes after numerous complaints about private parking penalising drivers through the strict five-minute payment rule came to light.
But now in response to the backlash from drivers the British Parking Association has launched its Private Parking Scrutiny and Advice Panel.
The panel will be tasked with handling cases of misconduct by traffic wardens as well as review cases where drivers have faced penalties for taking longer than five minutes to pay after entering car parks.
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The changes are due to take effect by February with the panel chaired by an independent individual with members being announced before January 31.
The panel will also provide impartial oversight to ensure the private parking sector’s Single Code of Practice maintains high standards for consumers.
The urgency for changes follows an incident in Derby where a motorist received multiple fines from Excel Parking for failing to pay within the five-minute window.
The driver, who faced penalties totalling £1,906, refused to pay instead choosing to challenge the fines in court. Excel Parking, the firm which issued the tickets, ultimately backed down and waived the charges following publicity surrounding the case.
The incident has raised the possibility that thousands of drivers who previously paid similar fines could now seek compensation.
Experts are now urging motorists to carefully read the terms and conditions when using private car parks to avoid unexpected penalties.
Andrew Pester, Chief Executive of the British Parking Association said: “The formation of this panel is an important step in delivering consistency to the oversight of the private parking sector Single Code of Practice.
“We want to demonstrate that not only are we serious about raising standards but also making decisive changes to the code when issues arise.”
Will Hurley, CEO of the International Parking Community added that the creation of the panel shows the “commitment the industry has to improving the reputation of our sector”.
He stated: “We must not forget the valuable service we provide to ensure the vast majority of people can park when and where they need to.”
Once officially formed, the panel will begin engaging with consumer groups and Government bodies to conduct a full review of the Parking Code by April.
But the panel will be created despite reports that over 99.77 per cent of parking events are “compliant and free from dispute” and follows shocking stats that more than 41,000 tickets were issued to drivers every day last year.
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Rod Dennis, RAC senior policy officer said: “The fact that the private parking industry is already having to review its own code, just months after it was introduced, shows it’s not working in drivers’ interests.
“This is yet another reason why the launch of the long-overdue official Private Parking Code of Practice, that became law five years ago, is very much needed. We fear that without this, drivers who use private car parks will continue to be worse off.”