A MAJOR change to Britain’s private parking rules means motorists who stop for less than five minutes won’t be slapped with ‘ridiculous’ fines.
Fresh legislation, due to be brought in in the next two months, will give drivers more time to pay for their parking spots.
A change to the ‘five-minute rule’ could come into effect next month[/caption]
The ‘five-minute rule’ gives the motorist just five minutes between arriving at the car park and paying for their space before being hit with an eye-watering fine.
But that could soon be relaxed as soon by the beginning of February, according to Will Hurley, chief executive of the International Parking Community (IPC).
It comes after make-up artist Rosey Hudson was taken to court last year after accumulating £1,906 in fines for taking more than five minutes to pay for her spot in Derby.
Hudson was slapped with 10 Parking Charge Notices despite reportedly walking to an area where she could get signal to pay the £3.30 daily charge via the app.
She did this each time she was working in the town in February last year, for 10 days in total.
She called it “totally unreasonable” but operator Excel Parking says she was the “author of her own misfortune”.
Rosey told the BBC: “I haven’t got children but I can imagine a busy mum trying to sort her kids out, trying to pay for something when there’s no signal here, and the machine being out of order.
“This has been going on for over a year now, and I’m just really hoping it can be resolved.
“I desperately don’t want this to happen to anybody else, more than anything, because it gives you a lot of stress.”
The British Parking Association (BPA) and the International Parking Community (IPC) have announced that a panel will revise the private parking sector’s code of conduct to ensure it “protects genuine motorists who have difficulty making prompt payment on entry”.
The outfit added they will look over Hudson’s case.
Almost 4million parking tickets were handed out in the third quarter of last year, around £4.1million a day in penalties, research by the PA news agency and the RAC Foundation revealed.
Rod Dennis, the RAC’s 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, which 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.”
The IPC and British Parking Association have created a new panel to amend and adapt the parking code to “reflect technological developments,” Hurley said.
Those with knowledge of the plan believe it is likely to feature an extension of the ‘five-minute rule,’ although the exact duration is still yet to be decided.
Quentin’s top tips to fight fines
Parking companies and enforcement officers do make mistakes.
And some are simply over-zealous.
Protecting yourself from a misapplied PCN can save lots of tears, and money, later.
Here are some simple steps to guard against a parking
nightmare:
- Download parking apps like RingGo. They’re simple, quick to use and don’t need coins.
- Always check that you’re parked within the borders of the white or yellow lines.
- Check timings on signs. Double yellows mean no parking, but single yellows can have different timings depending on location.
- Don’t assume you’re familiar with timings as they can vary.
- Set a timer on your ‘phone for when you need to leave. Some apps provide a timing countdown for you.
- Take pictures of any signage, how your car is positioned and how close it is to yellow lines or space markings.
- Keep any payment tickets and note the time you parked and when you left.
- If you need to display a ticket in your car, make sure it’s clear to see and the right way round.
- If you need to input your registration number, make sure its correct and don’t get numbers or digits wrong.
- If you get a PCN that you think is unfair, appeal straight away. That way you’ll still be entitled to the 50% discount if you have to pay up.
- Make copies of any appeal letters, evidence or witness statements. Include any mitigating circumstances like illness or breakdowns.
- Don’t leave an appeal or payment for long. Costs can spiral into the hundreds and could affect your credit rating or worse
