Summer of Parking Chaos Sweeps Across England
England is in the grip of a parking crisis, with new figures revealing a sharp rise in anti-social and illegal parking. Data reviewed by the British Parking Association (BPA) paints a worrying picture: residential streets are overwhelmed, yellow line violations are climbing, and thousands of drivers are refusing to pay for parking.
Over the past year alone, the BPA has seen:
- Authorities with between a 24.7% and 76% increase in vehicles parking in residential zones without valid permits.
- Authorities with between a 9.8% and 24% rise in cars parked illegally on yellow lines.
More troubling still, repeat offenders are treating fines as little more than a daily parking fee to enable them to park wherever they like. A local authority told us they had seen a 30% increase in vehicles with 3 or more paid Penalty Charge Notices (PCN).
One council reported that the driver of a gold Range Rover openly admitted they preferred to park in loading bays, knowing they would be fined, because it was “more convenient” than using a car park.
This behaviour is not confined to tourist hotspots such as Bournemouth or Brighton. Local Authorities across the country, from Newcastle to Cornwall, Chelmsford to rural Gloucestershire, are all reporting the same trend.
“This is not just a nuisance, it’s a serious threat to public safety,” said a BPA spokesperson. “Illegally parked vehicles can block emergency services, obstruct vital access routes, put pedestrians in danger and deny residents the parking spaces they rely on.”
The BPA, the UK’s leading voice for the parking sector, warns that the root cause is a lack of meaningful deterrence.
“We’ve said it time and again: the current penalty charges are simply not strong enough to change this kind of poor driver behaviour,” the spokesperson continued. “In cities like Nottingham, motorists are happy to gamble on a fine rather than parking legally. That cannot be allowed to continue.”
The BPA is urging the UK Government to raise PCN levels in England, outside London, and Wales. In London and Scotland, higher charges are already in place and have been proving more effective in reducing illegal parking.
“This is about fairness, safety, and respect for communities,” the BPA concluded. “The Government must act now before the situation spirals even further out of control.”
Notes to editors
For more information please contact the BPA press office – email: externalaffairs@britishparking.co.uk or visit our Newsroom.
1) The BPA is a not-for-profit membership association. We collaborate with our members and stakeholders so they can support their local communities by providing the parking services they need and improving compliance with parking rules and regulations.