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BPA Policy Positions

25 billion journeys a year

Every year there are 25 billion journeys taken in the UK. The vast majority of these will involve some form of parking event. Many will involve driving through a congested town or city and sharing space with other drivers, cyclists and pedestrians. Many will have a need to suitable access for disability or age. These are complex and delicate issues that are often overlooked, minimised or trivialised.

Travel to work, school, hospital, events

We drive for many reasons. The most common are to get to work, school or run errands. For all these. We need somewhere safe and convenient to leave our car. There are 45 million cars on our roads. This number is increasing. Our cars are getting bigger, heavier and more expensive. It is often overlooked how complicated it is to ensure that we have enough parking, where it is needed and the right number of spaces. These car parks must have strict management in order to ensure spaces are available when needed.

Traffic, roads, pollution, cars

With an increase in cars on our roads, we are seeing an increase in traffic and associated pollution. This is leading to road pricing through congestion and clean air zones, bus lanes and cycle lanes. There are competing demands to keep our air clean and reduce congestion, but not increase costs to motorists or charge for parking.

Green, charging

Along with this is the drive to decarbonise transport. This means electric cars, bikes and vans. The big question is where these new vehicles will charge. 40% of homes do not have a drive. That means millions of cars will either need to charge at a curb side near their home or in a car park. How this will happen, and what this will mean for convenience and ability to park a car near to home is still being explored. As is the full need for on street parking, the rules for charging cars and what the final demand will be as technology evolves and improves. Car parks are now having to provide services they were often not designed for, such as rapid charging and so the infrastructure may not be appropriate.

Based on the above the BPA is proposing the following policy positions:

Local Authorities

Local Authorities manage a wide range of services, from roads, traffic management schemes and car parks. However, they do so with one arm behind their backs. In order to allow them to do their job effectively the following changes are needed:

1 - Increase the Value of the Penalty Charge Notice

The current value of the PCN is capped at £50 for lower-level contraventions. This was set in 2008 and is no longer fit for purpose.

A recent report by PATROL indicated that over 70% of local authorities were experiencing an increase in repeat offenders.

Both in Scotland and in London the value of the PCN has increased to £100. In other comparable sectors like rail, the value of a fine has increased to over £100.

Because the value of the PCN is now too low we are experiencing an increase in anti-social parking behaviour such as parking on zig zag lines outside schools, parking on double yellow lines, parking in disabled bays. Many motorists would rather take the chance in the expectation of not getting caught as the punishment is insufficient to deter them.

Recommendations:

  1. Increase the value of the PCN to £100 for lower-level contraventions.
  2. Devolve the power for setting and reviewing the value of the PCN to an independent body such as xxxx

2 – Allow the use of ANPR in Council run off street car parks

Currently a local Authority cannot use information taken from an ANPR camera in order to determine keeper liability.

In simple terms, they cannot use an image from a camera to check a number plate if that person left a car park without paying.

This means that, unlike in the private sector where this is possible, local authorities either have to use physical patrols to determine if users have paid for parking, or expensive barrier technology to stop people from leaving if they haven’t paid.

Recommendations:

  1. allow Local Authorities to use the same technology as in private parking. To reduce costs, simplify the user experience and to allow Local Authorities to use technology to accurately and effectively police streets and car parks.

3 – Restart the Moving Traffic Enforcement (MTE) Programme

Moving traffic enforcement is a powerful tool to enable local authorities to police problem areas in their community.

It has been used effectively to manage parking outside schools, one-way roads and other areas where drivers may habitually break the rules.

There have been two groups of Local Authority’s that have been able to use this technology. However, in March 2024 the previous Conservative Government paused the scheme which means that Local Authorities that hadn’t previously received these powers were not able to attain them.

This has left the majority of councils in England unable to use MTE.

Recommendations:

  1. For the Government to pass the relevant powers in order to restart the scheme.

4 – Make a decision on ‘Pavement Parking’

The previous Government consulted on this in 2020 and we as a sector are still waiting for a response.

Pavement parking is banned in Scotland and London.

The complication is that for many narrow roads in the England, especially on streets with terraced housing and so no driveways, homeowners have to park on the street and because of the narrow road, the pavement.

Managing where these cars will park, what the knock effect will be to other streets that may not currently experience pavement parking, is going to be complex.

Recommendations:

  1. The Government needs to publish a response to the consultation
  2. We believe that a blanket ban may not be appropriate for all locations, so a more constructive approach would be giving Local Authorities power of obstruction, so enabling them to remove or fine cars that are deemed to be obstructing the pavement.
  3. Any decision is given full political and financial backing. Political to ensure that it is not Councils and civil enforcement officers who are blamed for implementing the policy. Financial to allow Local Authorities to conduct the survey work needed and if required also build additional infrastructure.

5 – Work with the sector on introducing Digital Traffic Regulation Orders (DTROs)

The Automated Vehicles Bill has introduced the policy that DTRO’s will be implemented by 2025 (for all new TRO’s).

The introduction of DTRO’s is a positive step and will help bring the process forward.

However, prescribing them is the simple step. The harder is for Local Authorities to implement them. New systems will be required for many, along with training. When it comes to the legacy of paper TRO’s, the job to digitise them is likely to be substantial.

Recommendations:

  1. Provide additional funding for Local Authorities so they can build the systems, maintain them and convert existing TRO’s to DTRO’s.
  2. Modernise the TRO process. So, for example remove the need to advertise a TRO in a physical newspaper ahead of implantation, which comes at additional cost to Authorities.

6 – ‘The High Street’

Parking plays a vital role in a well-functioning high street.

However, too often the cost of parking is seen as a barrier.

There is a misconception that by providing free parking it will attract more people to a town or city centre. Therefore, a number of Councils maintain free parking. When an Authority decides to introduce charging, they are then publicly accused of trying to ‘kill the high street’.

The problem is that is no evidence to support this view.

People park if they need to, therefore they will seek out parking in a town centre if the town centre is offering service they need.

Too often this element is not taken into account.

One of the biggest issues with free parking in multi-use environments is that it is not just customers that will use the free parking. Staff, residents and increasingly delivery drivers will occupy the spaces, so reducing the amount needed to people wanting to frequent the shops and other services in the town centre.

This will have more of a limiting impact on visitor numbers than paid parking. If you cannot park, then you are likely to not visit again. Charging for parking means that the spaces are less likely to be used for residents and staff.

With most areas having new environmental targets charging for parking does also start to encourage people who may not have to drive to seek alternative means.

Recommendations:

  1. We would urge all policy makers to work with local authorities to develop the best solution for their local area and understand all the issues before they blame parking fees for ‘killing local businesses’.
  2. Maintaining and policing parking costs money, if it can’t be raised from parking fees then it will come from council tax, and that is not the most progressive use of that tax.

Parking on Private Land

Private Parking Operators provide an essential service managing car parks in some of the UK's busiest and complex environments, such as shopping centres and for large events, along with everyday parking experiences such as at supermarkets and train stations. 

It is vital they have all the powers needed to do that job effectively and to ensure that the small minority that do not follow parking rules are sufficiently deterred from doing so. 

6 – Single Code of Practice

The BPA fully supports implementing a single code of practice to govern any company operating a privately owned car park. Along with the IPC, the BPA have introduced a single code as of Autumn 2024.

We believe this fulfils the requirements of the single code of practice act.

Recommendations

  1. The new Government needs to inform the sector on it’s position on the future of the Single Code of Practice, we believe it should adopt the sector code. Another new code will confuse motorists and take longer to implement.
  2. The Government should drop any proposals to reduce the level of the deterrent. Currently private operators have a cap of £100 for parking charges, reduced by 40% if paid within 14 days. We believe this is adequate for providing a deterrent. It is still lower than in other comparable sectors such as rail.

7 – Frontline Officer Welfare

Everyone deserves to be able to do their job without encountering abuse, either physical or verbal. However, this is what is happening to large number of civil enforcement officers that police parking and traffic in the UK. This is unacceptable and must stop.

Our local government parking managers’ survey [1] revealed:

  • 84% reported verbal abuse once per month or more.
  • 20% reported physical abuse once per month or more.
  • 57% reported encountering difficulties in recruiting and/or retaining CEOs.
  • Verbal abuse was evenly experienced across the UK.
  • Physical assaults were more common against CEOs in Northern England
  • 7/10 assaults are not pursued by the police.

Recommendations

  1. Government should provide equal recognition with other sectors such as retail. Currently retail workers have been granted additional protection by the courts. We would like to see this extended to all frontline workers, including civil enforcement officers.
  2. Politicians and the press need to stop using inflammatory language when they talk about parking and traffic management. Using the term ‘cash cows’, ‘greedy’, ‘cowboys’, all phrases used by Politian’s in the last 2 years, is extremely unhelpful in keeping frontline officers safe. It introduces the concept that the work they are doing is somehow illegitimate and can be challenged. We are now seeing an increasing number of local authorities reporting an increase in abuse to their staff.

8 – Net Zero and Active Travel

The Government has set strict Net Zero targets. These will require a move to electric vehicles or other non-polluting vehicles. The current trajectory is for these to be electric.

This will have an impact on how we park, we expect to be able to charge and the parking sector will be integral to this.

Currently around 40% of homes do not have access to a driveway. They will need somewhere to charge their vehicles. The current thinking is that there will be a massive expansion in on street EV charge points.

Recommendations

  1. Assess what our future charging requirements are likely to be and if a more pragmatic approach could be used such to use existing car parks to become charging hubs at time of low occupancy.
  2. Review traffic regulations to ensure they are able to accommodate new offences that may occur with electric car parking, such as non-electric cars parking in spaces, electric cars parking in spaces and not using them to charge, how to manage on street charging in residential zones.
  3. Work with the sector to introduce the PAS1899 accessible charging standard so all motorists are able to use EV charging infrastructure.

9 – National Parking Platform

The National Parking Platform will be an important tool to simplify digital parking and also to facilitate future parking and traffic management solutions, such as combined EV charging and parking, pay after leaving and data information around car park occupancy.

Recommendations

  1. The new Government should commit to introducing the National Parking Platform

10 – Hospital Parking

Hospital and healthcare parking is a challenging issue, both practically and emotionally. Car parks are needed, but demand is high, and it is often the last situation in which you want to have to pay to park. There is then the significant demand for staff parking.

A joined-up approach is needed and a frank conversation about the costs involved in running hospital car parking. Any move to provide free car parking has to be weighed against the costs that will mean hospitals have to absorb.

Recommendations

  1. Hospital trusts to adopt best practice when offering parking services to patients, visitors and staff. If motorists are being asked to pay for their parking, they should receive value for money through better facilities, a safe car park and effective but fair enforcement.
  2. Any decision on charging for parking in hospitals should be done with full consultation with the sector. Free parking would actually cost the NHS as car parks still need managing.

11 – Nuisance Drivers

There is growing evidence that compliance with road and vehicle rules is dropping year on year. Recent reports indicate that our underfunded police and local authorities are struggling to keep up with this decline.

With the increasing use of camera schemes to manage the growing number of vehicles on our roads the way we manage those must be reviewed.

We know that much of our criminal activity and anti-social behaviour is linked to vehicles that have no keeper details with the DVLA, may be using cloned number plates, registered overseas.

Recommendations

  1. Work with NPED to introduce new regulations that allow Local Authorities to police vehicles, providing them with the power to remove nuisance vehicles.