August 20, 2008

The state of UK parking has been highlighted by new figures from the Freight Transport Association.  They claim that the introduction of Differential Parking Charges has cost Freight companies an extra £100 million in parking fines. 

The introduction of differential parking charges has seen the costs to freight companies making deliveries increase by 20%.  That takes the estimated cost of parking tickets on the freight industry in the UK to a staggering £600 million annually.

Differential Parking Charges (DPC) were introduced on 1st July 2007 and purported to make parking fines more proportional and fair.  Lower charges were to be issued to less dangerous offences, such as overstaying your parking ticket or displaying the wrong ticket.  Higher charges are levied for parking in areas without parking provision.  These typically include areas that are used to make commercial deliveries, making freight companies literally a sitting target. 

Gordon Telling, FTA’s Head of Policy for London, South East and East of England said, ‘Yet again commercial vehicle operators are having their costs pushed up because it is easier to target them than it is to collect PCN revenue from the thousands of unregistered and foreign registered cars in the UK that are free to park illegally without fear of being caught.

‘The Deputy Chair of London Councils’ Transport Committee, Colin Smith, tells us that if we do not break the rules we will not get a ticket.  But that is precisely what happens to commercial operators thousands of times a week when they are making legitimate deliveries but get a PCN anyway.  For operators such as those in the Brewery Logistics Group, health and safety reasons mean that deliveries have to be made directly next to premises, making them a prime target for enforcement officers.  For others, who have to take goods into premises, the short observation periods given by local authorities are completely inappropriate.

‘Mr Smith also says that the Parking and Traffic Appeals Service (PATAS) is the final arbiter.  In theory this is correct, but too often local authorities have simply put PCNs back into the system in a cynical attempt to wear down operators, who often pay to avoid the enormous hassle of the appeals process.

‘Instead of congratulations, London Councils should be applying itself to getting its members to revise loading controls that are not fit for purpose instead of generating increasing surpluses for local authorities to play with.

‘FTA will be writing to the minister responsible, Rosie Winterton, to point out the unfairness of these recent changes and the increasing burden that it places on businesses that are ultimately picking up the bill.’

Prior to decriminalisation of parking in 1991 there are no figures for the amount of fines charged to the public, but that is largely because the amount generated was comparatively little and the restrictions based on keeping traffic moving and safe.  Under the current doctrine many areas are divided into parking zones for no conceivable reason other than the ability to make parking prohibited for non residents.  Residents are forced to purchase parking permits for their home parking, and books of visitor permits are needed in order to have family and friends to visit.  These visitor vouchers can cost upwards of £2 per day which when added to the cost of the permit makes good money for the councils. 

The £600 million that is annually paid by the haulage industry in fines has to be found from somewhere and is, in part, added to the bottom line of the delivery companies, who have to charge the shops and pubs for the ticket costs at the point of delivery.  It is essentially a way for the government to raise revenue without directly taxing the public, but rather than make life cheaper it makes shopping more expensive and erodes public freedoms.

The government looks set on trying to wring increasingly large amounts of money from all motorists, with freight bearing the weight of differential parking charges.  The most effective way to protest under current regulations would be to appeal each and every ticket issued.  With such a large volume of appeals going through the system would struggle to cope and perhaps politicians would see sense.

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