Drivers will be given more time to pay for parking in a private car parking after a new voluntary code of practice was introduced today. There is normally a grace period of at least five minutes for motorists to pay for parking, but a shake-up of the rules means you won't automatically be charged in car parks that use camera technology, as long as you pay in full before you leave. It comes after the BBC reported in November last year how driver Rosey Hudson was being taken to court by a private parking company for £1,906 after she took more than five minutes to pay because of poor mobile phone signal. The case was later dropped.
The British Parking Association (BPA) and the International Parking Community (IPC) confirmed the newly reviewed version of the Private Parking Code of Practice will come into force from February 17. But the changes will not apply to council-run car parks or those where wardens are used. It comes as drivers are being hit by an average of more than 41,000 parking tickets a day by private companies, with 3.8 million tickets handed out between July and September 2024, according to analysis of Government data by the PA news agency and motoring research charity the RAC Foundation. Each ticket can be up to £100.
IPC chief executive Will Hurley said: “It is crucial that there is a mechanism to identify and resolve issues quickly. I am pleased that the panel has acted swiftly to introduce safeguards for motorists. It is important drivers play their part by reading and following instructions on signage when parking their vehicle.”. BPA chief executive Andrew Pester said: “It is a real testament to the (panel) that this change has been implemented so efficiently. The parking sector is always striving to ensure it operates in the interest of compliant motorists and to ensure that parking is fairly managed for all. This change is another important step in achieving this.”.
But motoring groups are calling for a legislation-led code of practice to be introduced, after a Bill that was designed to bring in a Government-backed code for private parking companies was withdrawn in June 2022. This code included halving the cap on tickets for most parking offences to £50. AA head of roads policy Jack Cousens said: “This change to the self-authored code by private parking operators only highlights the urgent necessity to implement the Government-backed code of practice alongside a truly independent single appeals process and oversight board. Until the statutory system is in place, drivers will continue to receive aggressive letters from shark-like companies that scare people into payment even though they may have done nothing wrong.”.
