Dept of Transport consultation on car parking

The consultation invites views on current local authority parking strategies and specifically on options the Government is considering to change the balance of how parking is enforced with the aim of ensuring that parking strategies complement and enhance the attractiveness of our high streets and town centres.

The Secretary of State for Transport is announcing that parking penalty charge levels will be frozen for the remainder of this Parliament. In addition under new requirements laid out in the Transparency Code of Practice all local authorities will be required to make clear all revenues from parking in annual reports and where that revenue goes. 


There are ten questions that the consultation is seeking responses to:

1. Do you consider local authority parking enforcement is being applied fairly and reasonably in your area?
2. The Government intends to abolish the use of CCTV cameras for parking enforcement. Do you have any views or comments on this proposal?
3. Do you think the traffic adjudicators should have wider powers to allow appeals?
4. Do you agree that guidance should be updated to make clear in what circumstances adjudicators may award costs? If so, what should those circumstances be?
5. Do you think motorists who lose an appeal at a parking tribunal should be offered a 25% discount for prompt payment?
6. Do you think local residents and firms should be able to require councils to review yellow lines, parking provision, charges etc in their area? If so, what should the reviews cover and what should be the threshold for triggering a review?
7. Do you think that authorities should be required by regulation to allow a grace period at the end of paid for parking?
8. Do you think that a grace period should be offered more widely – for example a grace period for overstaying in free parking bays, at the start of pay and display parking and paid for parking bays, and in areas where there are parking restrictions (such as loading restrictions, or single yellow lines)?
9. If allowed, how long do you think the grace period should be?
10. Do you think the Government should be considering any further measures to tackle genuinely anti-social parking or driving? If so, what?
    The consultation can be found here.  The consultation closes on 14th February 2014