How to enforce parking restrictions without being an a%&$ ?

hartebeestfootprint

I use a car park with 6 reserved for staff at an adjacent building. Posts and chains work.

Sure - but at the cost of a lot of inconvenience for staff who are in and out a lot. The space is also quite tight so adding posts adds the risk of people scraping their cars on posts. Especially as we would need to add additional posts to stop people parking across 2 bays between 2 lockable posts.



On the plus side, if someone parks in a bay with a post or chain present (but not engaged), you are legally allowed to lock the post or chain and block them in without falling foul of the law, and then require them to pay a release fee

twhitehousescat

Private car parking management companies that give out parking tickets or trespass charge notices can only request information from DVLA if they’re members of the British Parking Association or the International Parking Community.

by issuing invoices to people you are becoming a parking co


On the plus side, if someone parks in a bay with a post or chain present (but not engaged), you are legally allowed to lock the post or chain and block them in without falling foul of the law, and then require them to pay a release fee

that was banned back in 2012 , and could be a costly mistake to do , someone may link you to the famous NCP case , and indeed a case that is ongoing at present , (member now banned from BPA)

Umkomaas

I'm originally from Umtentweni :-)

Have passed through. Almost ran out of fuel nearby, luckily found some petrol pumps in Port Shepstone, on the way to PE (Port Elizabeth for regulars, not ParkingEye, for whom PE is the usual shorthand on the forum! )

I did wonder the origin of your username. Not native myself, but spend much time there.

Beautiful coastline.

Coupon-mad

I assume we can all agree that people who park on private land that's clearly signposted deserve some negative consequences as long as they're proportionate and mistakes are rectified.

I agree but that is not how parking firms work.

Do not touch UKCPM with a bargepole. NONONO.

Horrible ex-clampers, VERY litigious and they will sue your own staff/visitors, maybe even after you kick UKCPM out, years later as revenge claims. This is their calibre:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-47772305

Do it yourself, no parking scammer.

waamo

Ransome park in Ipswich regularly sue for trespass without any problems whatsoever. They don't belong to an ATA and do manual requests to the DVLA.

Around 70% of motorists pay up on receipt of a letter. Simply writing to people will generally make them think twice. After all your intention, from your opening post, isn't parking enforcement but to stop errant parking.

You don't have to go through with a court claim. A few "snotty" letters will likely do the trick.

You seem to be determined to make it sound difficult and as if a parking company is the only answer. It really isn't difficult and can be very effective doing it yourself.

Fruitcake

Right, you decide to engage the services of an unregulated scammer and go with the self ticketing option. Three months later most of the problem parkers no longer visit. Great, problem solved. Then the scammers decide they want to make some more money from their outlay of time or money.

A parking company operative happens to be in the area and tickets every car parked in the six spaces, including you and your employees. Your contract is for self ticketing but does not specifically state that they cannot issue PCNs themselves. Oh poo.

Or, you have a clause that says company employees are exempt, but you haven't given the scammers a whitelist of exempt vehicles so you and your colleagues still get tickets.

Or, you have given them a whitelist but you or an employee use a different car on the day the scammers come a-visiting and you don't have a clause in your contract that says you can instruct tickets to be cancelled.

Or, your customers aren't on a whitelist.

What I'm saying is, how can you be absolutely sure you can control the scammers so they don't harm the business?

twhitehousescat

Proserve? who do this for the buisness park are banned by the DVLA from getting data , this has been to court and appeals , they are banned

in the case of the buisness and proserve , the only cases we read about now on other forums , is where they have taken name /address from the wagon and written direct

waamo

twhitehousescat wrote: »

Proserve? who do this for the buisness park are banned by the DVLA from getting data , this has been to court and appeals , they are banned

in the case of the buisness and proserve , the only cases we read about now on other forums , is where they have taken name /address from the wagon and written direct

Good point. AIUI they do still enforce there. There is also nothing to stop a landowner getting DVLA details like some hospitals do.

NeilCr

Fruitcake wrote: »

Right, you decide to engage the services of an unregulated scammer and go with the self ticketing option. Three months later most of the problem parkers no longer visit. Great, problem solved. Then the scammers decide they want to make some more money from their outlay of time or money.

A parking company operative happens to be in the area and tickets every car parked in the six spaces, including you and your employees. Your contract is for self ticketing but does not specifically state that they cannot issue PCNs themselves. Oh poo.

Or, you have a clause that says company employees are exempt, but you haven't given the scammers a whitelist of exempt vehicles so you and your colleagues still get tickets.

Or, you have given them a whitelist but you or an employee use a different car on the day the scammers come a-visiting and you don't have a clause in your contract that says you can instruct tickets to be cancelled.

Or, your customers aren't on a whitelist.

What I'm saying is, how can you be absolutely sure you can control the scammers so they don't harm the business?

Surely, you just make sure that the contract is only for self ticketing. That's what we were going to do.

I think it's easy to say you should do this - bollards, chains etc. But, as one of my fellow directors said when we were discussing all this - why should I? Why should I pay out for a bollard etc when it's not me in the wrong.

OP. We have a very tight car park and bollards get knocked over quite often. They are, though, still pretty effective if you just stand them up afterwards!

Coupon-mad

I think it's easy to say you should do this - bollards, chains etc. But, as one of my fellow directors said when we were discussing all this - why should I? Why should I pay out for a bollard etc when it's not me in the wrong.

And as one of your customers will say when you find (too late to cancel within the short period dictated by the parking firm) that one of the tickets you issued was actually to that customer:

''why should I pay out for a fine or even bring my custom here ever again?''

PPCs sting people, even self ticketing versions, and the data that YOU hand to them will stay with the parking firm ready for revenge claims whenever they choose.