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

hartebeestfootprint

You mention sometimes having to double-park ... if someone parks there without permission why not have others double-park near and around the offender? That way the offender would need to come into the business to ask people to move so they can get out,

Believe it or not, this is illegal (the law considers it equivalent to clamping) and could expose us to significant damages. Yes we could claim it was by accident, and it has happened a few times, but it isn't always practical.

DoaM

hartebeestfootprint wrote: »

Believe it or not, this is illegal (the law considers it equivalent to clamping) and could expose us to significant damages.

Source? Any citations where damages have been claimed and won?

KeithP

DoaM wrote: »

Source?

Section 54 of Protection of Freedoms Act 2012

It starts with:

54 Offence of immobilising etc. vehicles

(1) A person commits an offence who, without lawful authority—

(a) immobilises a motor vehicle by the attachment to the vehicle, or a part of it, of an immobilising device, or

(b) moves, or restricts the movement of, such a vehicle by any means,

intending to prevent or inhibit the removal of the vehicle by a person otherwise entitled to remove it.

bergkamp

hartebeestfootprint wrote: »

We already have FlashPark signs up at the entrance, as we share a car park entrance with the shop next door who are subscribed to FlashPark (though the car parks are separate). This hasn't deterred anyone. I suspect word of mouth has led the locals to believe they can park behind businesses out of hours with impunity.

So are you saying the FlashPark model doesn't work then for the nextdoor business?

hartebeestfootprint

So are you saying the FlashPark model doesn't work then for the nextdoor business?

It's hard to tell, as they are a shop so have customers in and out all the time but talking to the manager they don't have many problems. They close at 6pm so they don't care if people park there later than that whereas we use our spaces in the evening but not every night - and so we deal with people who go to eat or the cinema.

twhitehousescat

well the simple question should be

do the signs on the next door property create a clear parking space in the evenings

you work in the evenings , are there cars parked on there car park , even with signs in an evening or not

hartebeestfootprint

you work in the evenings , are there cars parked on there car park , even with signs in an evening or not

Yes there are. People expect there to be no enforcement.

twhitehousescat

take on a school leaver , as a car park attendant then

hartebeestfootprint

take on a school leaver , as a car park attendant then

Yeah right - spend £15kpa on a new employee? Or hire an enforcement company for free?

The main thing is I don't want to spend a lot of money or spend a lot of time.

Apparently each enforcement company is as bad as the next according to advice here, so I'll probably just pick one at random and make sure that the contract with them gives me sufficient rights to sack them and cancel any penalty invoices.

RichardD1970

I would go down the bollard and chain route.

I know you said you don't want the cost or inconvenience to your staff, but it would cost a few hundred quid and how much inconvenience do your staff suffer due to not being able to park?

It's a couple of mins tops at the start and end of their shift.