Parking stories in the News/media

Coupon-mad

patient_dream said:

Drivers at mercy of cowboy parking firms:

Motorists are handed 41,000 tickets every day by private firms - as motoring groups demand crackdown

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14129191/Drivers-cowboy-parking-firms-Motorists-handed-tickets-private-firms-motoring-groups-demand-crackdown.html

Nellymoser said:

41,000 pcns issued daily

The British Parking Association head of external affairs Isaac Occhipinti can "strongly refute the speculative scare stories perpetuated by the RAC Foundation" as much as he likes but he can't get away from the factual data:

PCNs issued July - Sept 
3.8 million in 2024 
3.3 million in 2023

An increase of 14%

The numbers never ever decrease.

Surely at some point the BPA/IPC should accept their parking management has failed and review their members practice, equipment and technology used.

Thanks to the RACF for diligently obtaining these KADOE figures.  

ANPR & CCTV needs to be strictly curtailed in the hands of PPCs.

Did you all know they've recently invented new ways to create more cover surveillance of vehicles in bays, so that they can cash in on the £100 Higher Rate that unjustly applies to 'not knowing to input your VRM on a tablet to 'register' your vehicle?  The recent innovations include:

- Mobile ANPR or CCTV (not sure if they mean drone or on wheels but I read it recently)

- 360 CCTV that films EVERY pedestrian and EVERY vehicle across two public highway roads - including a main bus route with all those passengers captured - and issues PCNs relating to two completely different shop premises (take a bow, One Parking Solution at Portslade for that crap);

- ANPR or CCTV in bay bollards to covertly film the person & vehicle without their knowledge. A 'bay management bollard'. Here are some articles and brochures from industry ANPR surveillance monster, ParkingEye:

https://www.parkingeye.co.uk/car-park-management/products/

https://www.parkingeye.co.uk/car-park-management/solutions/anpr-enforcement/bay-management/

https://www.parkingeye.co.uk/car-park-management/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2024/06/Parkingeye-Product-Specifications-Bay-Management-Bollard.pdf

https://www.parkingeye.co.uk/car-park-management/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/05/Brochure-Bay-Management-2023.pdf

ParkingEye spin this utter codswallop:

"70% of people who use Blue Badge bays are not Blue Badge holders"

Really?! I'd like to see the proof. I'm going to call that out as (IMHO) untrue.  Even looking at the biased BayWatch campaign, they say "The overall level of disabled parking abuse across all supermarkets was 16%". and this data came from a mere 700 people, all with vested interests in reporting ONLY abuse and not a measured view:

https://www.parkingforbluebadges.com/baywatch-results-2019-one-in-five-bays-abused/

In truth, it's like a needle in a haystack for an unbiased shopper to ever see a vehicle without a BB parked in an accessible bay.

Take a look at ParkingEye's 'Bay Monitor' brochure.

They seem content to set EVERY disabled person and EVERY parent with a child up to potentially miss the fact that they are suddenly found to be required to 'register' on every visit!

EVERYONE with a child and EVERY DISABLED PERSON has to apparently queue up at the CS desk on every visit, to exempt their car.  Even in retail parks where you don't have to shop in store.  How exactly is the average person going to know to register?

How will the MHCLG stop this covert surveillance PCN-generating disaster? It needs to be added to the Mitigating Reasons to cancel PCNs: "genuine patron with genuine reason to park".

IMHO this is designed to increase PCN issuance.  It will certainly achieve that outcome.

Just like the fake 'red route' that UKPC has painted in a Preston retail park with hidden cameras and no repeater/clearway signs, catching ordinary people dropping off or picking up shoppers.

But mainly, this ANPR and CCTV abuse needs stopping by the Surveillance Camera Commissioner sharpish. Only he resigned in August, so it seems anything goes unless the MHCLG rein it all in:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/resignation-of-the-biometrics-and-surveillance-camera-commissioner

inthedepthsofthesea

£1,906 bill over five-minute parking rule

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c2k0qlpjgk2o

Rosey Hudson said she was unable to pay while standing in the car park in Derby due to poor signal on her phone. She walked to where she could get connected and paid the full tariff every time she parked.

Two MPs - Lola McEvoy and Abtisam Mohamed - have previously written to Excel Parking with concerns about people being unfairly fined at other car parks it operates.

The two parties had telephone mediation on 11 November but a settlement was not reached.

"Hopefully the judge will understand my case and see my point of view."

Rosey, if you're reading this, I'm sure they will!

Grizebeck

I have so has had assistance with her defence. 
I did try and find her on FB and get her to come on here if needed assistance 
Excel showing how nasty they are . That car park is awful

artyboy

Grizebeck said:

I have so has had assistance with her defence. 
I did try and find her on FB and get her to come on here if needed assistance 
Excel showing how nasty they are . That car park is awful

According to Excel, she was "the author of her own misfortune". Utter scumbags. I hope that she finds, or can be pointed to, this site, because it sounds like she is going in with a mitigation based defence, never the best strategy...

And that BBC article - a specialist parking lawyer actually saying people should appeal to the IAS... 

Umkomaas

artyboy said:j

Grizebeck said:

I have so has had assistance with her defence. 
I did try and find her on FB and get her to come on here if needed assistance 
Excel showing how nasty they are . That car park is awful

According to Excel, she was "the author of her own misfortune". Utter scumbags. I hope that she finds, or can be pointed to, this site, because it sounds like she is going in with a mitigation based defence, never the best strategy...

And that BBC article - a specialist parking lawyer actually saying people should appeal to the IAS... 

But you do know who he is, don't you?

Derek Millard-Smith, a specialist lawyer in the UK parking sector

😄😄😄

1505grandad

https://www.jmw.co.uk/people/derek-millard-smith

"Derek is the leading specialist Lawyer in the UK Parking Sector, leading the recent related judicial reviews resulting in withdrawal of legislation that if left unchallenged could have caused significant detriment to compliant motorists, landowners and the local and national economy. In this capacity and a such he and his team are appointed by the British Parking Association (BPA) to represent its broad membership and in particular those parking enforcement companies and Local Authorities who are BPA Approved Operators. Derek assists these members with compliance to ensure they treat consumers fairly."

Nellymoser

Derek Millard-Smith failed to ensure consumers were treated fairly. Govt had to step in because this industry wouldn't treat motorists fairly.
Can no-one in this industry see that or are they just too embarrassed to admit it.

patient_dream

The BPA AND IPC are complete failures. The government are happy to break the back of people buy ignore the BIGGEST scam in the UK

Get a grip Mr Starmer ..... get rid of the BPA/IPC as they are NOT fit for pupose

Gr1pr

inthedepthsofthesea said:

£1,906 bill over five-minute parking rule

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c2k0qlpjgk2o

Rosey Hudson said she was unable to pay while standing in the car park in Derby due to poor signal on her phone. She walked to where she could get connected and paid the full tariff every time she parked.

Two MPs - Lola McEvoy and Abtisam Mohamed - have previously written to Excel Parking with concerns about people being unfairly fined at other car parks it operates.

The two parties had telephone mediation on 11 November but a settlement was not reached.

"Hopefully the judge will understand my case and see my point of view."

Rosey, if you're reading this, I'm sure they will!

Its just been featured on the BBC lunchtime news , Excel parking, 5 minutes to pay or get charged a £100 PCN 

I hope that she is contacted and comes here for advice 

kryten3000

Gr1pr said:

I hope that she is contacted and comes here for advice 

I am reliably informed that this lady is being assisted by a fellow Facebook admins who specialises in Excel/5 minute rule cases, so she is in good hands.

Apparently the first Notice that she received was sent 21 days late allowing her to get the others without knowing anything about the 5 min rule. She rang up and paid £60 and asked about her other days parking and they denied knowing about any other charges. It looks like that one she paid is included in the claim too.