Parking stories in the News/media

Nellymoser

More than half of the UK's 20 busiest airports have raised the price of short drop-off parking near their terminals, according to research by the RAC.

https://www.itv.com/news/2025-07-17/has-your-airport-raised-the-price-of-kiss-and-fly-drop-off-parking-fees

In contrast, nine of the busiest 10 airports in the EU charge nothing to drop off passengers.

Coupon-mad

Bournemouth Council has permission to trial higher penalties on-street in August:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c89envdgvvqo.amp

That is a first. As long as they properly provide alternative parking and alert visitors to it.

Coupon-mad

Fleets are being encouraged to do the Public Consultation:

https://www.fleetnews.co.uk/news/fleets-urged-to-engage-with-private-parking-consultation

This week, the Association of Fleet Professionals (AFP) ran a webinar on the growing issue of parking fines and members were encouraged to respond to the review on a new private parking code of practice.

AFP board member Julie Summerell, who chaired a webinar, explained that more than half of all fines handled by fleets were related to private parking and there was a general perception that appeals were increasingly being dismissed by parking operators.

One comment was:

“It does very much feel as though change is needed and we’d urge fleets to share their experiences with the government, especially their views on ideas such as a standardised appeals process, caps on charges, clearer signage and a single independent appeals body.”

Coupon-mad

Yet another double dip case.  ANPR in the hands of private firms isn't fit for purpose.

This time Parkmaven have conflated two visits SIX DAYS APART:

https://www.kentonline.co.uk/maidstone/news/it-s-disgusting-anger-over-further-fines-at-shopping-cent-327163/

A PCN was issued by Parkmaven for an “overstayed authorised parking session”.

According to the notice, the driver had left his vehicle at the car park for more than 140 hours!

“I spoke to a woman from the management team at The Mall, and from the way she spoke, she knows it happens a lot."

She voided it, of course. But what about all the PCNs going to lease firms who just pay up?

The BPA must be so proud.

Coupon-mad

Coupon-mad said:

This article quotes me, teehee:

https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/whats-on/shopping/starbucks-customers-using-drive-thru-31958380.amp

MET at Stansted Airport ripping someone off yet again by hiding a single VRM keypad inside Starbucks, that a Drive-thru customer will never see. Money for old rope, innit?

This story was picked up by the Guardian:

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2025/jun/30/i-went-to-a-drive-thru-starbucks-but-ended-up-with-a-100-parking-fine

And of course, true to form (sweeping all media 'noise' to add to the dust under the BPA carpet) MET scrabbled to cancel the PCN at last.

How exactly can people using the drive-thru comply?  @Kaizen2024 any comment?

Coupon-mad

Yet another double dip ANPR flaw:

Supermarket giant Tesco has apologised to a kickboxing couple - after they were wrongly slapped with a £70 parking fine. Shoppers Craig and Marie Astbury had left Tesco with their groceries at 9.52pm on December 16 and used the in-store pharmacy at 7.33am the next morning.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/technology/tesco-says-sorry-to-kickboxing-couple-as-70-parking-fine-quashed/ar-AA1Dd2oz?apiversion=v2&noservercache=1&domshim=1&renderwebcomponents=1&wcseo=1&batchservertelemetry=1&noservertelemetry=1

This time it was Horizon Parking and Tesco had to step in and apologise.

Jeez are ANY firms doing human checks, looking for double visits? It looks like none of them do, and they all just churn out PCNs automatically and pass the burden to consumers to prove it.

Kaizen2024

Coupon-mad said:

Coupon-mad said:

This article quotes me, teehee:

https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/whats-on/shopping/starbucks-customers-using-drive-thru-31958380.amp

MET at Stansted Airport ripping someone off yet again by hiding a single VRM keypad inside Starbucks, that a Drive-thru customer will never see. Money for old rope, innit?

This story was picked up by the Guardian:

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2025/jun/30/i-went-to-a-drive-thru-starbucks-but-ended-up-with-a-100-parking-fine

And of course, true to form (sweeping all media 'noise' to add to the dust under the BPA carpet) MET scrabbled to cancel the PCN at last.

How exactly can people using the drive-thru comply?  @Kaizen2024 any comment?

Straight forward to comply (by going inside and registering the vehicle), but does kind of defeat the object of a drive through unless they want to reserve the parking bays for people who are sitting inside.

Ralph-y

🤣🤣🤣.......

Nellymoser

Your industry really does have some utterly stupid ideas for managing parking. What's the point of a drive thru if you have to park in the car park first and go inside to register your vehicle. While inside you're as well ordering your meal when your there. The drive thru line will become empty and car park spaces full from people ordering and collecting inside.

Nellymoser

East Lancs MP Sarah Smith has thrown her support behind the Govt consultation aimed at tackling unfair and excessive private parking fines.

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/east-lancs-mp-throws-support-040000861.html

Mrs Smith is encouraging constituents to share their views "if you’ve had a bad experience with a private parking company, now’s the time to have your say."