Parking stories in the News/media

Coupon-mad

Here we go again. This one might well be a poster on here.

VCS issued yet a another covert camera PCN at the temporary traffic light entrapment area at Bristol Airport:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp859806lkro.amp

"A man's £170 airport parking fine claim was discontinued with no explanation, just before the hearing. In April 2024, Dave Fitzheslop was fined for stopping at a temporary traffic light in front of the Bristol Airport terminal where his wife spotted him and jumped in, on his way to a pick-up zone.

He claimed he had been wrongly charged by parking management contractor VCS for stopping in a "no stopping zone", indicated with double red lines.

A VCS spokesperson said an administrative error during the court process meant its claim was "inadvertently cancelled".

Teehee!

To save face, VCS are whinging that the case was discontinued in error, haha! That'll be DCB Legal's finest young kids, then.

Coupon-mad

Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust are outsourcing their parking to an ANPR third party for the first time:

https://www.bradfordhospitals.nhs.uk/car-parking-is-changing-at-bradford-teaching-hospitals/

What could possibly go wrong...

Expect to see threads about this place for the first time within months. The staff & patients won't know what's hit them.

"Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is making parking simpler, fairer and more efficient, providing a better experience for patients, colleagues and visitors.

The new parking system, which goes live for the public on Monday, 18 August at Bradford Royal Infirmary (BRI) and St Luke’s Hospital, uses the latest automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) technology.

It will improve parking by making it:

• Simpler – ANPR will make it simpler to manage vehicle access and flow.
• Fairer – entry and exit barriers will make it fairer, ensuring patients and visitors only pay for the parking they use.
• Efficient – maximising space and better use of technology will make it more efficient and easier to find a parking space.

Director of Estates and Facilities, David Moss ... is completely taken in by the usual (ParkingEye?) laughable spiel, so much so that he's repeated it.

Sigh...

ChirpyChicken

But at least its barrier controlled

Coupon-mad

ChirpyChicken said:

But at least its barried

But no doubt displaying the 1 hour lowest fee by default to every driver.

Coupon-mad

South West Lakes Trust have still not learned their lesson, where lakeside cafes closed in 2024, citing complaints about Smart Parking as a cause because it had affected business:

2024:

"the café owners said its staff have been receiving abuse regarding the car park when customers receive fines. The café took to Facebook to explain the situation with regards to parking on site - adding that it has been dealing with a number of complaints"

https://www.cornwalllive.com/news/cornwall-news/caf-owners-speak-out-after-9415816

Soon, they had enough and closed:

https://www.cornwalllive.com/news/cornwall-news/popular-lakeside-cafs-announce-closure-9648995.amp

"Two popular lakeside cafes in Cornwall have closed their doors for good after a "seemingly endless barrage of challenges" faced by the owners. The Wild Vibes Cafes at two resevoir beauty spots closed their doors for the final time. The café at Argal Lake near Penryn initially opened in 2017 and, following its success, the owners opened a second venue at Stithians Lake in 2020."

The noise hasn't stopped:

https://www.bude-today.co.uk/news/south-west-lakes-trust-defend-new-roadford-parking-system-amid-backlash-709893

...but SWLT has inflicted Smart Parking at other lakes, too:

2025:

Private car parking enforcement putting locals off local lakes

https://www.okehampton-today.co.uk/news/private-car-parking-enforcement-putting-locals-off-local-lakes-814792

https://www.siblybacklake.co.uk/2024/11/anpr-parking-at-siblyback-lake.html?m=1

That was this month.

Yet more back in January:

The local Councillor has had to get involved to offer help and the Olive & Co. Cafe has also posted, having suffered from the same issues that caused the other cafes to close:

Reportedly, it's driving locals and visitors away for good. Loads of people have reported £100 rip off charges arriving, despite paying to park or being an authorised patron / friend of SWLT.

There have been endless complaints where SWLT have had to get involved but they still don't get it that this is causing lost visitor numbers:

Now THAT'S a jolly wheeze!

See above. Smart let the registered VRMs lapse every year, even if patrons renew their membership. Seems it is as clear as mud but you have to re-register your VRM annually. Separately.

"If any of our members or friends have any concerns, they can contact us on info@swlakestrust.org.uk.”

When will you learn, SWLT? 

Ralph-y

I am going to try and beat a illustrious forum member to this ........

they would ALL have been fine if they followed the rules .....

why do ALL these people make so many mistakes ? 

imagine what the car chaos would be like if this site was no monitored ? 

Coupon-mad

Ralph-y said:

I am going to try and beat a illustrious forum member to this ........

they would ALL have been fine if they followed the rules .....

why do ALL these people make so many mistakes ? 

imagine what the car chaos would be like if this site was no monitored ? 

Very funny! 

Yep it's all the motorists' fault...

Coupon-mad

Another article about the scourge of £100 PCNs at barrier-less Airport drop off zones:

The airport parking mistake that could cost you £100 this summer

https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/airport-parking-barrierless-kiss-and-fly-aWTZ84M6vxGn

"Pick-up or drop-off at some UK airports could now cost you up to £100 if you make a mistake in new barrierless airport car parks.

Instead of physical barriers with payment booths, barrierless car parks at airports including Birmingham, Gatwick, Heathrow, Luton, Manchester and Stansted now use automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) to track how long you park for and how much you owe.

Depending on the airport, you’ll need to remember to pay online or by phone, by the deadline of midnight the next day -- or within 24 hours at Birmingham. If you forget, you’ll receive a fine. These vary between airports but can range from £80-£100".

Bazarius

Ralph-y said:

I am going to try and beat a illustrious forum member to this ........

they would ALL have been fine if they followed the rules .....

why do ALL these people make so many mistakes ? 

imagine what the car chaos would be like if this site was no monitored ? 

“The £100 charge does not exert a sufficient deterrent influence on driver behaviour under current enforcement conditions.” 

“Our members aren’t out to scam anyone—they’re simply enforcing the rules fairly.” Lol 

Nellymoser

Tesco accused of 'unfairly fining' workers after parking U-turn at Birmingham store

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/tesco-accused-unfairly-fining-workers-043000605.html

Business owner Mr Ahmed said "When Tesco was originally granted planning permission, one of the key conditions was that local residents and businesses would be allowed to use the car park." 

Tesco has recently changed this arrangement by bringing in strict parking restrictions which has left traders and customers facing unexpected 'fines'. 

The changes Tesco said "were made in consultation with the council and complied with all planning regulations".

It's hard to understand what Tesco hopes to achieve with these changes. The "better manage spaces" "our customers can find a space when they visit" and "to deter anti-social behaviour" frequently churned out reasons are wearing thin.

You begin to wonder if Tesco own the Horizon Parking Company.